Many people have little affection for cooked vegetables, possibly because they are often overcooked. This causes them to lose their inherent crisp texture and natural color and allows vitamins, minerals, and good taste substances to seep out into the cooking water. It is little wonder that many children are unenthusiastic about eating vegetables that have been prepared in such a way as to eliminate their interesting qualities. Some of the crisp texture of vegetables can be preserved by grilling or roasting them. As vegetables have a low protein content, no Maillard reactions take place, but the surfaces do caramelize.
No need to chop the peanuts here–you want them in the mix all nice and chunky. The mixer should break them up just enough.
The popular sriracha sauce can be added to noodles and stir fries for a fiery kick or, as in this sticky chicken dish, to a crunchy salad.
Steak turned sweet and caramelized from the honey, sharp from the lime, and with a sting from the chiles. This is a simple-to-make recipe with a profoundly complex taste.
The sweet, nutty flavor of roasted butternut squash pairs best with flavors that are bold enough to balance that sweetness. We chose the traditional Middle Eastern spice blend za'atar (a pungent combination of toasted sesame seeds, thyme, marjoram, and sumac).
For this recipe, we prefer the steady, even heat of a cast-iron skillet. A heavy stainless-steel skillet may be used, but you may have to increase the heat slightly.
Turning flour, water, and yeast into crusty, airy rolls is one of the hardest bits of kitchen wizardry around. We want to make the process foolproof.
I love snacking on packaged Middle Eastern sesame bars, which are very hard and crunchy. These florentines are much chewier, but their sesame flavor reminds me of those.
The honey in this recipe offers a two-fer -- not only does its ambrosial sweetness play beautifully with fragrant melon and fresh mint, it also keeps the puree from freezing solid, making it easier to scrape the granita into a gorgeous, fluffy pile of sweet snow, even in the middle of summer.
This lamb can be your savior on those evenings when you’ve got a bunch of strangers around the table.