Welcome to series 3 of the Culinary Alphabet A-Z…Where the middle letter is I…

Nothing is as it seems here…this new series is the brainchild of Chel Owens who writes at A wife, My Verse, and Every Little Thing…my followers are so good to me they think up all sorts of permutations of the Alphabet for me to blog about…not sure if they want me to call it quits or what they will come up with next…Chel like Pete was, however, will be called on to make her contribution every two weeks…they don’t get off scot-free…so I hope you have started brainstorming Chel…haha x

So what’s in store? In this series the A, B, C, etc will be the middle letter, for example, Aga, Cabbage, Fries and Yucca… how easy that will be who knows I am sure some of the letters of the alphabet could cause the grey matter to rebel or implode…haha…I also don’t want to use plurals to form a word as I may need that word for another letter and it’s sort of cheating I think…unless of course I really get stuck…which I am sure will happen…

Today it is words where the middle letter is I...fairly easy but it taxed my brain somewhat…A few Fries like Fried chips, Fried Onion with a nice Pie but I had fun…Thanx Chel xx

Let’s go and see what I have found…

Apricot…

Apricots a golden furry skinned delicious fruit…I can only get frozen or dried ones here or small greenish ones, not the golden delicious ones of my dreams they are also pickled in a salt brine..not sure why…but as of yet no beautiful fresh ones…Low in fat and high in fibre. A few years ago after a major operation, it was recommended by my doctor that I included apricots in my diet…They have multiple benefits, including improved eye, skin, and gut health.

Anise…

Also known as Aniseed the flavour and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices, such as star anise, fennel, and liquorice.

Brine…

A salt and water solution whereby a cut of meat or seafood is submerged in the solution. Brine is used for food processing and cooking (pickling and brining),

Brines are used to salt cheeses such as feta and halloumi, not only for flavour but to inhibit the growth of a variety of moulds, to preserve it and in some cases to draw out moisture, helping it to develop a rind.

Crisp…

A wafer-thin slice of potato baked or fried then seasoned with salt or other flavours…Commercially made they are sold everywhere I defy anyone to eat just one it is easy to demolish a pack without even thinking…

Nutritionally they are bad for us…I remember Walkers crisps with that bright blue packer of salt for us a rare treat…BUT this very British snack has snowballed during the pandemic…Brits have bought a veritable mountain of bagged snacks during the pandemic. They’ve tucked into almost 60,000 tonnes more than in 2019…To me, those figures are a pandemic all by themselves…

Dip…

A sherbet dip or a savoury dip…Dips are used to add flavour or texture to a food, such as pitta bread, dumplings, crackers, cut-up raw vegetables, fruits, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato chips, tortilla chips, falafel, and sometimes even whole sandwiches in the case of au jus…which is a French culinary term meaning “with Juice” served to enhance a dish or just to dip your bread or Yorkshire pudding in…Originally, the Yorkshire pudding was served as a first course with thick gravy to dull the appetite.

Enchilada…

An enchilada is a corn tortilla wrapped around a filling then covered with a savoury sauce…Mexican in origin Historians believe enchiladas actually date back to Aztec times when the tradition of rolling or folding food into corn tortillas is believed to have begun. The word enchilada is derived from the Spanish verb enchilar, which means to season with chilli.

Feuille…

Translated this French dessert means.. to sheet …as in Mille-Feuille which is an old-school French dessert made from layers and layers of airy, crispy flaky pastry sandwiched together with a cream or custard filling with a feathered icing top…

Fig…

There is nothing like the taste of fresh figs a unique fruit shaped like a teardrop…Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia they are a nutritious fruit with slightly crunchy edible seeds.

To learn more about the Fig and some recipes please click here

Gin…made from the Juniper Berry.

An alcoholic beverage made from the Juniper Berry…

Grill…

A culinary term that applies to dry heat applied to the surface of food…The word grill is often used for a barbecue but barbecue is not used for the grill. In other words, the barbecue which is used outside can also be called a grill. A grill can be used inside or outside.

I use the grill to brown the top of my cauliflower cheese …My American cousins use the term to broil…Both are heats that come from the top.

Icing…

Think cupcakes and birthday cakes…Icing can be made with just icing sugar(powdered sugar) and a very little drop of water or lemon juice and maybe some food colouring and sprinkles…It can be made by creaming some butter with icing sugar(buttercream) or cocoa powder or other powder of your choice…it can be made with egg whites as in Royal Icing with which wedding cakes may be iced with…fondant icing, cream cheese frosting, meringue…depending on whether you want a hard icing for biscuits or a softer icing for cakes or maybe an icing to cover a birthday cake or celebration cake so many different types…

Olive Oil…

Olive Oil is made by pressing fresh olives and extracting the oil… liquid fat rich in healthy Monounsaturated Fats ….used to make salad dressings, mayonnaise, as a dip with some lovely balsamic vinegar…for frying food, making cakes and bread…

Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed or refined type. Extra virgin olive oil is considered to be the healthiest type of olive oil. It’s extracted using natural methods and standardized for purity and certain sensory qualities like taste and smell.

With olive oil, you get what you pay for at the cheaper end you get Olive Oil Blends and Pomace Olive Oil…Blended Olive Oils can be used at the table, in your favourite kitchen recipe, and also for sauteing, baking or broiling any meal.

Your extra virgin olive can be used for cooking and baking but be aware of the different smoking points…I save mine for salad dressing or drizzles and bread.

Onion…

The Onion family...we have the chives which can be snipped and scattered over a dish, the spring onion(green onion) or scallion which is slightly bigger with a mildly pungent flavour, shallots which have a mild delicate flavour and great in salads and sauces.

The larger red onion is lovely sliced and eaten raw in a salad or lightly pickled, the yellow onion is great for caramelising or added to soups and stews…

Did you know? The onion is also classed as a herb?

The definition of a herb: any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavouring, food, medicine or perfume. So onions qualify as a herb!

Pie…

A pie is a great British institution and many an argument has raged over the definition of a pie should it be a two-crust version or just have a top..some call them pot pies. Pies have been around since Ancient Egyptian time when anything cooked in an oven was called a pie and often the pastry which encased the filling was not eaten…The early “pyes” were predominantly meat pies and often very ornate…

Pit…

The pit is actually a large seed, found in stone fruits that can be either clingstone or freestone depending on how easily the flesh pulls away from the seed.

Ravioli…

Is a type of pasta which is filled and served in a broth or with a sauce…Ravioli are commonly square, though other forms are also used, including circular and semi-circular. My favourite ravioli is served with a burnt butter sauce simple but delicious.

Schnitzel…

A schnitzel is a thin slice of meat that has been pounded with a meat tenderiser then mostly breaded and then fried. The breaded schnitzel is popular in many countries and is made using veal, pork, chicken, mutton, beef, or turkey.

Vanilla…

Vanilla beans can be used in a variety of recipes as flavouring or ingredients and other uses such as homemade vanilla extract, baking, cooking, and brewing. Madagascar Vanilla Beans are the highest quality beans in the world and have an incredible flavour profile…There is nothing like the taste of fresh vanilla yes you can buy artificial vanilla extracts but there is no comparison…some things are just worth paying that extra it pays you back in taste…and you can make vanilla sugar from the pods…

That’s all for today for the letter I…

Thank you so much for your visit I hope you have enjoyed the read…See you tomorrow for another episode of made from scratch… Love Carol xxx