Wizard Recipes

Bulgur (also bulgar, or burghul) is a godsend for busy cooks. You could call it the perfect ancient fast food-it transforms slow cooking whole wheat into a quick everyday staple.

In a traditional technique used for centuries, bulgur is made by first boiling wheat, and then drying, cracking, and sorting it by size. The outer layers of the bran are removed-still, bulgur retains a considerable amount of fiber, more than quinoa, oats, or corn.

This traditional convenience food is vital to many cuisines of the   former Ottoman Empire, including those of Armenia, Turkey, Greece, Syria, and Iraq. For its versatility and countless preparations, some refer to it as Middle Eastern pasta.

Bulgur has an appealing mild wheat flavor and pleasing texture. One of its best-known uses is in tabouli, the famous Middle Eastern salad, made with lots of parsley, mint, and tomatoes.

It is also added to soups and meatballs, and cooked into nutritious pilafs. Bulgur is most often made from durum wheat, but other kinds of wheat can be used as well. Bulgur is often confused with cracked wheat, which is exactly what the name says: cracked but uncooked wheat.

Here you can find some interesting ideas for cooking bulgur. These recipes are simple and delicious: http://www.wizardrecipes.com/recipes/search_results.htm?q=Bulgur

WHEN YOU SHOP

Bulgur comes in fine, medium, and coarse varieties. All kinds are great for a speedy dinner, as precooked bulgur can be on the table in 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the grain.

Some cooks just reconstitute bulgur by soaking it in cold or hot water for as little as 10 minutes, or up to 1 hour. I prefer the chew of coarse or medium-coarse bulgur, but fine varieties are an interesting starting point. Middle Eastern stores often sell bulgur in packages that label the different grinds with numbers from 1 to 4, fine to coarse. Now, here is the puzzling part:

You might have a batch of bulgur that a company identifies as “fine to medium,” but whose kernels resemble a “coarse” grain to a T. In addition, those two kernels, which look absolutely alike, might cook up differently, in anything between 10 to 25 minutes. What is a cook to do? It’s easy. Just check your grain after 10 minutes or so. If it is still slightly chewy, add a little more water to your pot if needed, and cook it a bit longer. Done!

When it comes to head cabbage, the best of the lot is Savoy, which has tender, crinkly, light green leaves. The elongated, mostly white, and ruffled Napa is also tender and lovely used raw. The smooth-leaf green and red varieties are decent, the red offering distinctive color, but they’re tougher and often more strongly flavored.

If you think you hate cabbage, try it raw or quickly cooked, like in a stir-fry or very lightly poached, before making a final judgment; you will be pleasantly surprised, especially if you’ve always been served overcooked cabbage.

Buying and storing: Look for tightly packed head that are heavy for their size; avoid any with yellowing or  loose leaves. Size is irrelevant in terms of flavor. (But how much will you actually use? Rare is the occasion that you’ll need a 4-pound head.) Cabbage is available year round (it thrives in cold weather), so there’s no reason to buy canned or frozen. Store fresh in the refrigerator; it’ll last for a couple of weeks.

Preparing: Remove the first layer or two of exterior leaves. Then use a thin-bladed knife to remove the core: Cut a cone-shaped section out of the stem end wider than the area of the core and pull it out. To shred the head, cut the cabbage into quarters (or eighths, depending on size) and cut crosswise into thin strips or use a mandoline. Napa cabbage can be cut crosswise whole to shred it.

Best cooking methods: Sautéing, stir-frying, and braising.

When is it done? When crisp-tender to soft but not mushy.

Other vegetables to substitute: Brussels sprouts, collards, bok choy (especially for stir-frying).

Bok Choy and Other Asian Greens

The Cantonese word choy can be translated loosely as “cooking greens,” and there’s a slew of choy to choose from, especially at Asian markets. To keep things simple, only the most common are included here, but don’t let that stop you from trying more; almost all can be prepared and cooked the same way.

