Part of the thrill of cooking is discovery of new ingredients and foods you've never tried before, or that you didn't know existed. Every year I find something new to wake up my creativity — this year I was totally smitten by this smoked olive oil. Emily fell in love with this Georgian spice mix. What about you? Have you discovered something new to you this year that made your cooking more lively and fun?
We'd love to hear about it. Maybe it's something simple and widely available — your first crush on eggplant or sweet potato, for instance. Or maybe you discovered an exotic spice or ingredient in your travels, or something uniquely local to you.
Tell us what really woke up your palate this year and what's earned a place in your pantry!
Related: 10 Pantry Staples Not To Be Caught Without
(Images: Emily Ho; Faith Durand)
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I discovered sweet potato leaves at the Farmers Market. Like spinach but more tender, with a pronounced sweet flavor, these leaves were a complete obsession for me in my exploration of dark leafy greens. I loved them and can't wait until next year to eat more!
Dry mustard, I stumbled upon it this year. I add it to the onions/celery mix while that sautees and it creates a depth of flavor and just a little zing. Then I proceed with whatever I was making, soup mix, stew etc.
Hot sauce;
http://www.firefromthemountain.com/
and also the citrus one from
http://www.salsas-asheville.com/
I am finding new uses for Trader Joe Almond meal, pretty much anything with flour can be improved.
Coconut flour and oil. Espelette pepper. Chia seeds.
It's such a simple thing, but this year I've become enamored of shallots. Great oniony flavor, delicious raw or cooked, and I can generally cut them without crying!
Almond flour, and fresh mussels (I moved to the coast).
Beans, seriously, I never cooked them myself before.
And really high quality fish. I pay a lot more but it is worth it.
i always knew about it but never knew how great it was on EVERYTHING
balsamic vinegar!!!!!
Avocados... I put them on everything and discovered how much I love them this year! Also, new cheeses that I wouldn't try before. Love cheese...
Smoked paprika. Never been happier to hop on a bandwagon. It's just great.
It's a tie between truffle salt and this really nice basting oil that our grocery sells. I use truffle salt in odd places, like burgers (for a little extra umami kick). The garlicky herb-infused oil is like magic - I use it on roasted potatoes, chicken, steamed veggies...anything that could use a little extra love.
fennel pollen.
a certain brand of hot sauce. I always used it at the mexican restaurant, but it never occurred to me to buy a bottle for home until recently. now it goes on everything!
Adobo spice blend! Makes everything delicious.
MSG. I know, but it makes certain delicious things SO MUCH MORE DELICIOUS.
Wapato http://waywardspark.com/?p=3374
Adobo spice
This REALLY strong pressed garlic oil I found at a specialty store. Just a dash or 2 makes everything taste so amazingly fragrant and garlicky!
Also, new for me, but since we have a house now I got to plant a huge herb garden that's still thriving, so just the never-ending used for fresh herbs. Makes me so sad for once we get a freeze here. Drying them won't be quite the same.
Chia seeds! They are so much fun! We add them to our greek yogurt with some honey or ripe persimmon puree, then let it sit overnight until it forms a super thick and rich-tasting yogurt! Creamy, delicious, and packs an extra fiber punch!
Roasted garlic grapeseed oil. It's great for roasted potatoes and homemade croutons.
Truffle salt. Toasted onion powder.
Eggs! Okay, so I didn't just discover eggs, but I've definitley been learning the versitility of eggs over the past year.
Truffle salt for me too!
Umami powder. All natural flavor enhancer made out of shiitake mushrooms. Makes every Asian dish so much more amazing.
Yellow miso and butter. I could eat spoonfuls of the golden goodness.
Berbere. Like paprika but browner-tasting.
Truffle butter for me... on pasta... mmm.
Nopales... yum.
http://www.brittanypowell.com/food-i-make/preparing-nopales/
Himalayan Pink Salt -
http://www.drgranny.com/food-nutrition/himalayan-pink-salt-benefits/
One high-brow, one low-brow: chickpea flour and liquid smoke.
Oh, and egg tofu! Though I never use it like you're "supposed" to.
Cooking lavender!
After travelling to Turkey this year, I discovered Nar Eksisi--Pomegranate Sour. It's so versatile! I also finally bought some Zatar spice--it's wonderful on salmon.
For my husband, it was definitely chipotle (he just moved to Texas from England) and for me, probably sesame oil. Now my stir fry almost tastes Asian!
beets!! i always hated the deeply pickled ones that always showed up on the table at family gatherings and stained my fingers pink. this year, a friend suggested that i try roasting them - and i'm in love! also, it turns out those pickled ones are pretty great, too!
After 20 years of a veggie diet - i've rediscovered the goodness of good local pork! Mmmm..... Bacon
Just returned from Bhutan and discovered a dried spice which grows wild there and what they call Local Pepper. It's also known as Prickly Ash.
I came home with three bags of it!
a sweet rub from McCormicks that has cinnamon in it....which I now need to replicate myself.
Just found buttermilk for use as an ingredient outside of baking. I love it.
Truffle oil. I could bathe in it.
pearl barley ! its great substitute for rice and its locally grown, low GI and cheaper! I live in Scotland
This year, I learned how easy mussels were to make at home! Who knew? (Well, I suppose plenty of other people already knew) They'll be a more frequent menu addition now.
Colavita champagne vinegar, and fresh basil from my herb garden.
za'atar! fabulous spice blend -- good in (or on) everything from eggs to flat breads to meats ...
leeks, kohlrabi, jerusalem artichokes. And I have a persimmon at home that's about ready to eat ... will let you know how that goes :D
that would be slap ya mama.