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What's Cooking
Hosted by Kim O'Donnel
washingtonpost.com Staff
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2003; Noon ET
Calling all foodies! Join us Tuesdays at noon for What's Cooking, our Live Online culinary hour with Kim O'Donnel.
A graduate of Peter Kump's New York Cooking School, Kim spends much of her time in front of the stove or with her nose in a cookbook.
If you couldn't make the live event, you can always send Kim O'Donnel an e-mail or drop in on the What's Cooking message boards.
Share the culinary love with What's Cooking, Valentine?, Kim's latest video series.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Kim O'Donnel: Hey folks,
Hope you've survived the snow dig-out and such. For me, once it started raining, I lost it. It was miserable, gray and MUDDY. Bleck. Despite my worn-down attitude, I did find a new favorite thing to eat on the fly: heat up a can of white beans in the mike (yes, my new place has a microwave)for about one minute. Spritz some olive or sesame oil, just for a little lubrication. A glug of soy sauce. Stir. Pour over some raw spinach. Add some grape tomatoes and a clove of chopped garlic. Mix and swoon.
I've also been getting up to snuff on an interesting controversy that affects the food world. Don't know if you've heard about it, but a Ga. Congressman by name of Deal, who's teamed up with Dennis Hastert, has attached a rider to the 2003 Omnibus Spending Bill that would relax Organic Act standards for poultry, livestock and dairy producers and still be considered organic. LIsten NPR's piece done last week. Senators Leahy (VT) and Farr (CA) are representing the opposition and Leahy I believe is introducing legislation to repeal this provision. I will keep you updated as I get new info. For now, let's hear what's on your minds.
Applesauce vs. Oil:
Kim and/or chowhounds,
I have a couple of muffin recipes that I would like to make a bit more low-fat. I know that you can substitute apple sauce for shortening, but I didn't know what the ratio was -- anyone? Also, I know that I sometimes buy fat free muffins that say they use yogurt. Could you substitute ff, plain yogurt for the shortening?
Many thanks!
Kim O'Donnel: it's a one-to-one sub. I've never done the yogurt, but my Food FAQs handy reference tells me fat-free cream cheese could be used as sub as well.
Greensboro, N.C.:
A few weeks ago a poster from Fairfax, Va. mentioned that she planned on trying a Mexican red chile sauce recipe obtained from a neighbor's mother. Can the poster share the recipe?
Loco For Red Chile
Kim O'Donnel: Let's see if red chile is out there...
Washington, D.C.:
I'm trying to clean out the fridge before going on vacation this weekend. How can I make a bunch of veggies (peppers, celery, squash, mushroom, etc) into a yummy meal that hopefully doesn't require pasta? (I like pasta- just eat it too much).
Thanks!
Kim O'Donnel: The shrooms and and peppers can go into an omelette. The squash can be soup, and you can start it with some celery...
Better Than Boullion Search:
Have you or other chatters seen a product called Better Than Boullion? I'm particularly looking for the chicken flavor. Trader Joe's stocked it for about six months, but it didn't sell, so they stopped, and I've occasionally found the vegetable version at some Fresh Fields, but not Chicken. Apparently Giant is supposed to stock the product but I've never seen it there.
I would rather be making my own stock, but don't have that time luxury at the moment, and this is an excellent substitute (not too salty, great flavor -- when I use ready-made stock, I buy cans of the low-sodium kind, never cubes, but this is better). washingtonpost.com:
Here's the manufacturer's Web site. It has a listing of stores that carry their products.
Kim O'Donnel: Wow, fancy producer has offered a link to get you the goods...cheers.
Bethesda, Md.:
Trying to plan ahead, I'd like to prepare a casserole tonight that can simply be tossed in the oven when I get home tomorrow. The catch is, I'm planning a kale/red pepper "strudel", and I'm wondering how the filo will fare in the refrigerator overnight. Will it be okay if I wrap it well, or am I better off preparing the filling and holding off on all the layering until the last minute?
Kim O'Donnel: If your filling is not too wet, I think you'll be okay. Wrap it well, yes. Try to eliminate as much moisture as you can while wrapping.
Washington, D.C.: Kim,
I asked this question a while back but didn't get an answer...I still have a package of frozen seafood from Trader Joe's and I don't know what to do with it...should I defrost it first or can I cook it frozen and how? I would realy appreciate any suggestions as the use by date nears...