Bok choy (also called pak choi or Chinese white cabbage) is sold everywhere now. It grows in large, loose heads with wide, crisp white stalks and flat dark green leaves. Its flavor is mildly cabbagey and fresh, and the stalks take on a marvelous, almost creamy texture once cooked. The miniature jade-green variety-called Shanghai or baby bok choy-is equally delicious and tender, plus it’s cute.

Gai lan (aka Chinese broccoli, kale, or mustard greens) is not often found at supermarkets but is abundant at Asian markets. It’s similar to broccoli raab, with long, narrow stalks, smooth, thick, and green with dark green leaves and small clusters of flower buds. The flavor is a cross between broccoli and mustard greens but milder than either. (Choy sum, aka white flowering cabbage, and yao choy, aka green flowering cabbage, look and cook very much like gai lan.)

Tatsoi (also called spoon cabbage) is often found in various spring or mesclun lettuce mixes and is good both raw and quickly cooked. The leaves are small (about 2 inches across), dark green, and round, with a delicate light green stem-looking rather like a spoon. The flavor is mild with a hint of mustard.

Buying and storing: The leaves and stems should be fresh looking and crisp; avoid any with yellowing leaves.Bok choy’s stems should be unbroken and bright white.Look for unopened flowers on gai lan, choy sum, and yao choy, though a few open buds are okay. Store wrapped loosely in plastic in the refrigerator.

Preparing: Wash and remove any damaged or yellowing leaves.

Bok choy: Cut off the root end and the inch or so above it and slice or chop it as you like. If the stems are thick, separate them from the leaves and start by cooking them for a couple minutes before the leaves. Shanghai bok choy can remain whole.

Gai lan: Trim any dried-out or tough stems and separate the leaves from the stems (the stems take longer to cook).

Tatsoi: Cut the stems from the root end if they are still attached.

Best cooking methods: Steaming and sautéing or stir-frying.

When is it done? When the stems are tender but still crisp (especially for gai lan) and the leaves are wilted.

Other vegetables to substitute: Cabbage, kale, or broccoli can replace any of the Asian greens.

The spicy greens of the mustard and turnip plants are tender, peppery, and really delicious when young but can become strong, bitter, and tough when mature. So, when young they’re great raw; when old you gotta cook ‘em.

Dandelion greens, the leaves of the pretty yellow weed, are loaded with protein, fiber, calcium, potassium (more than any other green), and beta-carotene. They’re used widely in Europe and are becoming increasingly popular here, sold in many supermarkets.

Early spring is the time to pick wild dandelions, from a place where no sprays have been used. Like mustard and turnip greens, these are tender when young, tougher when older.

Buying and storing: For mustard and turnip greens: Look for tender, dark green leaves; avoid those with tough, fibrous stems and any yellowing. For dandelion greens: In the early spring or even fall in some places, look for small (less than 6 inches in length) unwilted green leaves; larger leaves are bitter, which may be fine with you.

The crown-the white part at the base of the leaves-is prized for its tenderness and flavor. If you’re picking your own, the unopened, embryonic flowers are incredibly delicious; you’ll know them when you see them. Store wrapped loosely in plastic in the refrigerator.

Preparing: Wash well; they’re often sandy. Remove the stems if they’re tough. Tear or chop the leaves.

Best cooking methods: Steaming, braising, and sautéing.

When is it done? When wilted and tender.

Other vegetables to substitute:Mustard, turnip, and dandelion greens are almost always interchangeable, as are broccoli raab, kale, collards, and spinach. Beet greens and chard will work as well.

Ginger

Spicy, aromatic, and essential in cuisines all over the world, this gnarled tropical plant is often called a root but is actually a rhizome-an underground stem. Used fresh, dried, ground, candied, and preserved, it’s tan colored

with a papery skin that is usually peeled; the flesh is off-yellow, pungent in flavor and fragrance, and has fibers running the length of it.

