Category Archives: FOOD PREP

Crab Boil Tofu

CRAB BOIL TOFU You know the spice blend that restaurants use to cook shell fish primarily? Well, why not do the same with tofu? Opening the bag and pouring some of it into the water nearly choked me. Big reaction. Guess I breathed some of it in. Use CAUTION when using Crab Boil Spice. OtherwiseContinue reading “Crab Boil Tofu”

Make Fresh French Green Beans

Uptick your coleslaws and green salads with fresh green beans. They’re inexpensive, readily available, nutritious and contribute diversity to the texture achievement.

OLD BAY BAKED TOFU CUBES

OLD BAY BAKED TOFU CUBES Makes about 4 cups, depending on size Preheat oven to 300 degrees 2, 14 oz. containers water-packed extra firm tofu – rinse, pat dry, then wrap in cloth towels and place a brick or heavy object on top to press for about 1 hour – when ready, cut the blocksContinue reading “OLD BAY BAKED TOFU CUBES”

SNOWY ONION

SNOWY ONION is simply fresh sweet onion, peeled and diced, then processed till evenly mushy, looking like snow. Use in salad dressing when you want a sharp onion flavor and added texture without the chopped onion effect. Or, use in white sauces that when cooked, melt into the sauce creating a smooth texture and sweetContinue reading “SNOWY ONION”

STORING CELERY

Looking back on it, I doubt that I ever used an entire bunch of celery once stored in the refrigerator. The reasons being that it was too far toward the back and partially froze, or the water evaporated from the container and the celery went limp, or it just didn’t look good enough to useContinue reading “STORING CELERY”

QUICK RICED CAULIFLOWER

RICED CAULIFLOWER can be purchased in some grocery outlets fresh or frozen. Or you can make your own from fresh, by breaking the buds apart and processing them in a food processor till evenly riced (mealy). Of course you still have to cook them and even if you don’t, such as when added to aContinue reading “QUICK RICED CAULIFLOWER”

SHUCKING CORN

Okay, corn season is here. Grocers are selling corn on the cob, shucked or shuck your own. Shuck your own is cheaper (about half the price) and not that difficult if you know what you’re doing. Cut the bottoms off. Peel the stalks from the top, removing all green and the bulk of the silkContinue reading “SHUCKING CORN”

Pre-cooking Your Mushrooms

1 lb. fresh white button mushrooms, washed well, then quartered like a cross 5 oz. fresh Shitake mushrooms, washed well, stems removed from the caps with a knife and discarded 1 jumbo fresh Portobello mushroom cap, washed well, stem removed and discarded, sliced into 3/8 inch wide steaks, then crosswise into 3/4 inch wide segments 4Continue reading “Pre-cooking Your Mushrooms”

Making Orange Rind Matchsticks

MAKING ORANGE RIND MATCHSTICKS The next time you peel an orange to eat, save the peel, especially if it’s a thick peel. Why waste all that flavor when you can prepare it to use as a condiment/seasoning/flavoring in many dishes.

Preserving Bananas

Steve told me how to do this years ago. He discovered it by accident, trying to keep bananas from rotting so quickly. It works every time. I don’t know the science behind it, but the proof is in the result. This is what you do: When you bring a bunch of bananas home from market, ratherContinue reading “Preserving Bananas”

Best Lime Squeeze

Limes are difficult to squeeze. Even when you firmly roll them on the counter under your hand to loosen the membranes they, unlike the lemon, do not respond as well. If you have a microwave this is what to do: First wash the lime. Next, on the side of the lime make about a 3/4Continue reading “Best Lime Squeeze”

Making Pumpkin Seed Snow

MAKING PUMPKIN SEED SNOW All you need to make Pumpkin Seed Snow are raw, shelled pumpkin seeds and an electric coffee bean grinder. Fill the well of the grinder leaving enough head space for the ‘swell’. Process till seeds become fluffy, pausing a few times to scrape up snow from bottom of well and toContinue reading “Making Pumpkin Seed Snow”

BROWNED SPAGHETTI STICKS

Browned Spaghetti Sticks For Rice Pilaf dishes 1 T. extra virgin olive oil 50 (or as many as you want) stands of dried spaghetti , broken into 4ths or 6ths Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Place broken spaghetti pieces into skillet and cook till lightly browned. Shake pan or move them around withContinue reading “BROWNED SPAGHETTI STICKS”