Thank you.
Kim O'Donnel: A good idea to thaw in fridge and see how it's holding up, first of all. If it doesn't smell like freezer burn, then proceed as planned. If it does, plan B, my dear.
Somewhere, USA:
I just had to say that the white bean concoction you describe sounds DELISH. I know this chat is about cooking, not eating out, but I have to ask -- is there anywhere in the DC area to get simple vegetarian meals/snacks in the same vein?? If so I'm about to become their #1 customer. Mark's Kitchen in Takoma Park is the only place sort of like this that I know of. If only London's "Food for Thought" would open a DC branch...
Kim O'Donnel: Lebanese Taverna Market in Arlington. Killer veggie-friendly vittles. Also, Fireflies in DelRay (Alexandria) is a good bet for the veg. set.
Washington, D.C. -- Cauliflower Soup:
Hi Kim! I have a cauliflower soup recipe that calls for soaking the florets in ice water with 2 T. vinegar for at least an hour before cooking up the soup. What does this do, and is it really necessary? It would be a quick meal without the hour-long soak. Thanks!
Kim O'Donnel: Without looking at rest of recipe, hard for me to comment. There are so many ways to prepare cauliflower soup -- what do you have in mind?
Washington, D.C.:
Hi and thank you for taking my question...how long does pearled barley take to cook, say, in a soup?
Kim O'Donnel: Hi ya,
It helps to soak the barley for a little bit before adding, but you're going to need up to an hour for thorough cooking. It does take a while.
Dupont, Washington, DC:
Kim,
Thanks for the chats! I wanted to say first that because of one of your previous chats I read up on kale and have since fallen in love with it. It has such a wonderful texture and slightly bitter but full flavor. And I love cooking it as it does not wilt as quickly as spinach (although I still love spinach).
Well my real question is regarding wine in cooking. I cook a lot of recipes that call for white or red wine...but find that since I frequently cook for myself I hate opening a bottle of wine for 1-2 cups of cooking and then not drinking the rest of the bottle. I've tried the wines made specifically for cooking that you find in the grocery stores, but the flavor they generate is far inferior. So, any creative suggestions for a cook-for-one cook?
Kim O'Donnel: Isn't kale the greatest? I love it also with white beans and garlic and chiles. One of my fave winter quickies. Glad you're onboard joining us. As for wine and cooking: with white wine, you can put rest in fridge with a bit of time to use. As for reds, buy a half bottle perhaps, or...invite a good friend over to unload the burden. YOu're right; the cooking wine is dreck.
Somewhere, USA:
Hi there!
There was a suggestion on what to do with leftover cheese a few months back in the food section. I think it involved olive oil, herbs, and garlic - a french thing I believe. Could you provide us with a link to that?
THANKS!
Kim O'Donnel: I'll alert my online colleague who handles the food section for the site to see if she recalls. Do you have an article name or more specific time line?
Somewhere, USA:
Cranberry Orange Bread quest. from Last week: For the poster on the cranberry orange bread (last week), if you read the last paragragh it says 1 1/2 cups liquid if making TWO loaves. The recipe is for one loaf so use 3/4 liquid.
-Sticks
Kim O'Donnel: Thanks, Sticks.
Alexandria, Va.:
Howdy,
Were having a dinner party this weekend and serving a whole salmon cooked in a salt dome. My question is, will a saffron cream sauce work with this? Any other suggestions? Thanks!
Kim O'Donnel: You're starting off with a fatty fish, and then adding a fatty sauce. I'd try something more acidic to let the flavor of the fish come through, and achieve a bit more flavor balance. A mango salsa would be great. Something a bit picante. Something bright and light. Even a cucumber/vinegar/chile thing.
Somewhere, USA:
Organic Girl: Hi Kim and Everyone!
Regarding the changes to the USDA National Organic Program, here's the exact text.
"None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to require that a farm satisfy section 2110(c)(1) of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6509(c)(1)) in order to be certified under such Act as an organic farm with respect to the livestock produced on the farm unless the report prepared by the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to the recommendations contained in the joint explanatory statement of the Managers on the part of the House of Representatives and the Senate to accompany Public Law 107-171 (House Conference Report 107-424, pages 672-673) confirms the commercial availability of organically produced feed, at no more than twice the cost of conventionally produced feed, to meet current market demands."