Typically, the younger the ginger, the less fibrous, pungent, and spicy (and the more translucent the skin); more mature ginger can be downright hot-it contains a substance related to capsaicin, which makes chiles hot.

Buying and storing: Look for an unwithered, plump piece that is heavy for its size and not too fibrous. Break off a piece from a large branch; if it doesn’t make a clean break, move on to a fresher piece if that’s an option. Store wrapped loosely in plastic in the refrigerator for as long as 2 weeks; use it before it shrivels.

Preparing: Scrape off the papery skin with the blunt side of a knife, the edge of a spoon, or a vegetable peeler or peel it with a paring knife, which is faster if less economical. If the skin is thin enough, you don’t even need to peel it. Grate the ginger, julienne and mince it, or cut it into coins.

Best cooking methods: In stir-fries and other sautés, soups, and braises; raw in salads.

Other vegetables to substitute: Only galangal comes close, but that’s hard to find. Dried ground ginger is useful in many sweet and savory dishes, including gingerbread and curries.

Local, farm-raised food has become a luxury for most of us. Almost everything in the supermarket is grown or  raised for its hardiness, profitability, shelf life, and ability to withstand the rigors of transit, rather than for its flavor and nutritional value.

Most of it comes to us from thousands of miles away, little of it is truly fresh, and it is sold to us not by the individuals who raised it or even selected it but by anonymous corporations. Nevertheless, supermarket food is of reasonably high quality, inexpensive, and almost uniformly safe to eat. (Don’t get me wrong; it should be better, and I hope it soon will be.) With one shopping trip, you can have the makings of many meals on hand at all times, just by maintaining the right mix of staples.

To me, the ingredients that follow are the true convenience foods. Different people like to eat different ways, obviously, but certain items belong in every kitchen all the time and keep nearly indefinitely. To stock your pantry and refrigerator, make sure you have these on hand.

Extra virgin olive oil, and some decent neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn

Vinegar

Soy sauce

Rice, long-grain and short-grain

Pasta

Beans, dried and canned (frozen if you can find them)

Spices and dried herbs

Flours and cornmeal

Canned tomatoes

Canned-or packaged-stock

Aromatic vegetables, like onions, garlic, shallots, celery, and carrots

Baking soda, baking powder, and cornstarch

Dried mushrooms

Eggs

Parmesan cheese

Nuts and seeds

Lemons and limes

Butter

Sugar, honey, and maybe maple syrup

Long-lasting vegetables and fruits, like potatoes, apples, and oranges

Standard condiments like ketchup, mustard, salsa, and mayonnaise

You would not be going overboard to stock capers, miso, dark sesame oil, bread crumbs, fresh scallions, chiles, and ginger, coconut milk, hot sauce, dried fruit, frozen vegetables (definitely better than nothing), parsley (especially) and other fresh herbs, and red and white wine (yes, you can cook without them, but if you drink wine you should cook with it).

Thus stocked, you’ll be able to make scores of different meals, from pancakes to pasta. When you add the fresh ingredients that you’ll likely have in the refrigerator as a result of normal shopping-vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, milk, cheese, and other perishables-you’ll be able to prepare most of the recipes in this book without going out for special ingredients.

Some people become obsessed by ingredients, and this is understandable (but no, you do not need Himalayan salt in your pantry). In general, the better the ingredients you have, the simpler your cooking can be. An omelet made with farm-fresh eggs, a locally raised chicken roasted with wonderful olive oil, sliced tomatoes straight from the garden-these experiences cannot be duplicated with supermarket ingredients.

Of course, if you had perfect ingredients all the time, you would hardly need a cookbook. But the story of cooking is often the story of compromise; you buy the best ingredients you can lay your hands on and combine them in ways that make sense. That’s the thinking behind many of the recipes from our website .

What About Organic?

This is a political question, not a cooking question, and it’s complicated. I can only tell you that I don’t routinely buy organic food, and I rarely go out of my way to buy organic food. It’s not that I’m against it; when I had a large garden, it was mostly organic. But that’s small time, and that’s my point: I would rather buy local vegetables from a conscientious farmer than so-called organic vegetables from a multinational corporation.