BLACK RUSSIAN CROUTONS

BLACK RUSSIAN CROUTONS Bakery-style black bread makes superior croutons for soup or salad. Why not give it a try next time you see some authentic Russian black bread! Makes as many as you want preheat oven to 250 degrees 1/2 loaf bakery-style Russian black bread or pumpernickel, cut into 1/2 inch cubes Place cubes onContinue reading “BLACK RUSSIAN CROUTONS”

PICKLED GINGER STICKS

Ever buy a big piece of ginger, use part of it, refrigerate the rest, then not get back to it till it’s moldy? Yeah, me too. Ginger molds quickly. Being that it’s not readily available in all markets, when I do get some fresh ginger this is what I now do with the leftover. MakeContinue reading “PICKLED GINGER STICKS”

Santiago Dried Vegetarian Refried Beans

Santiago Dried Vegetarian Refried Beans The package recommends 1/2 gallon boiling water per package of beans, to let set covered for 25 minutes. If you want a thinner refried bean, then increase the amount of boiling water. It’s a great product. Use wherever you would traditionally use refried beans. Or get creative by adding herbs,Continue reading “Santiago Dried Vegetarian Refried Beans”

STAGES OF CARAMELIZING ONION

There are several ways to saute onions – resulting in different degrees of caramelization. The first is to fry the onion in oil and/or margarine till translucent, over medium-low heat. The onion still has firmness and is essentially a stir-fried onion, like the Chinese do. I often say in a recipe to fry till translucent,Continue reading “STAGES OF CARAMELIZING ONION”

CARAMELIZED WALNUTS

CARAMELIZED WALNUTS Easy and delicious! Walnuts, extra virgin olive oil, water, brown sugar and baking soda, cooked till caramelized and cooled till crispy! Great for topping salads or side dishes! Makes enough to top 4 salads, or side dishes 1/2 c. walnut halves or pieces 1-2 T. extra virgin olive oil 2 T. water 1/4Continue reading “CARAMELIZED WALNUTS”

MAKING CUCUMBER CANOES

The standard garden-variety cucumber is the seediest. So when you don’t want the seeds to complicate the texture achievement of your recipe, you simply remove them. Peel the cucumber, then cut each end off. Cut the cucumber in half from end to end. Put one half cucumber cupped in your hand, seed side up. TakeContinue reading “MAKING CUCUMBER CANOES”

TOASTING SESAME SEEDS

Toasting sesame seeds is much like toasting coconut. It doesn’t take long. Place sesame seeds in dry skillet, without overlapping much. Turn heat to low. Watch carefully for the first signs of browning, then shake skillet till most are lightly browned and the nut aroma in the air is prominent. Remove skillet immediately from heatContinue reading “TOASTING SESAME SEEDS”

SEEDING FRESH TOMATOES

Seeding a tomato actually means removing the seeds with the pulp, leaving the skin and the fleshy part attached to the skin. In other words, you don’t have to pick through the pulp to remove the seeds. The pulp goes out with the seeds. Seeding tomatoes is easy to do once you do it. NoContinue reading “SEEDING FRESH TOMATOES”

PRE-SLICED MUSHROOMS

PRE-SLICED MUSHROOMS. It’s always best to buy whole mushrooms and to slice your own. It’s not difficult, nor does it take much time. This way you control the thickness, and if you want to cube or quarter them, you have that option. More often than not, groceries slice them too thin, then keep them tooContinue reading “PRE-SLICED MUSHROOMS”

SQUEEZING LEMONS AND LIMES

SQUEEZING LEMONS AND LIMES Always squeeze lemons and limes into a cup or bowl, then remove the seeds and add juice to the recipe. If squeezed into the hand to let the juice run through the fingers, the possibility always exists that a seed will slip through too, unbeknownst to you, until one of yourContinue reading “SQUEEZING LEMONS AND LIMES”

