What’s the deal with pre-minced garlic?! Here at Tiny New York Kitchen we’re generally not big fans of buying already prepped vegetables, but jarred minced garlic is actually the worst. Stored in water or oil and kept shelf-stable with the help of chemical preservatives, it smells and tastes like a bad joke about garlic. Bitter and funky (and not in a good way), it’s the stuff that gives the allium a bad name.
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Fall squash transforms into a rich, smooth spread laced with apple cider, honey, and plenty of warm spices. Many eat it at breakfast, spreading a spoonful on cream cheese topped toast. This delicious preserve is the perfect vehicle for adding complex pumpkin flavor to almost anything. Stir it into whipped cream for a mouse-like dessert or coffee topper. Add a large dollop to your favorite pancake batter for an autumnal twist. Or go savory and melt some into a mixture of browned butter, sage, shallots, and crushed red pepper for an addictive pasta sauce.
You may also want to make pumpkin butter with other squashes as well. Butternut Squash is nutty and lightly sweet with a creamy texture. Delicata Squash has a flavor reminiscent of sweet potatoes with a fine, smooth texture. Long Island Cheese Pumpkin has a dense and very sweet pumpkin flavor with an earthy, savory finish.
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Nothing compares to crisp and juicy in-season apples, and now is the perfect time to make the most of them in both sweet and savory dishes.
Pick Like A Pro
When shopping, avoid apples with nicks, bruises, or soft spots and seek out fruit that’s firm and heavy for its size. Make sure the skin is smooth and shiny, as dull skin is often a sign that apples are lacking in taste and texture.
Keep Cold
Apples lose their crispness at room temperature, so be sure to store them in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep for up to three weeks. Separate soft or bruised apples, which can cause perfectly good ones to soften more quickly.
Know The Benefits
Apples are more than just a low-calorie snack. They’re also packed with fiber, which has been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers, as well as heart disease. Plus, fiber keeps tummies feeling full, so you’re less apt to reach for sugary treats.
Apples Love Lemons
A squeeze of lemon juice helps keep cut-up apples from browning.
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Fresh herbs have delighted the senses and tantalized the taste buds for centuries. In medieval times great bundles of herbs were strewn on castle floors as a natural air purifier. Brides often chose to wear delicate crowns of flowers interwoven with herbs upon their heads, and both Western and Eastern medical practitioners may employ herbal remedies for their patients.
Many cooks are quite passionate about utilizing herbs in their favorite recipes. Especially bountiful herbs, which perfume our summer and fall gardens with beautiful scents and enhance the plate with their wonderful array of flavors. Using fresh herbs allows cooks to cut back on unnecessary salt, fat, and sugars, while naturally elevating main ingredients.
Brimming with health benefits, each herb plays a special role in beautifying and fortifying the body. Rosemary, for example, may improve memory. Parsley is packed with apigenin, which could potentially reduce the chances of cancerous growths and tumors. Oregano, like all other herbs, has anti-inflammatory properties that may reduce joint inflammation. Oregano is also particularly anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, and can contribute to flawless skin and glossy hair. The calcium content in basil and parsley can help maintain healthy teeth. Mint is calming and soothing and can be a digestive aid. The heady aroma of fresh herbs may help relieve any effects of nausea, as well as soothing and reviving the senses.
Basil’s affinity with tomatoes is a most engaging taste combination. Serve sun warmed tomatoes sprinkled with shards of fresh basil leaves and drizzled with olive oil. The slightly sharp bite of chives enlivens potatoes, eggs and salad dressings. Cilantro is a must for Mexican and Asian dishes. Dill adds a light, lovely layer to fish, while the snappy tang of parsley is delightful in tabouli, potato salad, and pasta. Mint is essential for tall glasses of cold ices tea or lemonade and also for embellishing summer fruit platters. Transport your taste buds by making a salad with a bounty of vegetables and a large handful of freshly minced oregano, basil, parsley, and dill. Or scent your grill with the woody stalks of rosemary. They make great skewers, infusing meat, fish, and vegetables with bright, strong flavors.
Clean herbs by soaking in a bowl of cool water, changing the water several times, or until you no longer see any dirt in the bottom of the bowl. Spin dry in a salad spinner or on layers of paper towels. For hot dishes, add herbs at the end of cooking time to avoid diluting their essence.
“An herb is the friend of physicians and the praise of cooks.” – Charlemagne
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At the end of summer, farmers’ markets overflow with beautiful tomatoes. The splendid summer heat has ripened the Big Girls and Boys, Beefsteaks, Jet Stars, Yellow Pears, Sweet 100’s, and heirloom varieties such as Oxheart, Cherokee Purple and Brandywine to a fantastic state of rich, sweet, succulence.
How glorious is the site of these swollen, scarlet fruits, tumbling off the vine, so heavy and full of pure, natural flavor?
Summer fresh tomatoes are incredibly delicious. Simplistic summer tomato preparations are culinary heaven. Slice up some of these beauties, whatever color and size, arrange on a platter and drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and dust with a smattering of fresh basil. Take a bite and savor the taste of sunshine.