But even that is largely impractical: I don’t have the time or energy to seek out local produce on a regular basis; I do most of my shopping at a supermarket, just like almost everyone else in this country. And at supermarkets, organic food doesn’t have much of an advantage over conventional food.For the most part, they’re both industrially produced in faraway places. And I’m not convinced that industrially produced “organic” food is any healthier or more sustainable than industrially produced “conventional” food.

It’s an evolving issue. My quick advice, for what it’s worth, is: . Buy the best food you can find when you can’t find local. Be flexible; there may be times when the best vegetable you can find is not only not local and not organic but might even be frozen.

Wheat and Egg Noodles

Noodles made from wheat flour are the most popular in Chinese cooking. Usually sold in 500 g (1 lb) packets, with each packet consisting of 7-8 small bundles. Allow one bundle per person.

They may be served boiled or shallowfried. Unlike rice or bean thread vermicelli, which are sometimes fried straight from the packet, wheat noodles must be boiled before frying.

The packet instructions invariably tell you to drop the noodles into fastboiling water. Don’t! They must be soaked in warm water first to loosen the strands, otherwise the outside of each bundle will cook but the inner strands will stick together and not cook evenly. This can be done while the pan of water is coming to the boil. If the noodles are loose packed, soaking is not necessary. Neither is it necessary for instant noodles.

Drain the noodles, then drop into lightly salted boiling water with a tablespoon of peanut oil added to prevent boiling over. Depending on the width of the noodles, cook for 2-5 minutes. Test frequently. They should be al dente.

As soon as they are done, run cold water into the pan to stop the cooking. Drain in a colander and run cold water through to rinse away excess starch. Drain thoroughly.

Soft-fried Noodles

Sprinkle the well-drained wheat or egg noodles with 1 tablespoon peanut oil and 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Toss to distribute the oil, spread the noodles on a large baking tray and leave to dry for about 1 hour.

Heat a wok or large frying pan and when very hot add 3 tablespoons peanut oil. When the oil is very hot, coil the noodles into the pan, making a round or oval cake. Reduce the heat to medium and fry, shaking the pan but not stirring, until the base is golden. Turn the noodles over and add a little more oil, drizzling it down the side of the wok so it gets hot before it reaches the noodles. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until golden, then transfer to a serving dish. Serve as a base for any stir-fried or braised dish.

Fresh Wheat Noodles

These soft, fresh noodles need only the briefest dip into boiling water before draining and using in soups or stir-fries. Or they may be steamed over boiling water for 10 minutes.

Some varieties of wheat noodles, like thick yellow Hokkien noodles, need only to have boiling water poured over them in a bowl and be left for 1 minute before draining in a colander. They may then be stir-fried with other ingredients.

Some Asian noodles are practically identical to their European counterparts. Others are radically different in handling, taste, texture, and cooking. A familiarity with Asian noodles will expand your culinary repertoire significantly and happily.

The assortment of Asian noodles now widely available is absolutely thrilling. To the novice, though, it can be overwhelming. To help you make sense of it all, here’s a rundown of the varieties you’re likely to encounter, along with preparation tips and cooking times.

Chinese Egg Noodles

Long, thin, golden noodles made with wheat flour; round or flat, fresh or dried. The fresh noodles cook quickly, in 3 minutes or so, or you can add them to hot soup to cook. Dried take a little longer, about 5 minutes (timing depends on the thickness of the noodle, of course); leave them slightly undercooked if you are adding them to soup or stir-frying them.

Chinese Wheat Noodles

Long and thin and either round or flat; fresh or dried. They are typically white or light yellow and are made of  wheat, water, and salt. Boil the dried noodles for about  5 minutes and the fresh for half that time, roughly. Again, cooking time depends on the thickness of the noodle.