SEEDING CANNED TOMATOES

SEEDING CANNED TOMATOES. Hold each tomato (one at a time) under cold, slowly running water. Slit lengthwise with your thumb nail. Open tomato; pull pulp up and out, rinsing pulp and seeds into sink. Drain tomato meat that remains, and either chunk, dice or chop for your recipe. This is a very simple procedure that makesContinue reading “SEEDING CANNED TOMATOES”

SEEDING AN AVOCADO

SEEDING AN AVOCADO. Using a long, sharp knife, cut lengthwise (from tip to tip) all around the avocado, through the skin and far enough into the meat to touch the seed. Insert blade of knife into the cut you’ve made, then twist the knife to separate the two halves. Take the knife and smack the sharpContinue reading “SEEDING AN AVOCADO”

PEACHES AND NECTARINES, HOW TO CUT INTO SEGMENTS

PEACHES AND NECTARINES, HOW TO CUT INTO SEGMENTS. Do this by holding the peach/nectarine in the palm of your hand, then using a small sharp knife, running the knife from end to end against the pit, making a crescent size slice that measures about 1/4 inch, or any size you want, at the widest part ofContinue reading “PEACHES AND NECTARINES, HOW TO CUT INTO SEGMENTS”

MELONS, HOW TO CUBE

To cube watermelon: Cut watermelon in half lengthwise. Take one half, and starting at one end slice into 3/4 inch thick slices. Discard the end piece and only slice as many slices as you estimate you’ll need for the recipe. Take each slice and run a sharp sturdy knife between the peel and the melon.Continue reading “MELONS, HOW TO CUBE”

LIQUID FLOUR

LIQUID FLOUR. You may notice that when using a thickener for a sauce or soup, I do not use a roux (the cooking of margarine with flour till thick and golden brown). Instead, I use a liquid flour, obtained by combining a measured amount of water or broth and flour in a jar with a tight-fittingContinue reading “LIQUID FLOUR”

LEGUMES

LEGUMES. You might think that dried split peas or lentils are all the same because they look the same, and consequently will all cook up the same. Not true. Split peas are as different as any other vegetable is to its own kind. Not all tomatoes are the same, so why should we expect all legumesContinue reading “LEGUMES”

GRATING HORSERADISH

GRATING HORSERADISH. Always peel horseradish before grating it, whether you use it in a dish or to garnish one. Grate on small holes of the grater as you need it. If grated ahead it will dry out. When peeling, peel only the section you will be grating. The remainder of the horseradish will stay fresher longerContinue reading “GRATING HORSERADISH”

SQUEEZING GINGER FOR GINGER JUICE

SQUEEZING GINGER FOR GINGER JUICE. When you don’t want to insert the texture of fresh ginger into a recipe, but still want the fresh ginger taste, this is an easy way to juice the ginger! Wash extra large piece of ginger. Break into 2 or 3 pieces, breaking pieces off at the joints. Place in tightly sealedContinue reading “SQUEEZING GINGER FOR GINGER JUICE”

STOVE-TOP ROASTED GARLIC

STOVE-TOP ROASTED GARLIC It’s really quite easy to make and takes only a few minutes, rather than the usual lengthy time it takes when oven-roasting garlic. Peel all the cloves in one bulb or more of garlic. If you can purchase them already peeled in the market, all the better. Place in a dry castContinue reading “STOVE-TOP ROASTED GARLIC”

FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE

FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE. When called for in a recipe, please do not substitute frozen concentrate, bottled, or juice from a carton. Use only that which you squeeze from the orange yourself. Frozen orange juice and other premixed orange juices contain added vitamins that can be tasted in a recipe–especially when sauteing with it.

FRESH BREAD CRUMBS

FRESH BREAD CRUMBS. Many of you have blenders and/or food processors and will make your fresh bread crumbs in that. For those of you who don’t have either, here’s another efficient way to make them: Shred partially frozen French or Italian bread over very large holes of a vegetable grater, using firm pressure and long strokes. The breadContinue reading “FRESH BREAD CRUMBS”

CUTTING FRUIT

CUTTING FRUIT. Cut fruit on any hard surface you like, except a wooden cutting board that has been previously used to cut garlic and/or onion. Regardless of how well you’ve cleaned it, the fruit will pick up the odor of the garlic and/or onion instantaneously, and you will very definitely taste it on the fruit. So,Continue reading “CUTTING FRUIT”