For clarification, this means, essentially, that the USDA cannot spend any money to enforce 100% organic feed for livestock, until the completion of a study on the cost of organic feed versus conventional (chemical) feed. So, an accredited organic certifier could still deny, suspend, or revoke certification to someone not using organic feed; however, if that business decides to appeal that decision to the USDA, the USDA cannot spend any money to follow up. Now, if organic feed is found to be less than twice the cost as conventional feed, then the USDA may then begin spending money to follow up on appeals. The study on feed cost is currently underway, and thus far, organic feed is less expensive that originally assumed. So hopefully, everything will be back to following the letter of the NOP law, soon.
Sorry this is so long, but I thought it may help...also...had thinly sliced steak in a carmelized onion and blue cheese sauce over penne pasta for supper last night....mmmmmmmmm!
Kim O'Donnel: Many thanks for this update, from someone who works in the industry. Cheers.
Washington, D.C.:
Kim,
My boyfriend's mom is from Puerto Rico and she sometimes make Paella, but uses the packages of yellow saffon rice from the supermarket. It takes alright, but I have been dying to make the real thing so I'm am super excited about you latest video. I went out and bought the saffon this weekend and ordered a paella pan online. Is there going to be a big difference in taste between the yellow saffron rice and doing it from scratch? I hope so!
Kim O'Donnel: Yes, indeed. The saffron flavor is more subtle, and you get the benefits of all the flavors talking to each other from get-go. I don't know what kind of rice is in the package, but according to the purists, you've got to have short-grained rice! Have fun, and let me know what you think.
Somewhere, USA:
re: cooking w/wine: I feel like such a lush. I just drink the leftover wine over a few days.
Kim O'Donnel: It takes you that long? I think I beat you in that department...
Somewhere, USA:
Can I make an asparagus risotto? What kind of cheese would be best with it? Do I just steam the asparagus, slice it up, then throw it in when the rice is done? What other kinds of veggies work, besides risotto?
Thanks!
Kim O'Donnel: Of course you can! Parmigiano-reggiano is preferred. Check out my risotto video from last fall, which will help you with technique. You may steam or saute your asparagus and season before adding to risotto as it's finishing up. Peas are great, mushrooms, as I show you in the vid, leeks, tomatoes...
for Somewhere, USA:
I think the Vegetable Garden in Rockville is the best vegetarian spot I've found. if you like Asian/Chinese go there! it's not an all-around multi-purpose vegetarian spot, only Chinese food. . . .but it's GOOD, and reasonably priced, and NO fear of meat sneaking it's way onto your plate.
Kim O'Donnel: thanks for the tidbit...
St. Louis, Mo. Cooking with Wine:
Depending on how much you need, places like grocery stores and Whole Foods often sell very small bottles (like 1.5-2 servings) of wine. They aren't the most expensive brands, but some of them are good, and they definitely beat cooking "wine."
Kim O'Donnel: another goodie, from St. Lou.
Somewhere, USA:
Cooking with wine: One thing with this is you can substitue vermouth for a dry white white...EXCEPT when making a wine sauce that requires you to reduce the wine to a syrup. Vermouth has no sugar and will evaporate rather then give you the syrupy texture. I keep vermouth on had for deglazing and making quick sauces or to perk up an onion soup (instead of sherry or maderia that some use), but don't use it in a wine sauce reduction.
-Sticks
Kim O'Donnel: An excellent point from Sticks.
Arlington, Va.:
Kim,
Heading for your old stomping grounds in Philly this weekend. Planning on seeing the flower show and then shopping in the Italian Market section of town. Can you make some recommendations of vendors who are should not miss?? Love your show! You inspire me to cook more at home and share the love!
Kim O'Donnel: Maybe you'll run into my mom, who's going Saturday. Vendors not to miss in the market? Wow. Foster's, which sells an interesting selection of housewares. There's a good cookbook stall, Old City coffee is fun. There's a place to buy Mexican spices/condiments, etc, as well one for Thai cooking. For fried chicken, try Deliliah's. Oh geez, I just realized you're talking about 9th street, and I'm talking about REading Terminal. Go to Reading Terminal! It's right by the Flower Show, anyway. Italian Market (also known as 9th Street), head to the cheese shop. DiBruno's. But they also have a location on 18th or 19th street these days. Good if the weather is not allowing for lots of walking.
