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Hungarian paprika. The hot kind for spicy dishes, and the sweet kind for savory dishes. Once you try Hungarian paprika, you'll realize that the generic paprikas are literally color only with no flavor and not worth your money. The brand I use is "Pride of Szeged" and something odd I have noticed is that the red cap is on the sweet type, not the spicy as I'd expect (which has a white cap). They come in a package like a metal box, not in round jars. I think the opacity helps them to retain their flavor.
Good, yes. And I agree. I used to think my mom sprinkled deviled eggs with paprika just to make them look nice, because it did not have seem to have much taste. Then I dropped into a Hungarian Grocery in Burbank, California and had my eyes and nostrils and tastebuds opened! Now I use nothing else.
But I prize my Smoked Paprika from Spain as a secret ingredient. Using just a little, not enough to be obvious, but just as a subtle undertaste is enough to elicit lots of ummmms and ahhhhs.
Also much the same with a good garam masala curry powder.
And toasted sesame seed oil. Just a couple of drops in a bowl of ramen, or even chicken noodle soup, really elevates it.
Good, yes. And I agree. I used to think my mom sprinkled deviled eggs with paprika just to make them look nice, because it did not have seem to have much taste. Then I dropped into a Hungarian Grocery in Burbank, California and had my eyes and nostrils and tastebuds opened! Now I use nothing else.
But I prize my Smoked Paprika from Spain as a secret ingredient. Using just a little, not enough to be obvious, but just as a subtle undertaste is enough to elicit lots of ummmms and ahhhhs.
Also much the same with a good garam masala curry powder.
And toasted sesame seed oil. Just a couple of drops in a bowl of ramen, or even chicken noodle soup, really elevates it.
I can't say anythink I use is weird like the OPs question, but I am with you on the sesame seed oil. I love it: another fav of mine in the past year is soy sause in place of salt. It has more flavor. I probably use it 3 or 4 times a week. I also have started adding brandy or sherry to my white sauses. Smoked paprika is a favorite but I use it rarely, same with curry.
A couple of years ago I did learn about fennel pollen to sprinkle on meats just before serving, particularly pork. I guess that would be a wonder ingredient. It's like sweet, intense fennel, unique and unmatchable by any other ingredient. It's a little expensive, though I'm told I could harvest it wild around here with a lot of effort and patience. Eh, I just order it online.
What's YOUR strangest ingredient?
I lived in Japan for a long time, and invented insane dishes there -- so here I add just a bit of Japanese soy sauce (not Chinese) to almost everything savory that I make. (Japanese is sweeter and Chinese is more bitter; I like the balance of sweetness with savory.)
I can never taste the soy sauce as itself. It just adds a mysterious "depth" or "breadth" of flavor that can't be identified but makes the dish more "Mmmmmmm, how did you get it to taste like this??". (My answer is always "I talked to it".)
"A bit" depends on the volume of the dish --
-- 4 or 5 drops per one scrambled (or omelette) egg before cooking, when I'm combining into a mixing bowl tiny pinches (per egg) of dried dill weed, dried cilantro, salt, garlic powder, dried chopped onions and black or white pepper -- break the egg into the bowl, let everything sit for a few minutes to moisten the dried ingredients, whisk like mad, cook. Mmmmmm
--1/2 teaspoon for a pot of 4 servings of New England clam chowder, along with all the other seasonings at the very beginning of cooking.
I add a bit of Japanese soy sauce, blended into the other liquids, to:
soups
hamburgers (about 3 drops each, lightly rubbed into the patty before cooking)
chicken a la king
spaghetti sauce
stews
pot roast
corned beef hash, even from a can ceviche' marinade
paella anything savory.
HAH!! My secret is OUT!! What's yours?
This is extremely interesting to me. Do you have a favorite brand?
I love wasabi mayo from Trader Joe's - great on sandwiches, deviled eggs, potatoes.
Almond extract - it is wonderful in whipped cream along with a little vanilla. I make a salad that has almond extract in the dressing:
Romaine torn in small pieces
thinley cut purple onion slices
thinly cut celery slices
chilled mandarin oranges
toasted sliced almonds
Dressing: basic vinaigrette with add sugar and almond extract
I also love lemon pepper (Mrs. Dash is my favorite)....it just seems to brighten everything - love it in scrambled eggs, tuna salad, on avocado, bacon and tomato sandwiches.
Fresh lime or lemon - love this on fresh vegetables, especially roasted vegetables, salad dressing, tomatoes, brocolli.
Toss romain with the celery slices, top with purple onion slices, mandarin oranges and almonds, drizzle with dressing
Dressing: 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (or to taste)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract (or to taste)
1 cup olive oil
I love wasabi mayo from Trader Joe's - great on sandwiches, deviled eggs, potatoes.
Almond extract - it is wonderful in whipped cream along with a little vanilla. I make a salad that has almond extract in the dressing:
Romaine torn in small pieces
thinley cut purple onion slices
thinly cut celery slices
chilled mandarin oranges
toasted sliced almonds
Dressing: basic vinaigrette with add sugar and almond extract
I also love lemon pepper (Mrs. Dash is my favorite)....it just seems to brighten everything - love it in scrambled eggs, tuna salad, on avocado, bacon and tomato sandwiches.
Fresh lime or lemon - love this on fresh vegetables, especially roasted vegetables, salad dressing, tomatoes, brocolli.
Toss romain with the celery slices, top with purple onion slices, mandarin oranges and almonds, drizzle with dressing
Dressing: 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (or to taste)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract (or to taste)
1 cup olive oil
the Wasabe mayo, just one more thing for me to put on my list when I get to go to T Joes in Oct. You would think we were taking a world tour instead of a week in the state next to ours, which has a border about 10 minutes from here.
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(My answer is always "I talked to it".)
