Good combination of tasty pairs
I have always been fascinated by the ability of chefs and cooks to pair flavors effortlessly. Adding one to the other with the same dexterity I apply to put toothpaste on my toothbrush: decades of daily practice tend to come in handy. My admiration had kept me in awe for ages, undermining my self-confidence and preventing me from try anything on my own, until I bumped into a small list of “essential pairs in the kitchen” that looked irresistible. And I adopted it immediately.
Some of these pairs come out of simple use, like “oil & vinegar”, but others move on from intriguing perspectives, like boosting energy or helping our body to be more resilient. That’s how I discovered that if I want to have the best results in terms of absorption of the precious curcumin, the component of turmeric that has anti-inflammatory properties, I need to combine it with black pepper. It’s the only one way to make it usable by our body, since piperine, a black pepper component, is a strong bio-enhancer by aiding gastrointestinal absorption of the curcumin.
Fascinating, isn’t it? I always thought that I love curry because it tastes so good… Anyway, in my discovery of tasty , and healthy, pairs I came by other surprisingly appealing combinations. As that of cinnamon and ginger to make a jelly pudding without any sugar.
The recipe is as simple as it can be.
Ingredients:
4 apples of about 150 grams each
Zest of half a lemon or half an orange
Fresh grated ginger to taste
Cinnamon to taste
1 packet of agar
Wash and rub the apples clean with a cloth. Cut them in half and remove the seeds and stem, but leave the skin on.
Cook the apples in a very small amount of water or steam them until soft.
Finely grate or chop 1 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely grated (or to taste)and grate the zest from 0.5 pieces lemon (zest only) or half an orange.
Once the apples are cooked, blend them into a purée and pour into a saucepan together with the ginger, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste). Stir thoroughly and return the pan to the heat.
When the mixture starts to boil, add 1 pieces packet of agar and continue stirring. Cook for the time indicated on the agar packet instructions — usually just a few minutes. Turn off the heat and divide the mixture evenly among 4 small cups or ramekins.
Leave to cool, then refrigerate for a few hours until fully set.
To serve, turn each cup upside down onto a plate and garnish with lemon zest or orange zest finely sliced.
I might have mentioned somewhere that I love experimenting in the kitchen, it gives me the idea that I can perform magic, because changing an egg into a spoon of mayonnaise or flour and water into bread, for me it’s like doing magic. According to this irresistible sensation, I took my list of pairs and explored. It drove me the beautifully written and easy to use book “Simple” by chef and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi. While reading, and cooking, the many recipes of “Simple” , I came by a mix of spices named za’atar , and I kept a jar of it in my kitchen ever since. Za’atar can be homemade and helps add layers of flavor to basically every salad, soup or veggies you can decide to cook.
My final sugggestion? Try it. It’s a game changer if you like a tangy, sharp and thyme perfumed flavor on your fried eggs, boiled eggs, tomatoe sauce…