Cupertino, Calif.:
Don't know if you want any more info on Coppa. The Coppa I can find out here is
Coppa Veneziana, which has a core of pork loin (as in Cappicola) surrounded by pork salami. It is a good substitute for Cappicola, but not for prosciutto.
Kim O'Donnel: Fantastic. I always want more info, on everything. Thanks, Cupertino.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Speaking of wine...Kim, no food and wine show this weekend? I went on Sunday and was hoping to see you there doing a cooking demonstration.
Kim O'Donnel: Ah, shucks. It was downtown, right?
Reston, Va.:
Hi, like the sound of your white bean dish. Question about the white beans - I'm thinking a can of canellini beans (usually I get a can of the Progresso brand) - is this similar to what you used?
Also, just wanted to throw this out there - any ideas for quick breakfast meal that has protein? I was thinking an egg-white omelette mixed with veggies and poached salmon. I'll try your bean dish too, but was wondering if there are others I can try. I need to up my protein intake in the mornings.
Kim O'Donnel: Cannelini fine. I think I used white northern. But they're similar. Egg white omelette, etc is a great idea. Egg whites scrambled with tofu. Yogurt has some protein. Throw in some nuts and you'll up it even more.
Gaithersburg, Md.:
Hey Kim & Co.
I'm taking a trip to Barbados in early April !! Can you provide any info. from a culinary perspective? Anything I shouldn't miss while I'm down there?
Thanks in advance!
Kim O'Donnel: Check Travel section story from this week, which covers a little ground on the food scene. In addition to Oistins Fish Fry, there is also fish fry at Baxters Road (a little dicier but definitely more colorful). Bring home some hot sauce, which will blow your mind. Try breadfruit cou cou or any opportunity to eat breadfruit. Flying fish are fun, yes, but the kingfish and grouper and shark are delicious too. If you have a chance, drink some maube or sorrel. I'll keep racking my brain.
Cooking wine answer:
I believe the wine gods may have smiled upon all of us in the similar situation of not wanting to waste a whole bottle of wine for 1-2 cups for a meal. Trader Joe's (in VA. only thanks to MD's oh so progressive alcohol laws) is carry a huge stock of Shaw's wines. They have 4 different varieties - Merlot, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonney, for the oh so expensive price of $3.50 a bottle (that's shipping costs for you, they're only $2/bottle in California). I recently cooked with the sauvignon blanc and the cabernet, and both were great. I also drank the cabernet, and it was pretty good, especially for $3.50 (though, don't try to save it for another day - opened friday, tried to finish sunday, and it smelled like wet dog on Sunday)
Kim O'Donnel: Thanks for chiming in, dear.
(icy) Austin, Tex.:
Re yogurt in muffins...here's a recipe from the Complete Cooking Light Cookbook that I like...maybe it will help anyone looking to subtitute yogurt for shortening in their own recipe.
Blueberry-Yogurt Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) carton vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon sugar
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine orange juice, oil, vanilla, yogurt and egg; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moist. Gently fold in blueberries.
3. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over the muffins. Bake muffins at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pans immediately, and place muffins on a wire rack.
Nutritional info (serving size: 1 muffin)
Calories 150 (20% from fat)
Fat 3.4g (sat 0.7g, mono 0.9g, poly 1.3g)
Protein 3.5g
Carb 26.4g
Fiber 1.1g
Chol 19mg
Iron 1mg
Sodium 161mg
Calc 69mg
Kim O'Donnel: Aha! Thanks, Austin! Icy, huh? Apparently, we are getting more snow...
Calgary, Alberta:
It's party central at our house this swekend. I'm looking for a casual dinner menu for a Friday night dinner. No vegetarians or other food issues, at least I think not. On Sunday we are having a lunch for 6. I'm thinking of French onion soup with a spinach salad and an apple tart for dessert. Do I need anything with the soup like a pate or cold cuts? Any other menu you think my suit a cold day better? Thanks!
Kim O'Donnel: You know what's fun for a group? Paella and risotto. (of course, a way to shamelessly plug my videos). But seriously, these two are great for groups because everyone has a job and it's a collaborative effort. Drink wine and cook on...Also, in fall vid series, I did a thing on spiced nuts. Let me know if you need details. They would be fun for the par-tay. Cheers, Calgary.
Fairfax, Va.:
Kim -
Are there any year-round Farmers Markets in the DC region? That way, I can always buy the fruits and veggies that are in season!
