secret ingredient Archive
07 Feb 2012
Secret Ingredient: Sea Beans
Sea beans, aka glasswort, aka marsh samphire, is an ingredient I’d long heard of but hadn’t had an opportunity to use. I was recently walking through the Chelsea Market and stopped by the Manhattan Fruit Exchange, where they always have a nice selection of unusual fresh produce. I spotted sea beans for sale and grabbed
12 Jan 2012
Secret Ingredient: Yam Leaves
On a recent trip to Elmhurst I stopped by an Asian market on Broadway. I picked up a few things: Chinese broccoli, a tub of fresh coconut and tapioca candies, and a bag of yam leaves. Never having seen them before, I wasn’t sure what to do with them; I just hoped they wouldn’t be
20 Sep 2011
Secret Ingredient: Passion Fruit
I was at my favorite Korean grocery the other day when I spotted a tray of something that looked like tiny apples, with mottled red and white skin. They were, of course, fresh passion fruit, something I’ve never seen before. I do enjoy passion fruit juice so I picked one up to take home. Using
12 May 2011
Secret Ingredient: Horned Melon, aka Kiwano
Another one for the freaky fruit files — horned melon, aka kiwano. The hard, spiny outside opens up to a bright green interior. The fruit is actually hundreds of tiny gel sacs covering edible (but tasteless) seeds. The gel has the grassy taste of an unripe banana. Not the best thing I’ve ever eaten, but
14 Apr 2011
Secret Ingredient: Ghee
My mom recently gave me a jar of ghee, an ingredient I’d heard of but never used before. Traditionally used in Indian cooking, ghee is a clarified butter. That means the milk solids have been removed from the butter, leaving only the pure fat behind. This is a good thing, because the solids are what
09 Nov 2010
Secret Ingredient: Rambutans
My sister always says that I eat weird looking fruit (see the sugar apple, see also the mangosteen), so I thought I’d keep the ball rolling. Rambutans are native to Southeast Asia, and not “The Outer Limits” as was claimed by the specialty food store at which I bought them. Once you crack open the
07 Oct 2010
Secret Ingredient: Bluefoot Mushrooms
One of the great things about visiting your local Farmer’s Market on a regular basis is that you start to build relationships with the farmers. Last Saturday when I bought my usual load of mushrooms from Madura Farms, John Madura slipped a few free bluefoot mushrooms into my bag. “Just saute them” he said. “Let