Secret Ingredient (white wine, healthy, cake, pancakes)

[hutch5]

In my Tiramisu I use Marsala wine, this is the Italian way to do it and it is always a great success.
I know that many people use coffee liquor or Amaretto or other ingredients, but to me it does not taste the same without Marsala.

[fuzzymystic]

I also use beer in my Chili and about 10-15 drops of lime juice, and ~1/2 a can of Bush's baked beans-Boston style.
I saw a recipe in an old cookbook for deviled eggs-put deviled ham [like Underwood's] in them w/sweet relish and the usual other stuff.
Also, I've started using celery flakes in just about all my dishes-it's easier than buying celery and washing, chopping, etc.

[VTP]

I use "Vegete" seasoning on meats and sometimes roasted veggies too. It used to be available only in Europe (I think it comes from Poland), where it's extremely popular, then it migrated to import food shops in the U.S., and now it's available in many mainstream supermarkets.

[BillyC64]

Yes I said gizzards It's not the bad word alot of people think. If you take the gizzards ( brighter pinkish purple is fresher) remove any lining material (thin yellow substance) cut out the connecting grissle, you can run them through a meat grinder several times to make a very solid burger meat. No fat just muscle. Use in place of hamburger in fried or dirty rice dishes. It is a wonderful taste almost like beef tongue but not quite.....I do want to say this; if you try to make a patty out of it, the meat will crumble apart a bit and it is a little overwhelming in flavor that way Even for us gizzard lovers.

You know this might make a good thread.....see who else loves those tasty little things we call gizzards

[dens]

For my meat stews...I add two spoons of sugar..makes that gravy absolutely divine....

[Prinny]

Originally Posted by Rathagos

Okay... cough it up!!

Most of us have a "secret" ingredient that we add to something that we'll never tell our friends. Well... we're not friends here! It doesn't have to be the entire recipe... just something you add that people generally wouldn't know.

For me, I lived in Asia for 4 1/2 years (2 in Japan, 2 1/2 in Philippines) and 6 1/2 years in Hawaii. While there, I developed a taste for marinated meats. So, often when I do a barbeque here in Texas, I use a marinade more than a rub or seasonings. Often they like the flavor and can't put their finger on it.

Truth be told, I use a base called Aloha Barbeque Sauce. It's not Shoyu, it's a very dark, viscuous liquid. It's both sweet and salty, so the only other things in put in the marindade are garlic and pepper. I don't tell people here because you can't buy the stuff here anyway, I order it over the internet! But that's my secret ingredient!!

Oh, you can make your own bbq sauce (teri sauce) and not spend the money. just use shoyu, sugar, garlic, and ginger. Same thing and save you a bunch of money!

[HappyFarm34]

Care to share what that secret ingredient is that makes the recipe so wonderful?

[hertfordshire]

I put lots of nutmeg in my mashed potatoes. I don't know if that qualifies as a "secret ingredient," but people always seem to get a look of wild surprise when they eat my potatoes and I tell them what they're tasting. "I never would have thought of that!"

I didn't know it was all that unusual. That's the way I've always had them.

[Missy2U]

In a lot of dishes, Fyra Kroddar. It's a Swedish spice blend I can't even get from relatives in Sweden anymore.


In a few other dishes, a splash of balsamic vinegar - it really can brighten things up and give them some depth of flavor. I especially like it in pot roast.

[LCL111]

A spoonful of mayo in my scratch cakes. Adds moisture and a bit of density.

This was my friends - montreal seasoning in her green beans. Not really a secret - but tasty!!