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Ingredients |
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Foodies Like Us loves cooking and using unique (and sometimes boring!) ingredients to make their dishes extraordinary! Send us your favorite ingredients at info@foodieslikeus.com and we will add them to this section!
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» Cumin
This tasty spice has changed the way we think about spice! It smells
fabulous because of its abundant oil content. Cumin "seeds" are
actually the small dried fruit that's a member of the parsley family.
Its a native to the Mediterranean, and a popular ingredient in Middle
Eastern, Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican cuisines, and is one of the
main ingredients in curry powder. Sold whole or ground, the seeds come
in three colors: amber, white or black. Amber is most widely available,
but the black has such a complex flavor it should not be substituted
for the other two. It's available at any grocery store spice rack, and
the Amber version is the easiest to find.
We like it added to beans, chicken, couscous, curry, eggplant, fish,
lamb, lentils, peas, pork, potatoes, rice, sausages, soups, stews,
eggs. We like this spice so much we named our parent company "Cumin
Blanc LLC" in its honor! Check out this flank steak recipe - soooo good!
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» Garlic
We know, we know. All foodies like garlic. We love, love, LOVE garlic. Fresh garlic that is. We at Foodies use ONLY Fresh garlic. It takes a bit longer to prepare, and the skins are sometimes a pain to remove, but there is really no substitute. The jarred garlic can be tempting to save on prep time, but take the extra minute and chop it fresh. You won't regret it. Another foodies tip - don't waste money on one of those garlic press things. A chef's knife works so much better. Here's a quick how to:
Separate bulb from head. Place bulb on cutting board. With a large chef's knife place the flat side of the knife down on top of the clove. Using the palm of your hand, (carefully!) bring your hand down with force on the side of the knife. This will rapidly de-skin the clove. Peel the clove. Take the naked clove and chop in end to end and then run your knife through it to dice.
These potatoes would not be the same without fresh garlic:
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» Marinated Artichoke Hearts
The joy that can come from a recipe that includes artichoke hearts might just be unparalleled. We throw these suckers in everything. Salads, sandwiches, dips, chicken casserole. You name it, we will find a way to work an artichoke heart into it! Locally, you can pick them up at any grocery store and we can't really find a difference between canned and jarred. AJ's Fine Foods has a plethora of interesting artichokes to pick from. This spinach artichoke dip will make your life better. Instantly.
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» Char Crust
This wonderful item was found by Foodies last year at a gourmet wine and marketplace in Tubac, Arizona. It is a dry spice rub blend that comes in a whole host of flavors. Originally prepared as a rub at the legendary Al Farber's steakhouse in Chicago, home cooks can experience the joy nightly at home. We have used it on pork, steak, chicken and ribs. Our favorite type is the spicy southwest version, but the original hickory grilled is pretty darn good as well. It seals in all the juices on your meat of choice and creates the best crust we have ever grilled at home. Check it out at www.charcrust.com It is sold randomly at certain grocers and Super Target of all places.
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» Fresh Herbs
So we at Foodies were not always well versed in fresh herbs. We thought, "heck my mom used it in a jar, it can't be that bad!" Behold! The day we discovered how much better food can be with fresh herbs, our foodie lives changed forever. We routinely cook with thyme, rosemary, basil, dill, cilantro and Italian parsley. You can get one of those at home herb garden deals that grows on your counter, plant a garden, or shop for them weekly. We use those infomercial famous "Debbie Meyer's Green Bags" to keep our herbs (and all other veggie) fresh. They work like a charm. We use them on fish, in salads, salsas, marinades. Here's a great hummus recipe made with fresh herbs!
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» A Damn Sharp Knife!
Ok, so here's the truth. You don't need a cute knife block from Pennys. You don't need a $200 Japanese knife from an infomercial (though if you can afford it, we are jealous and want to borrow it!) You don't need 12 different knives for every purpose. If you ever sit and watch Food Network, you will see that every chef uses 1-3 different knives at most. We are fans of a medium sized chef's knife, a small paring knife and a bread knife. The rest can sit in your wedding gift knife block for life. Rule #2 -- get a GOOD sharpener or, have them professionally sharpened on a regular basis. A knife does you no good if it's not sharp. If you can't slice immediately thru a tomato with ease, it's not sharp enough. Invest in at least 1 good knife (should run you about $50), a sharpener, and a cutting board that doesn't slide around and you are home free. We love this 3 knife set by Rachael Ray -- it was our favorite Christmas gift of 2008.
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