Flavour of the month

  It has been a long day already and there's still a birthday celebration that needs to be attended, but it's hard to complain as all that has happened so far today is a string of cooking, drinking and eating activities with more drinking to follow. Fortunately, this little lull is all I need to write to you with, at long last, the observation about  ingredients that got alluded to ages ago. Well, at the beginning of the week at least. Have a look at this lot first.

  What you see, from left to right, is soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, fresh ginger juice, feta and parsley. Honey, mustard, sugar. Toasted pine nuts, toasted almonds, garlic and anchovies. A lot of caramelisation. More caramelisation with yoghurt and lemon and finally salt, lemon juice and mirin with toasted sesame seeds. Not seeing it? Look again.

  What is listed for you are the flavours you taste, not the ingredient you'll eat the most of. Like I was trying to point out earlier this week, a lot of what we eat is pretty bland and is only made interesting by the unsung heroes of your kitchen, usually found lurking at the back of your cupboards or tucked in some dark corner of your fridge feeling pretty neglected. It's time to give them credit where it's due.

  But what's that delicious looking thing, you ask? It's just a tiny glimpse of the dessert that rounded off lunch. No doubt you recognise what is fast becoming a staple in my repertoire, a summer pudding. The already full guests managed to find space for a slice or two (and in some cases three), which was high praise indeed.  But I digress.

  Revisit your homework assignment and really think about what you're eating versus what you're tasting. The bulk of the ingredients in the first picture was bulk, not flavour and the magic came from the alchemy of the chorus line and backing vocals, the unsung talent in the show. Ok, time's up. It's time to get my glad rags on and head out. See you tomorrow.

Kirk out

RevoltingFood.com