Rice Sticks, Rice Vermicelli

White, translucent rice noodles, most often from Southeast Asia, ranging from angel hair thin (vermicelli) to spaghetti thickness to greater than 1/4 inch. Soak in hot water for 5 to 30 minutes, until softened, then drain and boil or stir-fry for an additional minute or two. (See Pad Thai ) For soups, add them directly to the broth or soak them for 5 to 10 minutes and then drop them into the soup.

Udon

Round, square, or flat wheat noodles from Japan, available in a range of thicknesses and lengths; usually dried but may be fresh. Most typically served in soups and stews, though you can also use them in braised dishes or serve them cold. Boil fresh or dried noodles for a few minutes, until just tender (dried take a bit longer, of course).

Soba

Long, thin, flat Japanese noodles made from a combination of buckwheat and wheat flour, distinctively nutty and light beige to brownish gray (sometimes green tea is added, so they’re green). Most often dried, but you may see fresh. Boil dried noodles for 5 to 7 minutes, fresh for 2 to 4.

Somen

White, round, ultra-thin all-wheat noodles from Japan that cook in just a couple minutes. Best in soups.

Ramen and Saimin

Long, slender, off-white wheat Japanese noodles that appear either crinkled in brick form or as rods; fresh, dried, frozen, or instant. The instant variety is typically deep-fried to remove moisture before being dried and packaged. (Saimin is similar but made with egg.) When fresh, boil ramen for just a couple of minutes; dried takes around 5.

Bean Threads

Mung Bean Threads, Cellophane Noodles, Glass Noodles, Spring Rain Noodles

Long, slender, translucent noodles made from mung bean starch, usually sold in 2-ounce bundles. To prepare, soak the noodles in hot or boiling water until tender, 5 to 15 minutes; use kitchen scissors to cut them into manageable pieces if necessary. (If you’re adding them to soup or deep-frying them, don’t bother to soak.) You can also cook the noodles by boiling them for a couple minutes.

Tofu Noodles

These are narrow, flat, beige noodles, made from pressed tofu and fabulous in salads and stir-fries. They are available fresh, frozen, and dried. To use the fresh noodles, simply rinse and pat dry; defrost frozen noodles in the fridge, then treat as fresh. Soak dried noodles in warm water for about 15 minutes, then rinse and drain.

Broccoli, which began life in the Mediterranean as a descendant of a type of wild cabbage that produced more tight buds than full leaves, was cultivated in the South as early as 1720. About forty-five years later, in what is believed to be the earliest American book on kitchen gardening, A Treatise on Gardening by a Citizen of Virginia, Williamsburg resident John Randolph wrote that broccoli stems will eat like asparagus and the heads like cauliflower.

After the Civil War, broccoli nearly disappeared from southern gardens until it was reintroduced in the early twentieth century.

Although a few folks might wish that it had stayed away, broccoli has turned into one of the most popular and reliable fresh vegetables around, especially when creative cooks go beyond basic steaming. Broccoli can be stir-fried, roasted, swirled into soups, tucked into comforting casseroles, and bathed in creamy cheese sauce.

A longtime regular in Italian cuisine, broccoli was barely known in the United States until the 1920s. Now, of course, it’s available year-round at every supermarket (there’s no reason to buy frozen), and with good reason:

It’s easy to grow and ship, inexpensive and flavorful, a snap to cook, delicious, and nutritious. It also can be prepared in a variety of ways, which makes it a great standby vegetable to keep in the fridge. Serve it raw, lightly cooked, or completely cooked.

The related broccoli raab is one terrific vegetable: strong, bitter, unusually delicious, and easy to prepare and cook. It has elongated stems with small flower heads surrounded by variously sized spiky leaves.

Buying and storing: For broccoli, look for tightly packed florets with no yellowing, on top of a crisp stem. For broccoli raab, look for bright green color, crisp stems, and unwilted leaves. Avoid those with more than a few tiny yellow flowers blooming; they’ll be too bitter. Store wrapped loosely in plastic in the refrigerator; broccoli will keep for several days, but use broccoli raab as soon as possible.

