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TIP OF THE DAY: Panko Japanese Breadcrumbs


Panko Crusted Salmon with Ponzu. The recipe
couldn’t be easier (photo © Kikkoman).
  Ever since we discovered them at Japanese restaurants, our breadcrumb of choice has been panko, the crispy bread crumb used in tempura, tonkatsu and crunchy sushi rolls, among other recipes. They’re crunchier and more flavorful than conventional bread crumbs.
 
 
WHAT IS PANKO?

Panko is actually bread “flakes” rather than breadcrumbs. The difference is that conventional bread crumbs are ground into tiny bits, while panko are small flakes.

Panko are made from specially baked, oblong, crustless loaves. The larger and lighter flakes produced coat the food without “packing” like regular bread crumbs. They allow foods to stay crispier longer.

Panko can be used with baked or fried foods. Kikkoman Panko Bread Crumbs are unseasoned, making them perfect for sweet recipes, too.

 

  • Try them with crab cakes, fried fish, chicken and chicken nuggets; and in meat loaf and meatballs.
  • They’re perfect for fried zucchini, mozzarella sticks, onion rings and stuffed mushrooms.
  • Sprinkle them on casseroles before baking, then dot with a little butter for a light, tasty topping.
  • Garnish pasta and noodle dishes, including lasagne and mac and cheese.
  • Toss a few onto cottage cheese and yogurt.
  • Add a crisp, crunchy topping to everything from French toast, coffee cake and fruit fritters, to crisps and crumbles and ice cream.
  •  

    Check out the recipes on the Kikkoman website. After you see and taste the difference, you may never go back to ordinary bread crumbs.

    You can find panko in the Asian products section of many supermarkets; at all Asian food markets; and online. Kikkoman panko breadcrumbs are certified kosher by OU.
     
    Panko “Crunch It Up” Recipe Contest

    Enter your original recipe by March 26th, 2012. It can be an appetizer, side dish, main dish or dessert, as long as it’s creative, delicious and original.

    The winner in each category will receive a $1,000 prize and the winning recipes will be added to Kikkoman’s recipe database.

    Here are the contest guidelines for the recipe contest.

    Go forth and crunch!

     
    Look for panko in the Asian products section of your market (photo © Kikkoman).
     

      

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    ST. PATRICK’S DAY RECIPE: Lamb Kebabs with Guinness Marinade


    Lamb kebabs, couscous and minted yogurt
    are Middle Eastern, but Guinness is serving
    the dish on St. Patrick’s Day. Photo courtesy
    Guinness.
      Kebabs (variously spelled kababs, kabobs and kebaps) are meat dishes of Persian origin. The concept spread throughout the Middle East and to Greece. The word means “roasted meat.” In different countries the meat can be skewered, sliced from a roast or served in other preparations.

    In North America, “kebab” is a shortcut for skewered meat chunks that are grilled or roasted. The term is more properly “shish kebab,” shish being the Armenian word for skewer. (Thus, “fruit kebab,” “vegetable kebab” and other non-roasted-meat kebabs are misnomers. Use the word “skewer” instead.)

    If there is no qualification, shish kebab is made with lamb, the leading meat in the Middle East.

    While lamb roasts, stews and other preparations are common in Ireland, Justin O’Connor, Executive Chef at the Guinness Storehouse, designed this Mediterranean-inspired lamb kebabs recipe for St. Patrick’s Day. It will be featured at the Guinness Storehouse restaurant in Dublin. If it’s good for Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day, it’s good for everyone!

     

    The lamb can be oven-roasted or grilled.

     

    GUINNESS-MARINATED LAMB KEBABS RECIPE

    Ingredients

  • 1 loin of lamb, trimmed
  • Olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 red onion, peeled and quartered
  •  
    Ingredients For Marinade

  • 2 ounces Guinness Extra Stout (the double stout version of regular Guinness)
  • 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • Salt and pepper
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 red chile, chopped
  • Garnishes: fresh mint, parsley, dried apricots
  •  
    Couscous is enriched with the flavors of apricots, mint and parsley. Photo courtesy Guinness.
     

    Ingredients For Minted Yogurt

  • 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves, plus extra for garnish
  • Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  •  
    Preparation

    1. Slice Meat. Slice the loin into 8 pieces; cube and marinate overnight in a fridge.

    2. Slice Vegetables. Dice the peppers, wedge the onions, season and coat in olive oil. Add to the marinating lamb and continue to marinate for 2 to 3 hours. Prior to cooking, preheat oven to 360°F.

    3. Skewer. Skewer the lamb and vegetables evenly onto 4 skewers. To cook, place in the oven for 8 minutes or char grill until evenly cooked.

    4. Plate. Serve the skewers with couscous, vegetables of choice and a bowl of minted yogurt. Use extra mint leaves (from the minted yogurt) to garnish the couscous. Dried apricots are another Middle Eastern-inspired choice.

    Do You Know Your Lamb Cuts?

