Welcome to the series from Carol Taylor, the wonderful A – Z of Food and I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge of wonderful ingredients across the food groups, spices and herbs over the year.
Mayonnaise
There is nothing like homemade mayo once you have made it you will never buy a shop made one ever again.
Ingredients:
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp of mustard
• 240 ml of good olive oil
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp of lemon or lime juice.
To prepare
Put the egg whites in a bowl with the Cider vinegar and blend gently until they are well mixed. With the blender still going slowly start to add the olive oil starting with just a drop and increasing to a steady stream as the mayo starts to thicken. Blend well until the mayo is your desired thickness and season to your taste.
How easy is that?
Mascarpone
A silky, slightly sweet Italian cheese made using only two ingredients whole cream and citrus which is why it is easy to make at home. Because of its high butter content, it spoils quickly so once opened it should be used quickly. It is made using no rennet so is suitable for vegetarians. It is used to make that traditional Italian dessert of Tiramisu, to thicken soups, it can be added to mac and cheese for a creamier sauce and makes a lovely dip when herbs are added.
Mango
Mango is one of my favorite fruits and sold everywhere here. It is used in smoothies, sold raw with a spicy dip. Served with coconut sticky rice it is an iconic Thai dish. It is also a very healthy fruit
Khao Neow Manuang ( Sticky Rice with Mango)
The rice is soaked in water for at least an hour and then just put in the rice basket and steamed this takes about 15 minutes.
To prepare the coconut milk:
- Heat 1 cup of coconut milk in a pot over medium heat. Stir constantly and let the coconut milk simmer.
- DO NOT let it boil hard as coconut milk will curdle especially if it is not 100% as many imported coconut milks aren’t (unfortunately)
- Add 2tbsp of sugar and 2 pinches of salt.
- Remove from heat.
- Pour 3/4 of the hot coconut milk over 1 cup of the hot sticky rice. Let it sit for 5 minutes. The hot sticky rice will absorb all the coconut milk. The rice should be a little mushy.
- Spoon the rest of the coconut milk on top of the rice when it is time to serve.
Enjoy!
Mango sauce for Chicken or fish.
Ingredients for the Mango Sauce:
• 2 fresh ripe mangos, fruit scooped out (or substitute 2 cups frozen or canned mango)
• 1 red chili, de-seeded and diced, or 1 tsp chili sauce or 1/2 tsp dried crushed chili
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar.
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 thumb-size piece ginger, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, Take out the vein and roll and finely shred.
Let’s Cook!
- Place the 2 ripe mango cut into chunks, red chili, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and kaffir lime leaves in a food processor or blender. Blitz well, until more or less smooth.
- Taste the sauce.
- You should have a balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty. Add more sugar if you find the sauce too sour (this will depend on the sweetness of your mangoes).
- If not spicy enough, add more chili. If not salty/flavourful enough, add more fish sauce.
- If too salty or too sweet, add more lime juice.
- Play with your flavours add a little at a time and keep tasting as you can always add more it is harder to adjust the balance if you have put too much of one thing in…Just keep tasting…
- Set to one side until ready to use…
Macerate
The Process of soaking fruit in liquid or sugar which softens the fruit and also adds flavor and sweetness. Strawberries are often just macerated in sugar which draws the liquid out and creates a syrup. It is quite a quick and easy way of elevating that special dessert. If you are using balsamic vinegar, citrus juice or alcohol such as Grand Marnier then add at the same time that you add the sugar.
Marengo.
A French cooking term which is used to describe a garnish often garlic, olives, mushrooms sauteed in Olive Oil and used to garnish Veal, Rabbit or Chicken dishes. There are a few theories as to where the name originated from and one such theory is that after one of Napoleon’s successful battles in the village of Marengo in June 1800 that his chef devised a dish, Chicken Marengo. Another such legend is that it was named after a village in Algeria which has since been renamed Hadjout.