Kim O'Donnel: Yes! Arlington Courthouse (Sat) and Dupont Circle (Sun) and I believe Takoma Park (Sun).
Farragut Square, Washington, D.C.:
Hello Kim! My question for you deal with part of the healthy-living you espouse. How do you manage to fit exercise into your day? I try and mostly succeed at making sure I eat healthy from-scratch meals (I have a bag of purple kale in my fridge that I plan on turning into a yummy chickpea and kale soup tonight), but I get lazy with exercising. I am hungry and tired after work - and I can barely drag myself out of bed in the morning as it is. Do you have any tips for how to fit exercise (along with healthy eating) into my day?
Kim O'Donnel: It's definitely more difficult in the winter months, Farragut. And this winter, even more so. I do things like walk 3x a week to work, which is a 45-minute trek. Yoga a few times a week. And I'm hoping to buy a bike so I can get things done and get in some exercise. I don't always achieve my goals either. But I try to remember how much better I feel afterwards, and I try to exercise in the morning when I've had no time to deliberate. Chin up!
Silver Spring, Md. for AM Protein:
Cottage cheese is a good, low fat way to protein if you're okay with dairy, or a tbs of peanut butter (some fat, but in one TBS it shouldn't be too much) on a 12-grain or grain and nut bread (Arnolds has a great one) will also give you a protein charge.
Kim O'Donnel: More tidbits for the protein-breakfaster...
Washington, D.C.:
Just wanted to plug your spiced nuts recipie that you did earlier in the Fall. I made them for a dinner party and they were a complete hit!! It only took a minute to prepare them, super easy!
Kim O'Donnel: Thanks. Calgary will appreciate the thought, too.
Washington, D.C.:
I make a butter free (olive oil) saffron risotto with asparagus added when served. I toss in a cup of sauvignon blanc and it has a pretty good flavor.
Kim O'Donnel: Nice. Thanks for the thoughts...
Somewhere, USA:
NYT squash and onion gratin: I tried out a recipe for Squash and Onion Gratin from a recent Times magazine, and yeeeuuuchhh. The recipe called for boiling the onions and zucchini for about half an hour, and then baking them with gruyere and ricotta. The zucchini was lifeless and uninteresting, and the onions were bitter. Do you think that it would work if I skipped the boiling step, and used caramelized onions and fresh zucchini (maybe baked a little to take some of the water out), and mixed those in with the cheese before baking?
Kim O'Donnel: Yes, trust your intuition. Recipes are great as guidelines but not always as gospel. Cheers.
For Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C. re wine::
Falls Church: You can freeze the wine and it's perfectly okay to drink or cook with after defrosted. I real wine afficionado I knew once froze fabulous wine for drining all the time. He lived alone and a lot of wine isn't bottled in half bottles. Red wine will tend to through off a bit of sediment, and white wine can form tartaric acid crystals. So just don't use the very last drops of the bottle.
Kim O'Donnel: Well, this is a new one for me. Perhaps I should experiment.
Alexandria, Va.:
This question may be part Carolyn Hax and part "What's Cooking" but here goes. What is the best way to approach someone who believes they are an accomplished cook, but really rarely produces anything edible. She just doesn't get the hint when no one eats what she makes. Her heart is in the right place, which is a great start, but she has no knack for basic techniques, pairing flavors, etc. Would you recommend a gift of The Mindful Cook, or some other book? My family cooks often and well, and she appreciates that, and we try to get her involved with what we're making to maybe guide her a bit, but she sees cooking as a more solitary pursuit. This person plans to prepare all the food for my upcoming bridal shower and I'm trying to avert disaster. Hopefully we can convince her to keep it simple, but I'm not sure that will work.
Kim O'Donnel: Yikes. Yes, The Mindful Cook is a great start. AS for the bridal shower, I need Hax on the horn. Pronto. Have you guys determined she is going to do all the cooking for the shower? You may want to get it catered instead, avoid the trauma.
Somewhere, USA:
Fitting in Exercise? I try to remind my self that there are some 168 hours in your average week, and I can certainly find six to give up for exercise. Not to mention, it'll help me GAIN energy instead of losing it. I feel that much more awake when I am finished. What a coup!
Kim O'Donnel: Yeah! You got it.
