The Kitchn Archive: Sep 2022

For starters, here's how to choose the best bulbs.

You probably know nori best as the paper-like dark green wrapping that keeps pieces of sushi neatly — and deliciously! — contained. Crisp sheets of this mild grassy-tasting seaweed last forever in the pantry and can come in handy when you just need “a little something extra” to perk up a weeknight meal. Nori is made by shredding edible seaweed and then pressing it into thin sheets — much like the process for making paper.

Barrique is a wine word that most of you will probably already be familiar with. The word ‘barrique’ means barrel, but not just any type of barrel. Do you know specifically what a barrique is? The word ‘barrique’ refers to a specific size and shape of oak barrel. In making wine there are many different sizes of barrels used. Barrique barrels are relatively small barrels, but not just any small barrels.

Maybe you’ve heard of harissa, but have you ever tried it? If you love condiments and adding a kick of spice to your meals, you’ll want to check this out! Harissa is a spicy and aromatic chile paste that’s a widely used staple in North African and Middle Eastern cooking. Harissa recipes vary between countries and regions, but a standard version includes a blend of hot chile peppers (which are often smoked), garlic, olive oil and spices, like cumin, coriander, caraway and mint.

If you’ve ever seen a banana tree, perhaps you have noticed the teardrop-shaped purple flower at the end of the banana fruit cluster. This is the banana blossom, also called the banana heart. It is an edible flower used in Southeast Asian and Indian cooking, where they consider it a vegetable. You might be surprised that banana blossoms have a lot in common with a more well-known and popular vegetable. Can you guess what it is?

Going to culinary school in France meant that our main focus was, of course, French cuisine. And as I quickly learned, French cuisine is all about sauce. At the end of each day, we nervously brought our version of what had been demonstrated earlier to our chef for critique. It was usually a composed plate of protein and sides, but what did the chef always taste first? The sauce.

Our mystery box has kept us well supplied with mini pumpkins this fall. For several weeks we’ve enjoyed them displayed on a white platter in the middle of the dining room table as a simple centerpiece. So lovely. But it turns out that mini pumpkins are not just decoration! Read on for recipes, ideas and inspiration… Wash your pumpkins and cut off the top the same way you would a regular sized jack-o-lantern.

With the exception of perhaps oil, few pantry staples come in as many varieties as vinegar. I regularly keep on hand no fewer than seven different vinegars: red wine, white wine, champagne, sherry, rice, apple cidar and balsamic. Later on, I discovered white balsamic vinegar, a blend of white grape must and white wine vinegar. Recently, while scanning through the ingredients list of a recipe I was making, I came across a vinegar I was unfamiliar with – White balsamic vinegar.

We have been grilling tons of fruit this summer – plums, peaches, pluots, figs – and it has been the perfect opportunity to break out our precious bottle of saba.We first encountered saba at a gourmet market and just had to bring a bottle home. Although it was a bit pricey and we had never tasted it before, we were intrigued by the description of an ancient, syrupy condiment similar to Balsamic vinegar. The splurge was worth it.