Mirin
A type of rice wine used in Japanese cuisine similar to sake but it is lower in alcohol and higher in sugar. It has quite a strong flavor so it is used sparingly but it is used to sometimes mask a fishy smell and taste and is used in teriyaki sauce. There are three main types of mirin, hon mirin which has a high 14% alcohol and is classed as true mirin.The second is shio mirin which has low alcohol less than 1% so as to avoid tax. The third mirin is called Shin Mirin which means new and has the same low alcohol content but the same taste.
Miso
A traditional Japanese seasoning made from fermented soya beans, salt, and koji (a mould) starter. which is often mixed with barley or other grains and rice it is fermented for anything from 3 months to 3 years. Rich in essential minerals and vitamins it is also good for the gut. If you are watching your sodium intake it is high in sodium. It is a natural source of probiotics and if making a miso soup do not boil just heat gently or you will kill the good bacteria. Traditional Japanese miso made from soy is gluten-free other brands made from different grains may not be.
Miso also adds a unique burst of flavor to salad dressings, sauces, and marinades, baked tofu, or vegetable dishes.
Mirepoix
Diced vegetables cooked with butter, oil or other fat very slowly so as not to colour or brown the vegetables unless making a darker sauce but to release the sweetness. You will often see this as a challenge on cookery programmes as it demonstrates good knife skills to and the ability to dice evenly and with a uniform size. There are three sizes of Mirepoix and it is never eaten.
Molasses
To me I know molasses as Black Treacle to my American cousins it is called molasses. A dark, rich treacle which is used in rich fruit cakes, gingerbread or Christmas puddings. it is also used in baked beans. Made from Sugar cane which is mashed to create juice, and then boiled once to create cane syrup. …The good thing about blackstrap molasses is that it’s unlike refined sugar, which has zero nutritional value. Blackstrap molasses contain vital vitamins and minerals, such as iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and selenium.
Morel Mushrooms
With a short growing season and a strong almost nutty flavor, the Morel mushroom is highly prized by chefs around the world. Hard to find and difficult to grow commercially they often foraged for in the wild if foraging for mushrooms always be very, very careful and make sure any mushrooms that you forage are correctly identified before you cook or eat as there are mushrooms called false Morels which are poisonous.
They are part of the same family as the truffle although they couldn’t look more different the Morel has a honeycomb textured cap I think it is quite an attractive mushroom and often used by chefs as more of a garnish. They are also a very good source of minerals and Vitamin D.
Mexican Mole
A traditional Mexican sauce which is also Mexicos National dish …A sauce which is both sweet, spicy and fruity. Made with chorizo sausage, tomatoes, ancho chilies, pineapple, plantain, and dark chocolate. I love chilies and chocolate but haven’t cooked or tasted a mole sauce…Have you?
Mousse.
Can be sweet or savoury…Think a lovely, light chocolate mouse or a nice salmon mousse…Made with cream, eggs, and flavoring it is a wonderful thing… Lemon or raspberry being my favorites. It is also the name of a hair product…In the old French language, it means froth…
A lovely salmon mousse is also very nice on some toasted bread squares…
Ingredients:
• 4 oz smoked salmon
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 lime or lemon juiced
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• salt and pepper to season.
To prepare
- Place smoked salmon in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth.
- Mix in heavy cream, cream cheese, juice of half of a lemon, dried dill weed, salt, and pepper.
- Blend to desired consistency.
- Transfer to a piping bag and pipe some toasted bread squares or crackers and top with salmon pieces or salmon roe alternately put in a medium serving dish, and garnish with salmon roe.
Enjoy!
I do hope you have enjoyed this walk through the letter ‘M’ next time it is the letter ‘N’, and I wonder what that will bring???
About Carol Taylor
Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetables ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use have to improve our health and wellbeing.
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: Amazon US
Connect to Carol
Blog: Carol Cooks 2
Twitter: @CarolCooksTwo
Facebook: Carol Taylor
My thanks to Carol for sharing this series with us as she also works on her cookbook and novel this year…As always we are delighted to receive your feedback and if you could share that would be great.. thanks Sally.
Smorgasbord Blog Magazine 