(part 2)
Filé Powder - (FEE-lay, fih-LAY) Made from the dried leaves of the sassafras tree and ground into a powder, Filé is thought to have come from the Choctaw indians of Louisiana and is an important seasoning for Gumbo.
fond - the brown carmelized bits of "stuff" left in the pan after you saute meat or fish. It's the stuff you makegreat sauces from...sort of a base.
fondue From the French word for "melt", the term could refer to food cooked in a communal pot at the table or to finely chopped veggies that have been slowly cooked to a pulp and used as a garnish.
glace a stock that has been reduced to a syrupy consistency and used to add flavor and color to a sauce.
great Northern bean Grown in the Midwest, this large white bean looks like a Lima bean and has a wonderful delicate flavor. Goes great in Winter Polish Peasant Sausage & Bean Stew.
gremolada (greh moh Lah dah) an Italian garnish consisting of minced garlic, parsley, lemon rind, and sometimes shredded basil. It is most often used in garnishing osso buco.
gumbo (GUHM-boh) - a thick stewlike dish associated with Creole cooking down in Louisiana. It typically has ingredients including okra, tomatoes, onions and some protein like crab, shrimp, sausage or chicken. The name gumbo comes from a derivation of the African word for okra, one of the principal ingredients. Check out my recipe for Gumbo.
hominy an early gift from the American Indians, hominy is dried corn kernels which have had the hulls and germ removed either mechanically or chemically. For our Posole, we purchased canned hominy, but you can also buy it dried. Do you remember in the movie My Cousin Vinny when they talk about grits? Well they were talking about ground dried hominy.
knead To mix and work dough into a pliable mass either manually or with a mixer/food processor. When done by hand, you press the dough with the heels of your hands, fold in half, give a quarter turn, and repeat until smooth and elastic.
ladyfinger Shaped like a fat finger, it is a delicate sponge cake that is used for making desserts like Tiramisu and Charlottes. You can usually purchase them in bakeries, supermarkets, or specialty markets.
leavening the addition--through biological, chemical or mechanical means--of gases to a dough or batter which causes it to raise and lighten during mixing and/or baking.
maître d' (MAY-truhDEE) - short for maître d'hôtel and is translated literally as master of the hotel is the headwaiter who is in charge of assigning people to their tables in a restaurant. Part of their responsibilities may also include making sure the staff waiters are doing their jobs, training, handling complaints and working as a liaison between the front of the house and the kitchen.
mesclun (MEHS-kluhn) A combination of fancy, young salad greens once hard to find but now popular and available pre washed in the produce section of your supermarket in the Bag O Salad section. The mix usually contains a combination of arugula, dandelion, frisee, mizuma, oak leaf, radicchio and sorrel.
meuniére (muhn-YAIR) a fancy French name for "miller's wife" and refers to the cooking technique used. In this case, fish is seasoned with salt and pepper and then dredged with flour and sautéed in butter. Check out my recipe for Sole Meuniére
mirepoix (mihr-PWAH) a mixture of diced carrots, onions, celery and herbs that has been sautéed in butter or oil and used to season soups and stews. Sometimes mirepoix will contain diced prosciutto or ham to enhance flavor.
mise en place (MEEZ ahn plahs) This technique is IMPORTANT and one that's hardest to get novice cooks to stick with. It's a French term for having all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before starting you start cooking. That means everything is cleaned, peeled, chopped, diced, measured out, whatever's necessary to get the ingredients ready prior to preparing your dish. Many of us, me included, start cooking and prepping at the same time. A big NO NO. Try to get into the habit of mis en place. Too read more about mise en place, click here
Mongolian Hot Pot A sort of Chinese fondue, this giant communal pot contains a simmering stock where diners cook a variety of raw, thinly sliced meats and vegetables. A reader asked if I knew where to buy one....any ideas?
orzo (OHR-zoh) in Italian means barley, but it is really a pasta that is shaped like rice. I like to substitute it for rice in salads like my Seafood Orzo Salad but it is also great in soups.
