3 Quick Chef Tips That Can Make or Break Your Meal

copyright  2012 Art of Living, PrimaMedia, Inc./Maria Liberati




A quiet Saturday after the Holidays is most welcome..after a morning at the market…. today’s lunch was a dish of fresh spinach sauteed  in olive oil, garlic and onions.. add in fresh mozzarella that has been broken into cubes or small pieces and shaved parmigiana reggiano…saute till cheese has melted and is stringy…. so you have what we call ‘spinaci filanti’ or stringy spinach…served with a glass of Mueller Thurgau and some fresh bread..mmmmm that was a great meal
Here are some quick chef tips for today,small touches that can make or break a great recipe:


Add in flavor not burnt taste……When sauteeing meats or vegetables never add the chopped herbs in once the meats are a golden brown or almost all cooked or one the vegetables are a golden color, then add in the chopped herbs. I have discovered many people like to add in herbs at the beginning of cooking and don’t realize that chopped fresh herbs are delicate and will burn easily and will quickly ruin a recipe if not used properly..
 
 

Leave their jackets on…..When making risotto or soups it is optimum to make your own broth if you have the time.  Everyone likes to see that golden color in their vegetable broth especially when used with tortellini or risotto parmigiana. It may be difficult to achieve, if you are using only vegetables. But if you add in golden onions to your broth, ash them but leave the skin on. The pigment in their skin will color your broth naturally. If you prefer scallions use 3 or 4 for the same effect, with skin on..

For a milder garlic flavor… if you want a milder garlic taste when cooking with garlic, saute garlic with the skin on. Your dish will have just a hint of garlic and it will not burn as easily either..