This is the time of year when many people make new year’s
resolutions, and a lot of those resolutions have to do with losing
weight, getting fit or eating healthier.
This is the time of year when many people make new year’s resolutions, and a lot of those resolutions have to do with losing weight, getting fit or eating healthier.
I know that weight loss and fitness are a struggle for a lot of people, but I also know that I am not an expert on these topics, so I’ll leave the nutritional guidance to those who are.
I made one food-related new year’s resolution: to try more new and unusual foods. It’s so easy to get in a rut. To quote the fictional character Auntie Mame from the bestselling book “Auntie Mame” and movie of the 1950s, “Life’s a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!”
What got me thinking about this was when someone I know mentioned he had heard on the radio about kimchee, the famously hot Korean pickled vegetable dish.
I’d heard of kimchee, of course. I did some research and found that rather than being used as a condiment – the way pickles are in our culture – kimchee is a staple in the Korean diet. Before refrigeration and modern food processing, Koreans were able to capture the nutrition in cabbage and peppers for months after the vegetables were harvested. Kimchee was then preserved through a process of fermentation.
The Internet contains thousands of recipes for kimchee, but rather than make the dish myself – seeing as I don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like – I’m planning to find a Korean restaurant and try some.
But I don’t have to try something so relatively exotic to budge out of my ruts. For example, if I prepared short ribs just once, I would be getting out of one rut. Of all the cuts of meat available in an ordinary supermarket, I probably use fewer than a dozen on a regular basis. To be specific, I hardly ever use anything besides:
– hamburger
– sirloin steak
– cross rib roast
– standing rib roast
– whole chickens
– chicken breasts
– pork chops and
– pork loin.
Then, in the deli, I regularly buy:
– bacon
– ham
– hot dogs
– salami
– occasionally pastrami or corned beef
– chorizo and
– kielbasa, or Polish sausage.
I’m a little more adventurous when it comes to produce and cheeses, but I still tend to stick to known favorites, such as Fuji apples, rather than trying other varieties. With cheese, I tend not to stray from cheddar, Swiss, gouda and blue cheeses rather than venturing into lesser-known varieties.
I resolve to do better! With all the bounty available to us in this area, it’s a pity not to sample as much of it as possible. We can do so without even having to go near “scary” foods such as offal (liver, sweetbreads or tripe), let alone picking our own mushrooms or hoping we are eating the right part of that poisonous fish.
To structure my quest, I will try one new recipe from each chapter of my Gourmet cookbook. Of course, in the spirit of staying out of ruts, I reserve the right to change my mind at any given time. And although I want to try new things, I am going to stay away from preparations that call for anything too expensive or too hard to find. But here is my tentative New Year, New Tastes list:
Hors d’oeuvres and First Courses
– Charred tomatillo guacamole. Since I love guacamole and have long wondered how to use tomatillos, this seems like a promising candidate.
Soups
– Miso soup. I’ve had this in Japanese restaurants, but the recipe looks like an easy way to try a bunch of new things in the kitchen.
Salads
– Potato and thyme salad. Salad greens are one food in which I’ve been pretty adventurous. So, I’m going to try this salad, which is a far cry from my traditional recipe for potato salad. This one calls for new potatoes, so it may have to wait until farmers market time.
Sandwiches and Pizza
– Pizza margherita. I’ve eaten my share of delivered pizza, but learning to make it seems a useful project.
Pasta, noodles and dumplings
– “Ants on a Tree,” which is spicy pork and bean thread noodles. Pasta has long been a mainstay of my diet and I’ve even made fresh pasta, so for this chapter I’m choosing a new kind of noodle. The name comes from the appearance of the ground pork as is clings to the noodles.
Grains and beans
– Risotto with peas and prosciutto. I’ve gotta learn how to make risotto. If you’ve ever eaten a good one, you know what I’m talking about.
Fish and shellfish
– Grilled calamari with arugula. I’ve enjoyed calamari in restaurants but never faced it in my own kitchen. This year’s the year.
Poultry
– Duck breasts with orange-ancho chile sauce. I’ll get to try two new things: duck and ancho chiles, which are dried poblano chiles. (As a side note, I could probably spend a whole year just learning about different types of chiles. This will be a start.)
Beef, veal, pork and lamb
– Braised lamb shanks with white beans. White beans are a traditional accompaniment to leg of lamb. This all-day production includes gremolata, a garnish made of flat-leaf parsley, lemon zest and garlic.
Vegetables
– Cauliflower with ginger and mustard seeds. Cauliflower isn’t exactly exotic, but I want to see if I can make it delicious.
Breads and crackers
– Here I deviate from my cookbook tour. A reader has asked for a good recipe for salt-rising bread. Can anybody help?
Breakfast and brunch
– Matzo brei. This is one of the ways Jewish cooks prepare unleavened bread during Passover.
Cookies, bars and confections
– Date and oat bars. I’ve always veered away from cooking with dates because they are so sticky. Not anymore.
Cakes
– Orange poppy seed cake: Poppy seeds are more than just a dusting for bagels.
Pies, tarts and pastries
– Mango tart. Although I’ve gotten pretty confident with pastry, I’m hopeless at picking out ripe mangoes. Here’s my chance to learn.
Fruit desserts
– Grilled tropical fruit with rum sauce. Mangoes strike again, along with papayas, pineapple and bananas.
Puddings, custards, mousses and souffles
– Classic crème brulee. I love this dessert. It doesn’t involve any unusual ingredients, but it might be a challenge to make.
Relishes, chutneys, pickles and preserves
– Watermelon rind chutney. This recipe, including chiles, garlic and ginger, sounds like a great way to use the remains of a watermelon.
This should get me started. I may decide to pursue the same ingredients in other sources or spend more time in the vegetable section. But one way or another, I am confident I will succeed in my mission to try something new!