Preparing: For broccoli: Strip the stalk of leaves, if any (these are perfectly edible; cook along with the tops if you like). Cut off the dried-out end of the stalk and use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel the tough outer skin as best you can without going crazy. (To peel with a paring knife, hold the broccoli upside down; grasp a bit of the skin right at the bottom between the paring knife and your thumb. Pull down to remove a strip of the skin.) Cut the stalk into equal-length pieces and break the head into florets.

For broccoli raab: Trim the dry ends of the stems and pull off any yellowing or wilted leaves. Parboil and shock to preserve the green color or for quicker final cooking.

Best cooking methods: Steaming, microwaving, boiling, braising, braising and glazing, sautéing, and stirfrying are all good. For broccoli, regardless of the method, it often makes sense to cook the stalks longer than the florets; just start them a minute or two earlier.

When is it done? For broccoli: It’s a matter of taste. When bright green, it’s still crisp and quite chewy, and some people like it that way. Cook it another couple of minutes and it becomes tender; overcook it and it becomes mushy and begins to fall apart. Try cooking until a skewer or thin-bladed knife can easily pierce the stalk.

For broccoli raab: It’s done when you can insert a skewer or thin-bladed knife into the thickest part of the stalk. Undercooked broccoli raab is too crisp; overcooked broccoli raab is mushy.

Other vegetables to substitute: Broccoli and cauliflower are almost always interchangeable; or use broccoflower, Romanesco, or broccoli raab in place of broccoli. For broccoli raab: broccoli, asparagus, gai lan, or turnip or mustard greens.

With just a little effort, a bowl, and some ice, you can guarantee that many vegetables will be perfectly done and beautifully colored. The technique is called shocking, because after a brief boil (often called parboiling), you “shock” the vegetables by immediately plunging them into a bath of ice water. The idea is to cook the vegetables just enough to tenderize them, then rapidly stop the cooking process.

Shocking works brilliantly for most green vegetables, like asparagus and green beans, and also for carrots, cauliflower, turnips, and many others. And it’s a fine method when you’re cooking vegetables for a crowd, leaving only a quick warming in butter or oil for the last minute (see Precooked Vegetables in Butter or Oil ).

It’s also the best way to prepare multiple vegetables of differing cooking times for stir-fries, salads, or other dishes where some lingering crispness is desirable. And shocking cooked greens-spinach, kale, escarole, and the like-gives you both vivid color and the opportunity to squeeze out extra moisture.

Here’s what to do: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it well. Set up a large bowl of water with lots of ice cubes. Drop the vegetable into the boiling water. After about 30 seconds (shorter for spinach, longer for most other things; of course the size of your pieces will affect matters greatly), start testing-you can poke with a thin bladed knife, or taste; you’re looking for the vegetable to be just about tender, but not quite.

When that happens, immediately fish the vegetables out with a large strainer, tongs, or a slotted spoon and put them in the bowl of ice water for a minute or two. When they’ve cooled down, remove from the ice bath and drain in a colander. (You can shock small amounts of boiled vegetables under or in a bowl of cold tap water, which will slow but not dramatically halt cooking. This works best, of course, if your tap water is really cold, which is not always the case.)

Squeeze drained greens tightly to remove as much water as possible, then chop, slice, or cook according to the recipe. Work in batches if you’re shocking more than one type of vegetable, simply moving them through the process until you’re done; there’s no need to change the water. (If you are doing a lot of vegetables, the cooking water effectively becomes vegetable stock.)

You can store shocked and drained vegetables-covered tightly and refrigerated-for a day or two before proceeding. Or use them immediately.

Sea greens are flavorful, nicely textured, diverse, and incredibly nutritious; they’re almost always sold dry, which makes them ultra-convenient as well. For the most part, they’re wild, which makes them organic. The supply is huge, and they’re not expensive.

