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Cabanossi
A salami-type sausage popular in Southern Europe
Cannellini Bean
A variety of kidney bean, the cannellini bean is fairly large and cream-colored with a meaty flavor and mealy texture. Used in many Italian recipes, including salads and pastas, cannellini beans are most well known in minestrone soup. To prepare dried beans, soak overnight, bring to a boil and simmer 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Store dried beans in an airtight container for up to 1 year. Cooked cannellini are available canned.
Cajeta
A thick syrup made from caramelized sugar and milk-usually goat's milk. In Mexico, it commonly accompanies desserts.
Canelle
A grooving knife used to cut decorative channels (canals) on citrus, mushrooms and cucumbers.
Capicollo
A seasoned ham-like cured meat made from pork neck. Coppa is Italian for the unseasoned cured mea, and collo means neck. It's usually thinly sliced for antipasto.
Capsicum
A large fleshy pepper with a sweet/mild flavour. Can be
orange, red, yellow, green or black. Also known as Bell Pepper.
Caramelization
All meat and vegetables contain some sugar (in the form of carbohydrates). Under intense dry heat, as in roasting or sauteing, these sugars break down. The result is the brown color and rich flavor called caramelization.
Cardamom
A member of the ginger family, cardamom has a pungent aroma and spicy-sweet flavor. For the best flavor, purchase cardamom in the pod. Then grind the seeds (found inside the pod) as needed using a mortar and pestle. More information is available here.
Cashew
The kidney-shaped cashew nut grows out from the bottom of the cashew apple, a pear-shaped fruit native to the Amazon. It is encased in an oily shell that is toxic and can cause an itchy rash if not first exposed to heat. They have a rich, buttery flavor with a lightly crunchy texture. When cooking with cashews, beware not to overcook the nuts, as they tend to turn soft. High in fat (48%), raw cashews should be refrigerated or frozen if not used within a few days. Keep roasted nuts in an airtight container for up to one month, or up to six months if refrigerated or frozen.
Castor or Caster Sugar
see Substitutions
Chestnut
Chestnuts come from the nut-bearing Castanea tree, which is rare in the United States due to a blight in the early 20th Century. They are now cultivated in Europe and are imported fresh from September through February. Chestnuts are unrelated to horse chestnuts (which are inedible and dangerous to eat) and water chestnuts (a tuber with an apple-like crispness that is widely used in Asian cooking). To roast fresh chestnuts, make a one-inch slash on the flat side of the nut's shell with a sharp knife, just barely revealing the flesh. Place the nuts on a cookie sheet in a preheated 400º oven until the skins split and the flesh begins to brown (about ten minutes). Peel away the shell with the help of a knife. Chestnuts can also be blanched. After boiling for 3-4 minutes, wrap them in a towel and squeeze hard to crush the skins and extract the meat. Keep fresh chestnuts up to one week in a cool, dry place, or two weeks in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Chicken Maryland
In Australia, refers to chicken leg with both thigh
and drumstick attached. In the US, refers to any parts of chicken,
crumbed, browned in hot fat, baked and served with cream gravy.
Chickpeas
Cicer arietinum. Also known as garbanzo beans, ceci beans.
Chiffonade
This is a French word meaning "made of rags." It refers to thins strips or shreds of vegetables and herbs. Several leaves are staked on top of each other and rolled tightly like a cigar. Thin slices are made across the leaves while holding the roll tightly.
Chili vs. Chile
Chili refers to the dish. Chile is the Spanish spelling, used when referring to the fruit of the chile plant. An exception to this rule is chili pepper, which refers to the chile used to make chili.
Chili Paste
A spicy Asian condiment used to season sauces, soups, and marinades. Ingredients vary, but the typical sauce is made from red chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, and salt. Most Asian markets and super markets carry it.
Chinese Parsely
see Cilantro
Chitlins
Also called chitterlings, chitlins are the small intestines of freshly slaughtered hogs. They are simmered until tender, and may be used in soups, or battered and fried after boiling.
