Mom Cooking Tip 97

Remove bones from salmon or other fish using needle-nose pliers. Sometimes fingers just won’t do it.  Bones come out more easily when the fish is at least partly cooked.

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Chickpeas: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Dried Chickpeas

I first heard the word “chickpeas” when I asked somebody what hummus was?  Growing up in a small town in Western Pennsylvania, I didn’t encounter a wide variety of Middle Eastern food until I moved to Manhattan and had dinner at Cedars of Lebanon.  That restaurant is now closed, but I’ve never forgotten the sampler plate I ordered.

Mom Money-Saving Tip 77

Leek and Potato Soup

Serve soup at the start of a meal, and you will need less of the main dish.

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Can I Leave This Ingredient Out?

Mushroom, Onion and Pepperoni Pizza

Occasionally an hour before dinnertime I get cooking question calls from family members and friends.  Often it involves a missing ingredient, and the question goes something like this: “I’m in the middle of making pizza dough and just realized the recipe calls for 1/2 cup cornmeal.  Do I need to stop what I’m doing and rush to the store to get some?”

Mom Cooking Tip 96

(Left) Cilantro        (Right) Parsley

If the recipe calls for parsley or cilantro, make every effort to use the fresh versions.  And if possible, add them just before serving.  These two particular herbs lose most of their taste when dried.

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Fingerling Potatoes: What Are They and How Do I Cook Them?

Fingerling potatoes are what I like to call “designer potatoes.”  They’re cute, have a certain style to them and are available in gold, red and dark purple.  Because of their size—think of chubby fingers—they cook quickly.  Boil them for about 10-12 minutes, or until easily pierced with a knife.  Or drizzle them with oil and roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-5 minutes.  Don’t bother peeling them because their varied colors add to the final presentation.

Not all grocery stores sell fingerlings, and when they do they’re likely to be prepacked in 1-to-2-pound bags.

Mom Cooking Tip 95

(Left) Smooth, Shiny Skin  (Right) Thick, Bumpy Skin

If you juice oranges, choose oranges with smooth, shiny skins.  These oranges tend to have more juice than ones with thick, bumpy skins.

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