Ossobuco (AW-soh BOO-koh) in Italian means bone with a hole and that's where this dish derives it's name. The hole is filled with marrow and some consider it a delicacy while others shy away from it. This Italian dish is made with gelatinous veal shanks that are braised with fresh vegetables and rich stock. This dish comes from Milan in Italy's northern region of Lombardy. The area is known for dairy farming with veal being a natural by-product. Ossobuco is simple and delicious meal that is often served with Gremolada.
pappardelle from the Italian city of Bologna, this long ribbon pasta measures from 6 - 10 inches long and anywhere from 1/2" to 1" wide and is great with hardy sauces because of it's larger surface. It's usually homemade but is starting to show up more and more in gourmet stores and supermarkets. If your local gourmet store doesn't carry it, ask them. They are usually accommodating.
pesto (PEH stoh) An uncooked sauce that can also be used as condiment from Genoa, Italy and usually contains fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and olive oil although I've made it with arugula, sun dried tomatoes, and cilantro. I make mine with a food processor, but it is often made by hand with a mortar and pestle.
pine nut also called pignoli or Italian nut, pine nuts come from, you guessed it, pine trees. The nut is extracted from the cone usually with heat and is highly labor intensive thus expensive. they have a high fat content and should be stored in airtight containers in your refrigerator. They have a wonderful flavor especially when toasted.
pomme de terre Translated from French, it means "apple of the earth", but refers to the potato. Usually seen as pommmes frites or French Fries.
posole - (poh-SOH-leh) a traditional Mexican dish from the pacific coast region of Jalisco. A thick soup that's usually made with pork, hominy, garlic, onion, chili peppers, cilantro, and broth. Check out Huntley Dent's recipe for posole.
pope's nose - The stubby tail that protrudes from dressed chicken, turkey, and other fowl that my dad always served me at Thanksgiving.
puree n. Any food that is mashed to a thick, smooth consistency. puree v. the action of mashing a food until it has a thick, smooth consistency usually done by a blender or food processor.
rennet - a natural enzyme obtained from the stomach of young cows that is used to curdle milk when making cheese.
resting - removing meat or poultry from heat before reaching ideal internal temperatures to allow the redistribution of juices in the meat. This helps keep the meat retain its juices, evens out temperature and doneness and easier to carve.
roux - A mixture of flour and fat that is cooked over low heat and used to thicken soups and sauces. There are three types of roux...white, blond, and brown. White and blond roux are both made with butter and used in cream sauces while brown roux can be made with either butter or the drippings from what you are cooking and is used for darker soups and sauces.
sachet - A sachet is a small bag made out of cloth or cheesecloth that is filled with various herbs and spices and used to add flavor to soup, stews, stocks and sauces. The combination of herbs and spices can vary depending on what you are cooking but typically include bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley and thyme.
Fresh herbs and spices are better but dried will do nicely if you don't have access to fresh. You can use kitchen string (I have a roll of kite string in our kitchen) to tie the bundle together or even tie the four corners to themselves. I have even seen these nifty disposable cloth bags you can buy at kitchen supply stores.
saffron
- An extremely expensive yellow-orange spice made from the stigmas of purple crocus. Think about this, each crocus produces only three stigmas which are hand picked and dried. It takes 14,000 of these tiny stigmas to produce an ounce of saffron. When buying choose the whole threads over the powder form and store in an air tight container in a cool dark place . Saffron is used for flavoring but was once used for medicinal purposes as well as dying clothes.
self-rising flour
- is one of the first "baking mixes." Rather than having to measure out all purpose flour, baking powder and salt separately, a cook can just measure the self rising flour--everything else is already in there.
score
- To make shallow cuts into the surface of foods such as fish, meat, or chicken breasts to aid in the absorption of a marinade, to help tenderize, and/or to decorate.
simmer
- To cook food in liquid gently over low heat. You should see tiny bubbles just breaking the surface of the liquid.
smoking point
The point when a fat such as butter or oil smokes and lets off an acrid odor. Not good since this odor can get into what you are cooking and give it a bad flavor. Butter smokes at 350° F, vegetable oil at 445° F, lard at 365°-400°F , olive oil at about 375° F.
stock
- also called broth or bouillon, a flavorful liquid made by gently cooking meat, chicken or fish (with bones) in water and used for making sauces, soups, glaces and can be used for braising or poaching. I have read that in order for this liquid to be called stock, it must be made with bones therefore there is no such thing as vegetable stock. Not so sure this is true but sounds interesting. I have also read that the term comes from professional chefs keeping this important liquid ingredient "in stock" until they need it to cook with.
sweat
To cook slowly over low heat in butter, usually covered, without browning. See my article on How to Sweat Vegetables
tapenade
(ta pen AHD) a thick paste made from capers, anchovies, olives, olive oil, lemon juice, and seasonings. This delicious condiment originated in France's Provence region.
toad-in-the-hole
A British dish consisting of a Yorkshire Pudding batter and cooked link sausages. When baked, the batter puffs up around the sausages giving the appearance of "toads in the hole"
Worcestershire sauce
Developed in India by the British, this dark, spicy sauce got its name from the city where it was first bottled...Worcester, England. Used to season meats, gravies, and soups, the recipe includes soy sauce, onions, molasses, lime, anchovies, vinegar, garlic, tamarind, as well as other spices.
Thanks for reading folks!!!
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