Milk Street Recipes

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Theresa - Asafoetida, also called Hing, would be something interesting to try. Asafoetida is a pungent spice used in cooking that is native to Central Asia, particularly Iran and India. Asafoetida comes from a very unusual source. According to food scientist Harold McGee, it’s made by scraping the sap from the exposed root of a plant in the carrot family. The sap is dried and crushed, giving us a tan-colored powder to sprinkle into our dishes. McGee also says that the sap contains many of the same sulfur compounds found in onions. It has a very strong odor when dry, which many say is reminiscent of washed rind cheeses or body odor. Not to worry – when the spice is added during cooking, it mellows out into a gentle flavor. Asafoetida is used in savory dishes, often to add a more full flavor by mimicking the taste of onions, garlic, egg, and even meat. It’s a staple ingredient in Indian cooking, commonly used along with turmeric in lentil dishes like dal, and a variety of vegetable dishes. Unless you have a really excellent health food store or Indian grocery near you, it’s probably best to look for asafoetida online. It might be worth a try, not just in this recipe, but all of the recipes that call for onions and/or garlic. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Adam - Thanks for the rave review and the tips! Always great to hear a recipe we worked hard on is well-received. Happy cooking! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Matthew Card

Hi, I use this combo or a variety of different dishes, including steak, seafood, chicken and grilled vegetables. There are real proportions other than a pat of butter and a squirt each of soy and lime juice. I add the mix hot--say on top of a resting steak before slicing or tossed with grilled shrimp or zucchini. Or even mixed into hot sautéed mushrooms (though I might switch to lemon there.) Here's a nice piece from the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/magazine/the-sublime-combination-of-butter-and-soy.html

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Valerie - Flour weights per cup are all over the map. That's because they are determined by taking an average weight of a sample of people measuring flour by cup using the dip-and-sweep method \or\ spooning method - two very different methods which can produce wildly different results. Every person in the experiment is a variable - some people have a heavy hand, others packs more tightly, etc. - and each experiment may use different methods to achieve their results. Even the weather that day can affect them. We did our own experiment here at Milk Street and, for bread flour, came to 137 grams per cup in order to have consistency across our recipes. The weight measurement of 400 grams here is correct, which equates to 2¾ cups plus 2½ tablespoons. Good luck with the pizza! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Howard - The instructions for what to do with the mayonnaise, ham, egg, sugar and scallions can be found halfway through Step 3 of the recipe. See below: Transfer the vegetable mixture to a fine mesh strainer, rinse well and drain. Working in batches, use your hands to squeeze the vegetables, removing as much liquid as possible, then add to the potatoes. Add the mayonnaise, ham, whole egg and yolk and the sugar. Fold until well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with scallions. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Hope this helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Edwin - You can find the recipe for our Roasted Mushroom Pizza with Fontina and Scallions here. The episode in which that recipe was featured can be found here. Hope that helps. Happy cooking! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Adam - We haven't tested this with anything other than sherry since that's traditional, but you could try to make it with apple cider instead. I would add a little bit of vanilla extract also. Good luck and let us know how it turns out! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Adam - I think you're right in that when we call for the strainer we are expecting that you are using tamarind pulp and fresh lemongrass so that may have caused your sauce to be a bit thin. That being said, it isn't an overly thick sauce to begin with. Thinner than ketchup, I would say. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Cherie - We understand that it's helpful to know the nutritional information for recipes. However, we are not a health food magazine and, therefore, do not have a nutritionist on staff to accurately calculate the nutritional details for all of our recipes. Computer programs to calculate nutritional analysis are wildly inaccurate so we don't feel confident in using and publishing their results. I will definitely pass along your thoughts to our executive team as something to consider going forward. Thanks for writing! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Kate - I don't know for sure which one you are referring to, but could it be either of these? The first is a video we did on social media for Milk Street at Home and uses tomato paste to create a simple, flavorful sauce. The second is a recipe we adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi that uses cherry tomatoes as the base of the sauce. Hopefully one of these is the one! If not, if you could let me know if you remember any of the ingredients, that might help me pin down which one it is. Best, Lynn C. How to Turn Tomato Paste Into a Flavorful Pasta Sauce Bucatini Pasta with Cherry Tomato Sauce and Fresh Sage