Category Archives: Ingredients

Ingredients 101: Shallots

Posted on by

1

Behold, the shallot. There are a lot of rumors about this vegetable, and I’m here to clear them up. First, shallots are not a crossbreed of garlic and onions. Next, shallots are not a type of onion. They are a species all on their own.

In fact, shallots are a type of allium. The allium family contains popular “flavor” veggies such as leeks, onions, scallions, chives, and garlic. Allium is the genus and shallots are the species. Remember this:: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species?

Shallots are often used in place of or in tandem with onions. They’ll make you cry like an onion will (believe me!) and they have papery skins like onions. Their flavor is sweeter and more mild than their onion brother. However, they grow in cloves like garlic – though only 2-3 per head.

You can see where the confusion comes in.

Shallots are fast gaining popularity (and have likely “arrived”) among both professional chefs and home cooks alike. Provided your knife is sharp, they are easy to slice and chop and they’re great in vinaigrette when you don’t want a sharp onion after-taste.

Find these little guys in the onion section of your grocery store and try them out!

Ingredients 101: Quinoa

Posted on by

0

You may not even know how to pronounce this little grain. Let me help! Quinoa is pronounced “keen-wah.” You can find it at practically any grocery store these days, but when all else fails try a Whole Foods. It tastes a bit nutty and sweet and when cooked, should be a little al dente.

Quinoa is a grain that is produced primarily for its seeds, which we can eat! Believe it or not, it is closely related to beets and spinach. It was originally harvested in the Andes region of South America and used to be considered one of the most important crops to the Incas (behind potatoes but before maize).

Nutritionally speaking, quinoa is great for you! It is high in protein and is one of the few plant foods that can act as a complete protein – great for vegetarians or flexitarians. It is also a good source of fiber and offers a kick of magnesium and iron. Bonus: it is gluten-free!

Don’t be afraid to cook quinoa. Treat it like rice with a 2:1 water:grain ratio. Bring the quinoa and the water to a boil, and cover and simmer for around 15-20 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and get creative! You can add veggies, olive oil and parmesan, or honey and berries for a breakfast treat.

Ready to try it out? Check out these recipes here and feel free to post your favorite one in the comments!

Ingredients 101: Parrano Cheese

Posted on by

0

In a word, Parrano is: awesome. Hailing from the Netherlands, it looks sort of like Parmesan-Reggiano and can be used as an interesting alternative in dishes calling for Parm-Regg or Asiago. Sold as an Italian cheese, it is actually classified as a Gouda. It is produced in 20 pound wheels and is aged for 5 months before making its way to you! *

Parrano is firm to the touch, but give it a hard poke and you’ll see that it’s a bit soft. It can be tricky to grate; it just wants to fall apart.

However, it tastes simply amazing. Sort of like butter! I recently used Parrano in place of Asiago in Cooking Light’s Bacon and Wild Mushroom Risotto. It was a h-u-g-e hit and I will definitely be making it again!

* If you want to try new cheeses before committing to them (hello, expensive), check out Whole Foods. They always have a little “nib” section in their cheeses where they sell small chunks of leftover wheels for small prices. I bought my Parrano chunk for $2.21 the other day! You might not always find exactly what you’re looking for, but you might just find an awesome new love.