ciao ! tastes
BRING THE HEAT
Photography : Courtesy Brazen Hall , Gaijin Izakaya
UNMEAN YOUR GREENS
BITTER GREENS , sometimes misunderstood and mishandled , play an essential role in unlocking bold flavours in salads , soups and stews . When tempered with rich elements like cheese and oil , brightened by acid or mollified by salt , pungent , leafy greens add a delightful bite to any dish .
Brazen Hall ’ s colourful beet salad ( pictured above ) is a knockout . Mellow beet and tart green apple cushion a strident arugula mix while the greens ’ bitterness , in turn , balances the salad ’ s earthy sweetness . A handful of crunchy wasabi peas bestow tingles of heat , emphasizing the arugula ’ s peppery tones .
Quesadillas are simple , satisfying and , when made well , packed with nuanced flavour . BMC Market ’ s rajas quesadilla excels here . Strips of green poblano peppers and chopped mushrooms are nestled in gooey mozzarella and folded in a housemade corn tortilla . Peppers are sautéed , curbing their bitterness to reveal an earthiness that counters the cheesy richness .
SPICING UP VEGGIES is a sure-fire way to enliven a dish . A little heat can play up a sweet dressing or sauce , the kick from a bitter green is made more pronounced when sizzling with chili peppers and spicy-sour combinations — think kimchi : spiced , fermented cabbage — generate powerful flavour .
Khinkali , or Georgian dumplings , are handheld bundles of dough stuffed with a piping hot mixture of bitter Swiss chard , earthy mushrooms , sweet onions and pungent garlic . Saperavi ’ s take sees vegetables seasoned abundantly with chili pepper and dough flecked with dill and fenugreek ( pictured left ), resulting in fragrant and satisfying spicy mouthfuls . It ’ s a special delight to bite into a familiar green like kale and discover the expected hit of bitter is full of heat . Gaijin Izakaya ’ s tuna goma ae poke bowl ( pictured below ) layers leafy greens between a bed of black sesame-laced rice and a medley of colourful vegetables and crunchy noodles . Flavourful and fresh , it ’ s the chiles in the sesame dressing that give this bodacious bowl of kale a new identity .
ciao ! / may / jun / two thousand twenty-one 23