Photo for The Washington Post by Tom McCorkle
The Washington Post Food staff and cookbook author Cathy Barrow recently answered questions about all things edible. Here are edited excerpts from that chat.
Q: I have a gas grill and for the first time used a smoking box with soaked mesquite to cook chicken. I basically grilled them, but the smoker added taste. Tried this again with salmon and while the grill seemed smoky, nothing much happened to the salmon, just tasted grilled. Advice?
A: Smoke "sticks" to a dry, tacky surface called the pellicle. Salmon has a lot of water content. To make the smoke flavor stick to the salmon, try a light cure - 12 hours with equal parts salt and sugar. Scrape the cure away from the salmon flesh, and place it on a rack in the refrigerator for another 12 hours. The smoke will infuse the salmon after this treatment. (Sometimes I brush a glaze of soy sauce and sugar on the salmon before and after smoking.)
- Cathy Barrow
Q: My husband accidentally bought the wrong thing and now we have a huge bunch of parsley in the fridge. I'm looking to make a sauce, but not buy any other ingredients. I was thinking chimichurri, but it looks like I may need oregano? I have all the pantry basics on hand - garlic, oils, spices, etc. Any fun sauces I can whip up?
A: Traditional chimichurri is indeed made with oregano, but you can always leave the oregano out and make your own version. Parsley-butter sauce is also terrific on corn on the cob, and it makes it look a little dressed up. You could also try a traditional English parsley sauce, which is roux-based and creamy; it can be an acquired taste, but it sounds like you have enough to experiment.
- Mary Beth Albright
A: If you have tahini, blend up with a garlic, salt and a ton of parsley - delicious!
- Kari Sonde
Q: I planned to whip up a batch of homemade mayonnaise, but messed up and it didn't emulsify properly. Now I have a nice thick mixture of good-quality olive oil, egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and mustard. Any thoughts on how to use this? Would this work as a salad dressing base?
A: That sounds like a good save to me. It could make a tasty dressing for a noodle salad, a creamy cole saw or maybe over asparagus.
- Ann Maloney
A: Whisk in 2 tablespoons of hot water. It will set the eggs and help the mayonnaise come together.
- C.B.
A: You can also use when making a grilled cheese sandwich! Instead of using butter, spread that mixture on the outside and fry.
- K.S.
A: I second what Kari says. Mayo makes a good spread for the exterior of your grilled cheese sandwich. It browns beautifully. Plus, you don't have to warm up the butter so its spreads easier on the bread.
- Tim Carman