Chocolate
Chocolate is derived from the beans of the cacao tree, which thrives in the tropical climates of Brazil, Nigeria, and the Ivory Coast. The cocoa bean meat (or nib), containing over 50% cocoa butter, is ground to produce chocolate liquor, which forms the basis of commercial chocolate. Varieties include baking (a cooled, hardened version of chocolate liquor) and semisweet (15 to 35% chocolate liquor, mixed with sugar and vanilla). Cocoa powder is made by removing at least half the cocoa butter from dried chocolate liquor. White chocolate contains no chocolate liquor, only cocoa butter mixed with sugar, milk solids, and vanilla. Store chocolate tightly wrapped in a cool (60º to 70º), dry place for up to four months. If stored at warmer temperatures, it will develop a harmless, dusty white “bloom,” caused when cocoa butter rises to the surface. If kept in the refrigerator, chocolate will sweat as it warms to room temperature and may not melt properly.
Cider
Widely varying definition! A drink (almost) always made from
pressed apples, to many people but not all it is alcoholic. US usage
is typically that `cider' is not alcoholic and `hard cider' is. If in
doubt, ask the person who posts the recipe what they mean.
Cilantro
The leaf of the coriander plant. Also called Chinese/Thai/
Mexican parsley, and green coriander
Citric Acid
A white powder extracted from the juice of citrus and other acidic fruits (such as lemons, limes, pineapples and gooseberries). It's also produced by the Fermentaion of glucose. Citric acid has a strong, tart taste and is used as a flavoring agent for foods and beverages. Small bottles of crystallized sour salt (also called citric salt ) are often found in the kosher-foods section of supermarkets. Sour salt is used to impart a tart flavor to traditional dishes such as Borscht.
Clotted Cream
traditionally served with tea and scones; a 55% (min)
milkfat product made by heating shallow pans of milk to about 82
degrees C, holding them at this temperature for about an hour and then
skimming off the yellow wrinkled cream crust that forms.
Cockles
Clams
Concassée
Its root word means to roughly chop or pound a food. Concassée is usually made from chopped tomatoes.
Conch
A Mollusk Gastropod - "Strombus" - Abundant in US only off
Florida Keys, where it is illegal to take. (has been for 10? years
now). Most now comes from Caribbean islands such as Turks and Caicos,
Trinidad, or Honduras. One Conch steak typically weighs 1/5 to 1/3 lb
appx. These sell for prices ranging from $4.99 - $6.99 per pound.
These steaks are taken home, beaten with device such as a rolling pin,
(to tenderize) then cubed for conch salad or conch fritters.
Confectioner's Sugar
see Substitutions
Cordial
In the US, a synonym for liqueur. In UK, NZ, Australia, a
thick syrup (which may or may not contain real fruit) which is diluted
to give a non-alcoholic fruit drink
Cornflour
A starch usually. made from wheat. Used to thicken sauces
etc. Also called cornstarch.
Cornmeal
Ground corn (maize).
Courgette
see Zucchini
Couscous
The separated grain of the wheat plant. When
dried and milled, it becomes semolina flour, which is what pasta is
made out of. However, as a grain, it makes a terrific rice substitute
that has the advantage of being more flavorful (nutty with an
interesting texture as long as it is not over cooked) as well as about
five times quicker to make than rice.
Cream of Wheat
see farina
Creme Fraiche
A French tangy thickened cream, crème fraîche [krehm-FRESH] is similar in taste and texture to sour creme. In France, pasteurization is not required. Therefore, the cream contains bacteria that thickens it naturally. Unlike sour cream, crème fraîche is used in sauces and soups because it can be boiled without breaking.
Criterion Apple
Slightly tart, the Criterion is a good choice for eating fresh, in pies, salads and sauces. Criterions have a bold yellow color, highlighted with a red blush, and are similar in shape to the elongated Red Delicious. Fresh Criterions are best from October through March.
Cryovac
A registered trademark for a process in which meat is sealed in plastic, and all the sir is removed by a vacuum pump.
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