Oops! Seasoning

My fault.

I reviewed last night's post in the clear, bracing, cold, light of today's Polar Vortex morning and found that I had left out some key steps in the recipe.  You gotta season the food.

This should be the guideline.  Any time you are adding another ingredient, you must season it.  I see far too many recipes that say something like "adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper before serving" tagged on the tail end.  That can cause a big problem for a cook, because you are being told to add all the seasoning at one time.  You can easily make a mistake.  Under seasoning can be fixed.  Too much salt or pepper is a disaster.

So, for example, yesterday I put a recipe for pork and red cabbage out there.  I said to season the roast before searing.  Good.  I also should have said that salt and pepper must be added, in small quantities, when you begin to sauté the onions, apples, cabbage and when the roast goes into the vegetables.  You should be constantly seasoning and tasting throughout the whole process.  This way, the flavor is built up over time, only needing a small adjustment, or nothing, before going to the table.  And you are less likely to over season.

Keep a little ramekin of salt next to your stove.  Never use a shaker in you kitchen.  The tops do come off, pouring a ton of salt in that stew you have been working on for hours.  Most professionals use kosher salt as the standard kitchen salt.  It feels good between your fingers and has a clean flavor.  For some dishes, like roasted lamb, sea salt brings out the richness of the meat in a better way.  There is a trend where chefs are using exotic salts, black, Himalayan red, etc.  If you want to do this, use kosher for the main seasoning while cooking.  Do the final seasoning with the more delicately flavored salt as the food is leaving the kitchen.  I never got herb salt.  If I want thyme in my food, I put it in, rather than flavoring a salt with it.  Forget iodized salt with it's brittle flavor.

Fresh ground black pepper is essential.  The same with white pepper.  I keep grinders right by my cutting board and use them constantly, adjusting the grind for specific purposes.  Whole peppercorns retain their flavor.  Indian markets are a good source for fresh, whole peppercorns.  The flavor of pre-ground pepper is essentially flat, having lost it's punch during shipping and storage.  There is a big difference.  This isn't a place to cut corners.

Sorry for problems with yesterday's recipe.  No more late night posts.  I'm still learning how to write up what I do unconsciously, as muscle memory and I'll take more time in the future, making sure that everything is clear before it gets to you.