Maybe it’s because I like a martini with my steak dinner, but salty, savoury, slightly fruity olives have always seemed like a natural flavour partner for a butter-basted piece of beef. Topping one with a tapenade is very fine and dandy, but using puréed olives as a marinade is next level.
If I had to pick my favourite ingredient of 2018, it would be shio koji.
This traditional Japanese paste — which is made from fuzzy, inoculated rice, salt, and water — adds savoury depth and miso-like umami to anything you smear it on, and an overnight hang in the stuff will do wonders for your (uncured) pork.
Mushrooms are the meatiest vegetable — both in texture and flavour — which is why it shouldn’t be surprising that they take quite well to a marinade. And, unlike meat, the sponge-like ‘shrooms absorb flavour fast, which is always good news for the impatient.
The success of a meal plan can only be judged by the percentage of it that’s consumed. It may sound obvious, but the execution of a good meal plan requires planning meals you are excited to eat. Picking the right proteins, vegetables and sides is important, but picking the right condiments — I’m talking sauces, marinades and pickled things — is even more so.
No matter what your local Grilling Enthusiast Bro says, marinade mixology ain't rocket science. At a bare minimum, all you need is a good bit of salt, probably some fat, and a smidgen of acid for basic flavour enhancement and tenderising action. Sweet, spicy and/or funky elements are optional, but never unwelcome.
Most short rib recipes usually call for hours in the oven braising, but you can get super tasty and tender results by treating them like a steak: Season and throw them on the grill.
The more I use miso, the more I become convinced that other flavouring agents are simply not needed. Not only does it render soups, dips and desserts totally addictive, but it makes one heck of a delicious marinade.
Miso is a wonderfully salty paste made from fermented soybeans that packs a ton of savoury, umami flavour into a teaspoon. It's most commonly used in miso soup, but the funky seasoning can be used in a variety of delicious applications, from chip dips and sandwich spreads, to caramels and cake frostings.
True, made-from-scratch Caesar dressing is a terrible thing to waste, but even if you find yourself with an extra bit of that cheesy, creamy emulsion in a store-bought bottle (and don't feel like another salad), do not fret; it makes an excellent pan of roasted vegetables.
