A few words of explanation for some of the ingredients and directions in this website:
Olive oil is “extra virgin.”
When fresh tomatoes are called for, we usually use Italian plum because store bought tomatoes have no flavor except in the late summer.
Pepper is freshly ground.
Salt is kosher except in baking recipes. If you wish to use regular table salt in these recipes, you will need to reduce the amount by one-quarter to make up for the space taken up by the larger kosher grains. We tend to use salt sparingly, so your taste may require an adjustment.
Unless othenvise indicated, the spices and their measurements are for dried. If you substitute fresh, be sure to use two to three times the amount listed since fresh spices contain a lot of moisture. In some long simmering or roasted dishes, fresh spices can get bitter if cooked too long, so it is best to use them near the end of the cooking process.
The butter is always unsalted.
We also found a few techniques that, to us, make a big difference in the final outcome. Listed below are a couple of these:
Brining: We find that chicken and pork are juicer and shrimp are finner when brined. If you use kosher chicken, it does not need to be brined as that is part of the koshering process.
For chicken and pork: in a one-gallon storage bag or bowl, dissolve one-half cup kosher salt and one-quarter cup sugar in one gallon of water. Place chicken or pork in the brine and refrigerate for one hour; any longer and they will be too salty. Rinse, pat thy and then cook by the recipe method.
For shrimp, mix one-quarter cup salt in two quarts of water and brine the shrimp for one-half hour in the refrigerator. Rinse and pat city.
Chicken: While more expensive, we much prefer the taste and texture of kosher or free range chickens. The meat is firm and does not have that “chickeny” taste. Try one and see if you like the difference.