TIP OF THE DAY: Flaky Salt (Or Flake Salt)

[1] Cypress flake salt from the Mediterranean (photo courtesy SaltWorks). Angsley salt from the sea around Wales (photo by River Soma | THE NIBBLE). [3] Maldon River salt from England. It forms unique pyramid-shape crystals (photo courtesy Stephen Upson). [4] Kosher salt, from underground mines (photo courtesy WiseGeek).   Do you have a container of…
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FOOD 101: Mahlepi or Mahleb, A Middle Eastern Spice

We would never have heard of mahlepi or mahleb*, a Middle Eastern spice, were it not for Greek tsoureki (photo #1), one of our favorite Easter breads. Tsoureki, a soft, sweet and buttery braided yeast loaf, is famous for its embedded Easter eggs. We’ve never made it because it’s a two-day process, and we never…
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FOOD 101: Chile Or Chili or Chilli or…Pepper?

[1] Assorted chiles that are popular in U.S. kitchens (photo courtesy Melissa’s). [2] Cayenne chiles (photo courtesy Good Eggs).   Wild chiles have been a part of the diet in the Americas since about 7500 B.C.E. While the first chile may have been domesticated in Bolivia, the oldest known traces of have been found in…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Shichimi Togarashi

Many Americans like to shake hot sauce on their food. But what about hot spices? In addition to black pepper and chile flakes, there’s shichimi togarashi (she-CHEE-me toe-gah-RAH-she—photo #1). Known simply as shichimi in Japan, it’s a seven-ingredient spice blend (shichi is “seven” in Japanese, togarashi is red pepper). The spice blend dates at least…
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FOOD 101: The Differences Between Table Salt & Sea Salt

[1] Table salt. Functional, but not the best (photo courtesy Tablecraft)./font> [2] Fleur de sel, a favorite of chefs harvested off the Atlantic coast of France. It’s a type of sel gris, the category of gray salt (photo courtesy Saltworks). The unique pyramid-shaped crystals of Maldon River salt from England (photo © Stephen Upson). [4]…
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