    Take a look at our Lovely Lamb Glossary.
      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Fry, Don’t Burn


    A deep fryer from Hamilton Beach, with
    temperature controls to prevent burning.

      If you’re wary of frying foods because you’ve burned them, you may simply need to switch your oil—or use a cooking thermometer (you need a candy and deep fry thermometer) or deep fryer.

    Proper frying, says chef Louis Eguaras, takes place between 350° and 375°F.

    Monitor the temperature of the oil with the thermometer:

  • If the fat is too hot, you will both burn the food and ruin the oil.
  • If the temperature is too low, the food will take too long to cook and will absorb too much oil, making it greasy.
  •  
    While frying can use any number of oils, deep frying specifically needs a high smoke point oil, such as canola, grapeseed, peanut, safflower and soybean oils. (See the smoke points of the different fats.)

     
    The Difference Between Sautéing, Frying and Deep Frying

  • Sauté: Sautéing places the food atop a thin layer of fat in a shallow pan. Ingredients are often cut into pieces, thinly sliced or pounded flat to facilitate fast cooking over a relatively high heat, typically tossed for even cooking. Sautéing browns the food: When chicken, fish or meat is removed, the residue stuck to the pan can be deglazed* with wine or stock to make a sauce.
  • Pan Fry: Pan-frying is similar to sautéing, but with slightly more fat and a slightly lower temperature. It is used to cook larger pieces of meat or fish that need more time to cook through. The meat is often finished in the oven after its surface has been cooked to the desired degree. And, because of the size of the pieces, the food isn’t tossed.
  • Fry or Shallow Fry: This technique, used to prepare patties and portion-size cuts of meat and fish, submerges the food one-third to one-half deep in the fat. Battered foods such as fried chicken and fritters are made this way. Shallow frying is an oil-based cooking technique.
  • Deep Fry: The food is totally immersed in hot oil, in a deep frying pan or an even deeper pot called a deep fryer. Doughnuts and french fries are fried this way, and it’s an easy way to fry battered foods as well.
  • Stir-Fry: Like sautéing, stir frying uses a thin layer of fat; but the food is fried quickly in a wok at a very high temperature, with continuous stirring to prevent it from adhering to the wok and burning.
  •  
    *When a piece of meat is sautéed, pan fried or roasted, a deposit of caramelized sugars, carbohydrates, and/or proteins forms on the bottom of the pan. The French culinary terms for these deposits is fond (meaning “bottom”) or sucs (pronounced seuk), from the French word for sugar, sucre. To deglaze, the fat rendered from cooking is poured from the pan and a clear liquid† of choice is added and tossed with the fond.

    †Options include beer, brandy/Cognac, broth or stock (beef, chicken, fish, vegetable), fruit juice, vinegar, red or white wine.

      

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    ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Oysters & Champagne

    Oysters and bubbly are not just for New Year’s Eve. Oysters on the half shell are a favorite in Ireland.

    While they’re popular bar food with a beer, you can create a real celebration with sparkling wine.

    Whether with Champagne or the lighter and more affordable Cava and Prosecco sparklers, invite friends over to toast to St. Patrick’s Day.

    Alexandra Shapiro, owner of the Flex Mussels restaurants in New York City, offers these tips:

  • Pair body with body. Meatier oysters complement full-bodied sparkling wines.
  • Briny oysters like drier wines. Crisp, dry sparkling wines, such as Cava and Prosecco, pair well with more briny oysters.
  • Avoid sweeter sparkling wines. Save the Asti Spumante and sparkling rosé for desserts.
  • Skip the cocktail sauce! Sipping bubbly with oysters will cleanse your palate so you can truly taste the oysters’ subtle flavors.
  •  
    Champagne and oysters. Photo courtesy
    Champagne Bureau.
     
    The best oysters we know are from Willapa Oysters, which are harvested to order and overnighted to you.

    With an abundance of protein and minimal calories, the bubbly-bivalve combination is much healthier cocktail party option than, say, sugar-laden Margaritas and fat-laden nachos.

    Forget the old wives’ tale that oysters are best when there’s an “r” in the month. This advice came from the days before refrigeration—much less overnight shipping—when oysters spoiled more quickly in the warmer months.

    Everything you need to know about oysters.

    Top off your knowledge of sparkling wines.
      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Save At The Buffet


    Put it at the end of the buffet table! Photo
    courtesy Allen Brothers and Morton’s The
    Steakhouse.

      Last month we suggested entertaining with buffets.

    Here’s a follow-up to that tip, from chef Louis Eguarias:

    Set the buffet table with less expansive items first: breads, salads, sides. Keep the expensive meat and fish dishes at the end of the line.

    While many hosts, caterers and restaurants do this anyway—since people tend to consume the salad items first—there’s a rationale:

    Much buffet food gets thrown away because guests misjudge their appetites. With this system, they’ll fill more of their plates with the less costly foods.

    Those who want seconds can head back to the roast beef.

    Do you know your cuts of beef?

    Check out our Beef Glossary.

     

      

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