Читать книгу Frankie Dettori’s Italian Family Cookbook - Frankie Dettori - Страница 7

When cooking I don’t always season with salt, especially when it comes to meat; I like to season using chicken stock cubes (Knorr is my preference). I add a pinch or two when cooking vegetable soups and all meat sauces and gravies. Firstly, this is more forgiving than salt and, secondly, when finishing sauces you don’t have reduce them as much to reach their desired flavour. This makes the finished product lighter rather than over-reduced and over-strong in natural salt.

When cooking vegetables, a crumbled cube in the water vastly improves their flavour. Another great use is when roasting a chicken: create a light paste using chicken stock cubes and some olive oil, then spread this over the breast of the chicken and inside the cavity walls of the bird, rather than seasoning with lots of salt.

Too many chefs turn their noses up at certain products, but when you think about it a burger is not a burger without ketchup; an English breakfast is not a breakfast without HP sauce; fish and chips are not the same without malt vinegar; and that great British institution the ham sandwich is not a proper ham sandwich without English mustard.

Let’s not forget that good food is all about flavour, so never be afraid to cook with these products. Many acclaimed restaurants have these ingredients and more in their dry goods stores and chefs use them freely and without compunction.

Good eating.

Marco Pierre White