Non traditional ingredients you like to add to traditional dishes

[bakechef]

Brace yourselves:

Always put a dollop of mayonnaise - a big dollop - in mashed potatoes; in mac and cheese, a pinch of curry powder.

Mayo makes mashed potatoes very creamy and add nice flavor, I've used mayo many times. I put some in the custard base for quiche too!

 

[Claire]

I'm an equal opportunity food person. I like it all. I was looking at a bag of green chili powder my cousin-in-law sent me a year ago. I haven't made Joanne's green chili stew in a year or two. Hubby said it would make a good St Patrick's Day meal. Hmmmm..... All I know is that I didn't even get a bowl of the Cincinnati! It dissappeared!

 

[taxlady]

I like to add one or two long strips of lemon zest to my spaghetti sauce. I pull them out before serving. I only use organic lemon zest, 'cause in parts of North America that don't grow lemons, the peels are usually dyed with carcinogenic dye that isn't allowed in foods.

 

[buckytom]

that sounds good. fresh or pickled, whisk?

i like to add fennel (bulb) to things that call for onion and celery, reducing the amounts of the latter to accomodate.

also, i find shiitake mushrooms and brasil mushrooms go well in lots of things where an earthy umami fits in. stews, roasts, gravies and such.

 

[justplainbill]

I like to add one or two long strips of lemon zest to my spaghetti sauce. I pull them out before serving. I only use organic lemon zest, 'cause in parts of North America that don't grow lemons, the peels are usually dyed with carcinogenic dye that isn't allowed in foods.

Coriander seeds have a lemony citrus flavor

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

Christmas 1973 I was married to a christian so we did the full hit, my mother in law was trained to cook in Devils Island and my father in law was a senior Cop in Liverpool. I put 'erb in the christmas pud and cake

 

[Timothy]

I put Miracle Whip in my chili. It adds a great creaminess to it and takes some of the bite from the seasonings off.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

that sounds good. fresh or pickled, whisk?

Fresh ones. from the grocer's or my garden in the summer.

 

[CWS4322]

I always put a tea ball with pickling spice in when I make turkey or chicken soup (and grated fennel).

 

[Timothy]

I always put a tea ball with pickling spice in when I make turkey or chicken soup (and grated fennel).

That's a great idea, CWS! I used to have one of those around here somewhere...<looking in pockets; nope>

 

[CWS4322]

That's a great idea, CWS! I used to have one of those around here somewhere...<looking in pockets; nope>

I've used gauze squares (tied with a rubber band) when I couldn't find the other half of the tea ball.

 

[DebLynn]

Instead of adding a little sugar to my spaghetti sauce (I like a sweet sauce), I add some ketchup.

I use shredded cabbage on tacos instead of lettuce.

I put diced hard boiled eggs in my tuna salad.

And some pickle relish in my beef chili- its mostly beef, very little sauce.

 

[DebLynn]

I like this thread. Good ideas here! I'm stealing the mayonnaise in the mashed potatoes one!

 

[Zhizara]

I add a little brown sugar, allspice, ground ginger, and ground cloves to chili. I settled on this combination when I was searching for that something extra to make a good chili into a great chili. I googled and read chili recipes until I found this, tried it and loved the results. The only time it wasn't quite up to par, I had added a little too much brown sugar. Still really good, but now I know to only put about a tablespoon in it.

 

[Siegal]

I add curry powder and tumeric to beef stew type dishes.

 

[dcgator]

A pinch of wild fennel pollen to the salad.

Turkish oregano on the bolognese

Alchermes in pan DI spagna

 

[Jolokia]

My super bowl chili has always been a hit. I make it with 2 parts ground turkey and 1 part ground lamb (I don't eat beef). But the secret ingredient everyone ends up loving is the pineapple chunks. I add half along with the onions/garlic/ginger at the very beginning so they get all browned and some dissolve during the rest of cooking and then the other half when adding in my wet ingredients so you can still get nice bites of them in your spoonful.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

My super bowl chili has always been a hit. I make it with 2 parts ground turkey and 1 part ground lamb (I don't eat beef). But the secret ingredient everyone ends up loving is the pineapple chunks. I add half along with the onions/garlic/ginger at the very beginning so they get all browned and some dissolve during the rest of cooking and then the other half when adding in my wet ingredients so you can still get nice bites of them in your spoonful.

That sounds really good! I hope I remember your idea.