None of this explains their lack of popularity-a lack of tradition and the word weed is to blame for most of that-which I’m trying to do my part to rectify.

Buying and storing: The best selection is at Asian markets, natural food stores, and on-line (For your own online foraging, try these two food shopping directories: google.com/Top/Shopping/Food/ and dmoz.org/Shopping/Food/  and for  fresh produce and other perishables Melissa’s (also offers soy, tofu, and more) melissas.com).

Store in a cool, dry spot, where it will keep indefinitely. Fresh sea beans should be crisp, bright green, and smell like the ocean. Store in the refrigerator and use as quickly as possible.

Preparing

Arame, hijiki, kombu, wakame, and alaria: Use a damp paper towel to wipe kombu, but don’t rinse. For all of these, soak in warm water until tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. (Save the water for another use.) Chop or slice as you like.

Dulse: Use straight out of the package or just give it a rinse in cold water.

Nori: Requires no soaking; cut it with scissors as needed. It’s often toasted before use .

Sea beans: Rinse and chop only if necessary.

Best cooking methods

Arame, hijiki, alaria, and wakame: Boiling and sautéing or stir-frying with other ingredients.

Dulse: Quickly sautéing or stir-frying.

Kombu: Boiling and braising.

Sea beans: 30 seconds in boiling water, a quick stirfry, or in a frittata; but they’re just as good raw.

When is it done? When tender.

Other vegetables to substitute:Most sea greens, with the exception of sea beans and kombu, are interchangeable. Substitute French-cut green beans  for sea beans.

The Sea Green Lexicon

Below is a primer of the various types of sea greens you’re likely to find at some supermarkets, natural food stores, and, of course, Asian markets.

Arame and Hijiki

Different varieties but similar in look and use; both are slender, almost hairy strands. Arame is finer, milder, and lighter in color, hijiki is black, briny, and expands massively when rehydrated. Use in salads, soups, and stews or add to sautés or stir-fries.

Dulse

Dark red, crumpled-looking, and relatively soft. It can be eaten straight out of the package or added to salads, sandwiches, or soups.

Kombu -Kelp

A main ingredient in Dashi , kelp contains a substance similar to MSG that enhances flavors. Best cooked with slow-simmered foods like beans, grains, soups, and stews. Sold in large, thick, hard, dark green pieces. Occasionally sold fresh on the West Coast.

Nori -Laver

The familiar thin, shiny sheets that are used to wrap sushi. Deep greenish purple, almost black, brittle when dry, and chewy when moistened. Nori dissolves in liquid and has a mild, nutty flavor; it’s excellent toasted (see Nori Chips).

Sea Beans -Samphire, Glasswort

These small, delicate, thin green branches with nubby ends are lovely in salads and egg dishes or used as a garnish.

They can also be poached for about 30 seconds, which enhances their flavor slightly. That flavor is as fresh and “sealike” as you can imagine, and the texture is crisp and delightful. If you see it fresh, buy it; when sold pickled, in jars, it’s less exciting.

Wakame and Alaria

Used interchangeably; the former is harvested in Japan, the latter in North America. Both are dark green when dried and nearly transparent; they turn emerald green when rehydrated. Their flavor is mild, and they’re nice in soups and stews or with grains or added to salads

There are fresh onions with long green stems (”spring”  onions); and scallions (often called green onions) are obviously fresh as well. But most onions are dried before sale and may be white, yellow, or red; pungent, mild, or sweet-the variety is astonishing.

The onion is the bulb of a plant related to the lily, so the fact that it and other alliums (even garlic) are quite attractive in bloom is not surprising. Dry onions are essentially interchangeable, though red and white onions are milder, and I’ve come to believe  that white onions are really the best for all-purpose use, though it’s not a position I could defend readily.

Sweet onions, including Maui, Vidalia, and Walla Walla, have a less pungent flavor, are juicy and sweet, and usually have a flatter spherical shape than other dry onions. They are the best onions for eating raw, though they’re fine for cooking too.