Chopped and mixed with minced garlic, fresh oregano leaves and balsamic vinegar, and piled onto crisp toast, fresh tomatoes become a sophisticated bruschetta, a perfect prelude to dinner on a sultry summers’ night.
Whether roasted and blended into a silky soup, or stirred up into a sensational salsa, with a zesty bite of jalapeno and cilantro, or sandwiched with thick, crisp bacon, basil mayonnaise and creamy avocado slices, the humble tomato turns grandly gourmand as the cooks’ love child of summer.
Pomme d’amour, or “love apples”, as tomatoes are sometimes referred to in France, love the body inside and out.
Purifying the blood, improving the texture and color of skin, tomatoes also protect against infection, as they are a natural antiseptic. Tomatoes also contain nicotinic acid, which may reduce blood cholesterol, and as a powerhouse source of lycopene, tomatoes are considered to be an amazingly potent antioxidant, capable of staving off the growth of numerous types of cancer.
Prepare your delicious life with lush and lovely homegrown summer tomatoes.
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©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2018 All Rights Reserved
Zucchini is wonderfully versatile, healthy, and contains only 25 calories per small zucchini. Low in sodium, cholesterol free and is an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. Leave the thin skin on for all preparations. It’s a good source of dietary fiber. Store unwashed zucchini in a plastic bag, in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, for no more than three days, for optimal freshness.
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Here At Tiny New York Kitchen We’re All About Watermelon. It’s So Easy To Choose A Good Watermelon. Look For A Firm, Symmetrical Watermelon That Is Free From Bruises, Cuts Or Dents. Lift It Up. The Watermelon Should Be Heavy For Its Size. Watermelon Is 92% Water, Most Of The Weight Is Water. Turn It Over. The Underside Should Have A Creamy Yellow Spot From Where It Sat On The Ground And Ripened In The Sun. Go Get Yourself A Watermelon Or Two And Enjoy The Refreshing Summer Fruit Until It’s Gone.
The world of radishes expands way beyond those round red ones you always see at the grocery store. Hit the farmers’ market and you’re likely to find an explosive array of green, purple, and white varieties, each with its own personality and flavor.
Green Meat: This Variety From Northern China Is Like A Regular Daikon, But Smaller And Denser With Green Flesh.
Daikon: These Mild Long White Radishes Are Available At Many Asian Markets And Are Especially Good For Pickling.
Purple Daikon: The Deep Violet And White Colors Make This A Pretty Addition To Any Shaved Salad Or Crudités Platter.
French Breakfast: Treat These Crunch Pink And White Beauties The Way They Deserve – Arranged On A Platter With Good Butter And Flakey Sea Salt For A Simple And Elegant Appetizer.
Easter Egg: These Petite Radishes Range In Color From Dark Purple To Creamy White And Are Sold In Multihued Bunches. They Are Sized Just Right For Shaving On Top Of An Open Face Sandwich.
Watermelon: The Beautiful Neon-Pink Interiors Make A Stunning Garnish For Salads. Cooking Or Pickling Will Dull Their Color, So It’s Best To Keep Them Raw.
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Drizzling olive oil over savory fruits like tomatoes is second nature, but put it on sweet fruit and people start to think you’re crazy. Consider this: Olive and watermelons are both fruits, and just as vegetable-driven salads need fat to balance salt and acid, fruit salads crave the mouth-coating richness of oil to complement their sweetness and acidity. Olive oil is ideal since it brings a sharp aromatic flavor of its own that carries other savory ingredients, like nutty sharp cheeses and spicy sauce. Look for lighter, grassy oils to avoid overwhelming your fruits, but even a bold, peppery one can play nice with whatever you care to throw at it.
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The best way to be a good cook is not to worry about being a perfect cook. Give up on perfection, or at least any ideas you may have that perfection is a fixed thing against which you must measure everything you do. Nothing we cook will look will look exactly the same as a picture in a magazine or taste the way our friend’s dish did. Even a familiar recipe will not offer the same result from one day to the next time we make it.
We at Tiny New York Kitchen like to experiment with flavors. Often we reach into our well-stocked pantry and use the essential flavor builders to take a dish to the next level.
Essential Flavor Builders To Keep On Hand:
Vinegars: Vinegar’s complex tang is the secret ingredient in many recipes. We shake a bit of sherry vinegar into bean soup, and add rice vinegar to coleslaw dressings. If you had to choose just one vinegar, we would recommend the mild rice vinegar, but we also keep balsamic, sherry, malt, and cider vinegars on hand.
Anchovies: A filet of anchovy blended into a marinade or dressing adds savory flavor without being too overtly fishy.
Chili Paste: We keep chili paste or bottled Sriracha for drizzling over rice and adding to meat marinades.
Red Pepper Flakes: Many dishes get better with a little kick from red pepper flakes.
Soy Sauce: Soy sauce is a way to add umami flavor and a little salt to dressing and soups.
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