Waste not, want not. It’s a basic tenet for sourcing, cooking, and eating sustainably. Here, the edible MAINE staff serves up ways to use up any special ingredient the recipes in this issue may have brought into your kitchen.
ANGELICA ROOT
This plant can be eaten from root to seed. All its parts have an earthy, slightly sweet, slightly bitter taste that carries a hint of licorice. The flavor is more prominent in the stalk and roots. Steep in water for tea or in simple syrup to flavor the syrup for use in mocktails.
DARK SOY SAUCE
Dark soy sauce is thicker and sweeter (even though it has 15 percent more sodium) than regular soy sauce. It’s used to darken the color of sauces, fried rice, and noodle dishes. To make a passable substitute, mix equal parts molasses and regular soy sauce, and add a pinch of sugar.
GENTIAN ROOT AND WORMWOOD
Both bitter plants are used in alternative medicine for digestive ailments and inflammation. Neither is used much culinarily outside of cooking up DIY bitters.
BITTERS
Fill a pint jar ⅓ full of gentian root or wormwood. Pour 80-proof vodka over the herb, filling the jar to its neck. Cover the jar and place it in a cool, dark location for a month, tipping it on its head every few days. Strain before using.
PEA TENDRILS
A pea plant’s curlicue tendrils help it climb. Also called pea shoots, they have a grassy aroma and the sweet flavor of fresh peas. They are best raw when young and tender. As they age, they get fibrous and need some time in a pan.
SAUTÉED PEA TENDRILS
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and 2 smashed garlic cloves in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. When the garlic just turns golden brown, remove it from the pan. Add a large handful of pea tendrils. Sauté until slightly wilted, 1–2 minutes. Season with salt and lemon juice.
PURPLE DAIKON RADISH
Prettier than their pure white cousins, these tubers have a similar mildly spicy flavor.
PURPLE DAIKON CHIPS
Use a mandoline to slice a radish paper thin. Toss slices lightly in olive oil and place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 375°. Flip them after 5 minutes and continue to bake until they’re crispy and golden, 5–6 minutes more.
RICOTTA SALADA CHEESE
Spongy and smooth, this is a rindless cheese made from lightly salted, pressed and aged sheep’s milk curd. Crumble it over sliced tomatoes or use it like Cotija cheese in tacos.
UNSEASONED RICE VINEGAR
Seasoned rice vinegar is used in salad dressings and sushi rice since it has a sweet flavor. Unseasoned rice vinegar is straight acid. Use it like you would distilled white vinegar to cut heavy mayonnaise-based dressings.