On the smaller side are pearl (or boiling) and cipollini onions. Pearl onions are about the diameter of a quarter and are ideal for boiling, braising, and stewing; their small size allows them to cook through whole. Cipolline can be used the same way as pearl onions, and their completely flattened shape adds an interesting look to any dish.

Scallions and small bulb onions with green stems attached are “fresh” or “spring” onions; they are generally milder in flavor and softer in texture. Scallions in particular are often used raw as a flavorful oniony garnish for salads, soups, dips, and other dishes. Their small size makes them extremely valuable as a garnish.

Buying and storing: Fresh onions should have vibrant green, fresh-looking, crisp stems and unblemished white bulbs. Dry onions should be firm and covered tightly in at least one layer of shiny, tan to yellow or deep red skin (the outer skin of white onions is more papery).

A strong onion aroma is an indication of damaged or rotting onions and should be avoided; also avoid sprouting onions. Store fresh onions in the refrigerator and dry onions in a cool, dark, airy spot or in the refrigerator, for weeks.

Preparing: If you have a lot of onions to peel, drop them into boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then rinse in cold water. Slice off the stem end and the skins will slip off easily. For just a couple of onions, cut a thin slice off the stem end, then make a small shallow cut, just through the skin and top layer of flesh; peel off both together. Then slice or chop as needed.

If you’re peeling and chopping a lot of onions, you might consider wearing goggles; but a properly sharpened knife also mitigates the amount of tear-inducing chemical released into the air. (This substance, called lachrymator, combines with the moisture in your eyes to form a weak solution of sulfuric acid. No wonder it burns!)

Leave the root end on onions you will cook whole; they’ll stay together better.

Best cooking methods: Caramelizing, roasting, and grilling.

When is it done? When very tender but not quite falling apart.

Other vegetables to substitute: Shallots or leeks.

Leeks

The leek looks like an enormous scallion, which it kind of is-like scallions, it’s a member of the allium genus, along with onions and garlic. Mild and sweet, silky when cooked, leeks have only one downside: their cost.

If you’re paying by the pound, make sure there is plenty of white on the stalk; you’ll trim off most of the green.

Buying and storing: Generally, the smaller the leek, the more tender; but big, plump leeks are wonderful too. Avoid those that are slimy, dried out, browning, or mostly green. Store loosely wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator; they will keep for weeks.

Preparing: Wash well; leeks usually contain sand between layers. The traditional process: Trim off the root end and any hard green leaves. Make a long vertical slit through the center of the leek, starting about 1 inch from the root end and cutting all the way to the green end (leaving the root end intact helps keep the leek from falling into pieces when you wash it.)

Wash well, being sure to get the sand out from between the layers. The easy way, which works only if you don’t want the leeks whole: Trim, chop, and wash in a salad spinner, as you would greens.

Best cooking methods: Sautéing, braising, roasting, and grilling.

When is it done? When soft-almost melting.

Other vegetables to substitute: Onions, shallots, or scallions.

Shallots

A member of the allium family (which contains not only onions and garlic but also lilies), shallots have a mild but complex flavor, making them the queen of the category. They come in individual cloves, not unlike garlic but bigger, with the flesh and flavor of a mild onion. They have a tan, papery dried outer skin that tightly covers each clove, and the inside flesh is semitranslucent white with a tinge of purple or green.

Buying and storing: Shallots should be firm and have a pretty, shiny tan outer skin. Their shape is distinctive; usually two cloves held together at the root end to make an oval shape with tapered ends. Don’t be fooled by small, round, tan-skinned onions often labeled as shallots. Store in a cool, dry place or in the refrigerator for weeks.

Preparing: Break the cloves apart and remove the dry skins; trim the stem end and slice or chop as you would an onion.

Best cooking methods: Sautéing and roasting.

When is it done? When tender and translucent.

Other vegetables to substitute: Scallions are closest; onions (especially red or white) and leeks are also good.