In today’s chef’s tip, Giu Giunti teaches you how to use natural condiments and some tricks to avoid those with ‘bags’
No more buying those industrialized condiments full of ingredients that we can barely pronounce the names of. If there is anything I hate today, it is the famous condiment packets and cubes, it has so much sodium, dyes, and preservatives that make your real food stop being healthy and start having ingredients that are harmful to your health..
When I decided I wanted to work in the kitchen, I learned how to extract all of its flavor from food. Sounds silly, but the way we sauté can step it up, controlling the heat, raising and lowering when needed is one of the tricks to succeed. I’ll give you some food tips that can be used as a base for french fries to dress sauces, beans, soups, and anything else you’ll be making from now on.
To dress meat and vegetable broths, tomato sauces, Bolognese sauces and stewed meats I love to use the famous “Mirepoix” (pronounced “Mirrepuá” is French), in a nutshell, it’s the perfect marriage onion, carrot and celery. The three are cut into cubes and used in the following proportion; 50% onion, 25% carrot and 25% celery. I still like to add garlic to most of my preparations, it leaves the flavor completely enveloping and comforting.
If you are not a big fan of celery you can substitute leek, but I guarantee you that the flavor is not evident and gives a very particular touch. The trick is to leave everything golden and not be in a hurry to do the sauté. You can also use a teaspoon of tomato paste or even ketchup to “tchan” this sauté and caramelize the food with this little help. In the kitchen it is called this trick with tomato paste “pinch”leaves everything with much better color and flavor.
Another trick I really like to use is the “Drip and fries”, I call it so affectionately because during the sauté I use water (at room temperature or hot). It may sound strange, but It’s amazing how quickly the onion caramelizes very evenly using this technique. It works like this: when we fry, at the beginning of the process the food has a lot of water and it leaks along the process, when the food starts with a more crunchy and dry sound, people tend to add more fat, that’s when we use the water in our favor. They are small amounts, basically they drip water through the pan, as well as helping to loosen the bottom, it helps not to burn everything. If needed at this time, turn up the fire and watch the magic happen. Just try it with onion and garlic twice and feel the difference in flavor.
And last but not least, the aromatic herbs and peppers that help open the palate. Use and abuse aromatic herbs such as thyme, basil, them, parsley, chives, rosemary and black pepper. You can use a gauze, these sterile and a string making a bundle with the herbs to make an infusion in the preparations, so all the flavor passes and you can remove it at the end of cooking.
And are you going to invest in your stew and save money or will you stick with comics and “flavored” chemical powders?
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Source: Terra
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