Arlington, Va.:
Any suggestion for a nice starch and veggie to go with a rare filet with mustard/port sauce (other than the standard garlic mashed and aparagus)? Thanks.
Why do I think the answer might be white beans?
Kim O'Donnel: Well, white beans would be nice, but so would some roasted broccoli (toss in garlic, chiles, olive oil, ginger, salt, roast at 500)...or a salad of arugula or spinach...OR you could do white beans and kale! A mushroom saute wih shallots would be lovely too.
Somewhere, USA: Freeze wine: Are you nuts! That will cause sugars in it to crystalize and will be much sweeter than it normally would be. The powers that be would drop dead and flame you if you froze a $150 bottle of White Burgundy Grand Cru.
Kim O'Donnel: And the debate begins... I know nothing. I'll just let you guys duke it out. Actually, I'm emailing Michael Franz as soon as we're finished.
For AM Protein as well::
Found a plain yogurt (and I mean plain!) at Sutton Place. Good protein content and NO SUGAR. No sugar subs, either. It's called Emmi and is Swiss. The fruit flavors do contain a lot of sugar though. The plain doesn't and tastes like the yogurt I had in France (quite sour).
Took awhile to get used to but now I have one whenever I don't have time to do the egg-white omelette thing.
Kim O'Donnel: Yes, good one.
re Barbados:
I was there recently and picked up a huge bag of sugar, I think they refer to it as brown sugar, it is like raw sugar here and it was less than two dollars for over a pound bag, well worth it and it has a great, mild brown sugar taste
Kim O'Donnel: I also like to bring home bags of nutmegs still in their shells. Cheap, cheap, and so much better than what's avaialable here.
Milwaukee:
I've been baking a lot of bread lately. One I really like is the Thirded Bread recipe from Cooking Light.
Basically, it calls for 1 cup each of cornmeal (cooked in milk before adding), rye flour and whole-wheat flour (plus a few cups of all-purpose, a little butter and molasses and yeast and salt).
My question is -- I'd like to substitute buckwheat flour for the whole wheat. Is there anything I should do with the other ingredients to compensate? (Up the butter or liquid? Up the yeast?)
Kim O'Donnel: Hey Milwaukee,
I need to consult my Hensperger titles and get back to you. If you want, email me and I'll try to get you some answers.
Somewhere, USA:
Italian Market in Philly: Used to be a really neat little spice shop on one corner. Just spices and great prices and can get capers packed in salt not brine. Well worth a look. Think it was called the Spice House. Very tiny shop!
Kim O'Donnel: Yes! Very good. I haven't been to 9th Street in years.
Somewhere, USA:
I make a white veggie lasagna that tastes great, but comes out kinda soupy (I'm guessing from the moisture from the cooking veggies since there's not much sauce at all). I usually include mushrooms, spinach, zucchini and sometimes a few other things. Might it help to cook the vegs first to get some of the moisture out? And what would be the best way...sauteeing, roasting?
Kim O'Donnel: Absolutely. Trust your intuition! All of the veggies you mention contain a lot of water and so if you cook them, that water will be released. The quickest way would be to do a saute. Cheers.
Piscataway, N.J.:
Hi Kim,
This weekend I picked up a jar of "Thai Red Curry Paste" for a specific recipe and only needed to use a couple of teaspoons. How can I incorporate this into other recipes so the rest of the jar doesn't go to waste?
My other question relates to fresh ginger. After I use a little bit in a recipe, I wrap it in plastic and leave it in a jar on my counter. Without fail, fuzzy white mold is there the next time I want to use it. I know in the past you've suggested freezing leftovers. Any other way to lengthen its life?
Kim O'Donnel: Piscataway,
That paste is great as part of marinades, esp. for steak. Don't wrap your ginger in plastic; if you leave it out, leave it uncovered. It may dry out a bit, but it won't get moldy.
Alexandria, Va.:
Hi Kim! I was fortunate enough to acquire some huge plump vanilla beans on a recent trip. What is the best way to store them? Thanks!
Kim O'Donnel: Airtight, airtight. Also, throw one into a bottle of rum and let steep. Heavenly.
Kim O'Donnel: Many wonderful, unanswered questions, but I have to go, gang. Thanks for everything. Veggie hour this Thursday, Feb. 27, at noon, by the way. Otherwise, check with you next time. Stay warm! Ciao.
washingtonpost.com:
That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the
discussion.
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