To free the cloves from the head, press down on the head with the heel of your palm. Apply firm, even pressure so the cloves don't fly all over the place.To peel an individual clove, cut of the hard stem end where the clove attached to the bulb. Either stop the cut just short of the skin on the other side and peel the skin around to remove it, or make the cut all the way through and squeeze out the clove. The older the clove, the easier the skin releases. When you want a dish to have distinct, toasted garlic flavor, thinly slice the garlic.You can also peel it by setting the side of your knife blade on the clove and pressing down until you feel the skin release. If you crush the clove it's difficult to slice, so resist the temptation to smash here.Put the peeled clove on its flattest, most stable side, and slice away. When you've sliced about halfway through the clove, it's a good idea to roll the clove over to the flat side for more stability, then finish it off.
Why does Cookthink use red pepper flakes in so many recipes?
Why does Cookthink use red pepper flakes in so many recipes?
We use red pepper flakes so often that we've come to think of them as the third standard seasoning, after salt and pepper.
Why do we use red pepper flakes in so many recipes?
We use it as a flavor highlighter. In addition to the fives tastes -- sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami -- our tongues detect capsaicin, the main ingredient found in any hot chile. The heat of capsaicin in red pepper flakes "points up" the taste of ingredients they season. So, no matter what tastes and flavors you have going on in a dish, a pinch of red pepper flakes will help clarify and those tastes and flavors without necessarily adding heat (though you can add plenty of heat by adding red pepper flakes).
Experiment with red pepper flakes by starting out with a pinch in a dish like this Fusilli with Broccoli Raab and Parmesan. Increase (or decrease) the amount you use to get a sense of how much you like to add.
Recipe: New York Strip With Spicy Gremolata Dressing (Cookthink)
Reference: Measuring freshly ground black pepper (Cookthink)
What do we mean by shimmering oil?
What do we mean by shimmering oil?
Shimmering oil is hot oil that is nearing its smoke point.
At room temperature, common cooking oils like vegetable and olive oil seem fairly thick. Put them in a pan and heat them though, and they thin out when you swirl the pan. As they get hotter, they tend to "flow" and coat the pan more easily.
In the right light, when you look at oil that's at a good temperature for sautéing -- nice and hot, but not yet smoking -- it shimmers. It forms "tines" like those on a wine glass. It looks colorful, iridescent even.
Shimmering oil is good for sautéing because it increases the chances that the food won't stick. Hot oil immediately seals the bottom of food, creating a natural barrier between it and the bottom of the pan.
When choosing broccoli raab at the grocery store or farmers market, be sure to examine its three main parts: stems, leaves and florets.
All three should be a pretty, deep green color with no yellow, brown or black spots (though the tiny yellow flowers that sometimes appear on the florets are fine -- and edible).
The stems of the broccoli raab should be firm, its leaves healthy-looking -- not wilted or slimy -- and its florets compact and firm.
What's the difference between broccoli and broccoli raab?
What's the difference between broccoli and broccoli raab?
Along with cabbages, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, broccoli raab and broccoli are in the brassica family. They look like modified versions of one another -- broccoli with its thick, branching stems, large florets and few leaves, and broccoli raab with its long, thin, uniform stems, small florets and pronounced leaves.
Both have a similar green vegetal flavor, but broccoli raab is bitter -- surprisingly so to the uninitiated -- while broccoli raab tends more toward the sweet. Despite that main difference, each works pretty well in place of the other whether in classic Italian pastas, soups, stews, simply steamed or sautéed alone with a splash of lemon or vinegar and olive oil.
Both pair especially well with pork and sausages, raisins, pine nuts, bell peppers and just about any kind of cheese -- especially ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella.
Like any vegetable, broccoli raab will keep longer in the refrigerator unwashed until you're ready to use it.
Stored properly, broccoli raab will keep for about a week in a plastic bag. If your broccoli raab is damp, whether from the farm or store or because you've already washed it, you can line the plastic bag with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to absorb condensation.
It's also a good idea to remove any ties holding the stems together to help moisture wick away.
Marjoram is oregano's calmer, sweeter fraternal twin. Oregano = zesty + peppery + lemony. Marjoram = delicate + floral + round. The two are often used interchangeably but if you get up in their mix you'll see some big differences.
Want to test the difference? Get a fresh sprig of marjoram and a fresh sprig of oregano. Tear an oregano leaf in half. Hold it up to your nose. Smell that piney resin? That jolt? It's sharp, isn't it? Almost one note.
Okay, wait a few minutes, then do the same thing with the marjoram. Smell the complexity? The spice is still there but it's perfumed, heady. Almost soapy. (If you use too much of it, that soapiness can take over a soup or sauce.)
So, can you use one in place of the other? Sure. If you use oregano when a recipe calls for marjoram (or vice versa), the flavors of the dish won't be wildly different. Still, we like to honor and explore the subtle character differences between the two.
Try some of our marjoram recipes or oregano recipes on Cookthink.
Also known as brocoletti di rape, rape and rapini in Italian and cultivar in Chinese, raab is a leafy, long-stalked green vegetable dotted with miniature broccoliesque buds.
Related to the turnip and the cabbage, broccoli raab (sometimes spelled rabe) has an intense, nutty, bitter flavor which the Italians love and Americans have largely left to farm animals. Chinese cultivar is lighter in color, more tender, and generally lacks the bitterness of western raab.
Recipe: Braised Broccoli Raab
Recipe: Orecchiette With Broccoli Raab And Parmesan
