Smorgasbord May 2022

by RogerMay 16, 2022

On today’s smorgasbord episode we talk about flavored oils, review Elizabeth Williams’ great new book “Nana’s Creole Italian Table,” and take a look at a favorite cut of beef for grilling, the tri-tip roast.

Mentioned in this Episode

I was a guest on the Cooking and Convos podcast with Susie Miles. We had a great conversation about so many things home cooking and podcasting. Give it a listen!

Flavored oils are a great way to add a dimension of flavor and color to your cooking. Your imagination is the only limit as to what flavors to pair with oils, but here are some recipes to get you started:

Michael Chiarello has a couple of great oil recipes; one is cinnamon oil, the other is basil oil (one of my favorites). Here is an extremely in-depth article on making chili oil from The Woks of Life. You can find Ming Tsai’s Curry Ginger oil recipe near the bottom of this article. Bon Appetit has some ideas in this helpful article for flavor combos.

Remember there are some food safety issues when flavoring oil with fresh ingredients like garlic or herbs. The University of Idaho Extension Office has a publication on the proper way to acidify fresh ingredients for longer storage.

Nana’s Creole Italian Table: Recipes and Stories from Sicilian New Orleans

Liz Williams’ great new book is a beautiful compendium of family history and recipes from the Sicilian American community who immigrated to New Orleans a century ago. I love the mix of both expected Sicilian and Creole cuisine. You can find solid creole recipes for jambalaya or red beans and rice, and Sicilian staples like arancini (rice balls) or pasta alla norma (pasta with sauteed eggplant and tomatoes), but you can find interesting examples of what you could say are fusion of the two (or more) cuisines, like Creole Sicilian Shakshuka, or Sicilian Barbeque Shrimp. You can find a copy on Amazon, or contact your local independent bookseller.

The cover image for Nana's Creole Italian Table showing a pot of simmering tomato sauce.

Tri Tip Roast

One of my favorite cuts of beef for grilling (or even roasting in the oven) is the tri rip roast. Sometimes called the Bottom Sirloin Roast, Santa Maria Roast, or Triangle Roast, this cut brings big beefy flavor with a relatively short cooking time. Here are a few ideas for cooking one up, and some more from Simply Recipes.