Cooking

Answered by Matthew Card

Western cooking's dependence on pepper is a complicated story tracing back hundreds of years, trading routes and European colonialism. Pepper's punch adds accent to dishes and a mild spiciness, which helps define a dish's flavor. However, there are lots of ways to do that if black pepper isn't your thing. In Morocco, cumin seed is often used instead of pepper. In Turkey, smoky-fruity tasting chilies, like Aleppo or Urfa pepper, are used as table side garnishes.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Howard - I definitely don't think it's the fact that you are using sweet onions. I caramelize Vidalia (or a combo of Vidalia and yellow) onions all the time. It could just be time. Sometimes, over medium-low heat, it can take over an hour to caramelize onions properly. You do want to start them over medium-high to get them softened and then turn them down to medium-low once they soften. You also want to make sure that the pan you are using is stainless steel, carbon steel or cast iron (in other words, not nonstick) and large enough to fit the amount of onions you are cooking. If it's too small and the onions are overcrowded they will steam when they should be browning. A 12" pan can hold about 2 sliced onions. Finally, using butter (or butter and oil) as the fat in the pan can often help the browning thanks to the milk solids in the butter. Making caramelized onions - the classic way - really takes a fair amount of time, attention, and patience. There are some shortcut recipes out there that you could try if you want something quicker, but they can be tricky to avoid burning and, in my opinion, don't produce the same result. If I were to pick one to recommend, it would be this one. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Matthew - Did you rewarm the browned-butter and orange reduction before adding the cold butter to the vinaigrette? The sauce needs to be warm (but off the heat) for the cold butter to re-emulsify the sauce. I would also take the squash off the pan and then finish the sauce so it can be immediately poured over the squash on the serving dish. Hope that helps! Best. Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Kenneth - thanks for the suggestion! I will pass it along to our editorial team. In the meantime, I can give you some info here. Verjus, a tart grape juice, has been used by European and Middle Eastern cooks for hundreds of years. Neither vinegar nor wine, it is the pressed juice of unripe grapes, and has a taste in between those two. It can be white or red and can be used much like you would use white or red wine, vinegar or even lemon juice. Since it's not fermented, it's nonalcoholic. Great in vinaigrettes, sauces like beurre blanc, deglazing pans, etc. A splash of verjus can really lighten up a meaty stew or braised meat. The subtle tang really complements the richness. Verjus is also great in cocktails or even as a nonalcoholic cocktail itself (alone or mixed with sparkling water). Once opened, it keeps in the fridge for a few weeks; in the freezer, a few months. If you freeze it in ice cube trays, once frozen, transfer to an airtight container to keep it as fresh as possible. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Ravi - I'm fairly sure that what you are referring to is paomo - a stew/soup made of chopped up, steamed bread called mo or mantou, cooked in a lamb broth and served with pieces of lamb. We don't have a recipe for it here at Milk Street (yet!) but I will pass along your idea to our editors and recipe developers. Thanks for the idea! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mitchell - Wow! That \is\ a lot of pizza. My best advice is to prep as much in advance as possible and keep toppings to two pizza options. Not only will this minimize prep, but it will speed up the topping process if there are fewer options to consider. Then, enlist some help! If you are fairly good at forming the pizza I would get an assembly line in place. If you make it part of the party fun, guests are always willing to help out with topping pizzas. You form the shells, a couple of people do the toppings, you or a friend does the baking. Finally, don’t stress too much. It’s going to be near impossible to keep the doughs at the perfect 75 degree temperature. Try to bring them up to temp, but don’t worry if they go over. And if people have to wait a bit for pizza, it’s no big deal. I would design the party to be a casual, eat-as-it-comes-out type of party, rather than a sit-down affair. Have some snacks (cheese plate, pre-made salads, etc.) available so people can nibble while they wait. I’m sure everyone had a good time at your party last time because of the company and the fun of the pizza oven, not necessarily the perfect pizza!. ;-) Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Violet - Tamara is correct! 1/2 cup pitted green olives (that are then) chopped. You would measure the olives and then chop them. If we wanted you to chop the olives and then measure, we would call for 1/2 cup pitted chopped olives. Hope that clears it up! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hello! Milk Street does not have a recipe for flaming graviera or "flaming saganaki." Interestingly, flaming saganaki is a Greek-American recipe rumored to have been created in 1968 by Chris Liakouras, the owner of the Parthenon restaurant in Chicago. In Greece, they simply pan fry the cheese and serve it as is or coated with chopped nuts. Diane Kochilas, a friend of Milk Street, has a great simple recipe that you could use as a starting point here - https://www.dianekochilas.com/classic-saganaki/. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Suzanne - It's super easy -and much cheaper! - to make your own infused olive oils. Add the peel from one lemon or 2-3 limes to about 1 cup of olive oil (adjust accordingly depending on the amount you'd like to make). Add to a saucepan and heat over very low heat for about 15-20 minutes. Strain and store in an airtight jar in a dry, cool place. Make sure the oil doesn't get too hot - you don't want to see if bubble or splatter. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Justina - Thanks for your question! We've never done a side-by-side test of "raw" vs. pre-boiled (or soaked) fresh lasagna noodles, but my guess is that what you've found is true - there is really no need to pre-boil the fresh noodles. I would give a couple of caveats though - you want to make sure your sauce is pretty loose so there is enough moisture there to cook the noodles but not dry out the lasagna. Also, make sure to cover the lasagna with foil for the majority of the cooking time to trap the heat allowing the noodles to cook through. Remove the cover with about 10-15 minutes left to go to brown the top. I think, traditionally, the goal of pre-cooking was to season the noodles themselves by boiling them in well-salted water. It's my opinion that the sauce and cheese will do a fine job of seasoning the noodles and skipping pre-boiling will save far more time and hassle! Hope this helps! Best, Lynn C.