How often does it happen that you’re eating a sandwich, salad, or main course and, while you like it, you can’t help but feel like it’s missing something? Maybe it lacks spice or crunch or needs a jolt of acidity or dollop of creamy richness. In other words, it can be improved.
Yes, everyone’s tastes and preferences are different, so one person’s perfect is another’s ho-hum. But if you’re a bit of a food sleuth with a good palate, it’s not too difficult to detect what’s lacking and determine how to make it better.
At home, improving the foods we eat is in our control. We are the masters of our culinary fates and feats. Taking charge means preparing foods with an appealing mix of flavors and textures so they’re truly satisfying.
What started me down this path of betterment was a recent bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. While the ingredients seemed of good quality, it was easy to identify how the sandwich could be improved. The bacon slices were thick and nicely browned but not crisp. The small omelet round was tender but plain. I wanted the cheese to be melty-gooey. And the bun was too soft. Overall, the sandwich lacked flavor; a schmear of spicy sauce would have taken it from so-so to super.
My fix-it thoughts wandered to other sandwiches and salads that often disappoint. Like tuna salad that needs less mayo, a squirt of lemon juice, a liberal sprinkling of black pepper, and something crunchy like diced celery or cucumber. Chicken salad with halved grapes and chopped walnuts is on the right path for juiciness and crunch, respectively, but it doesn’t go far enough. A spicy mayo would add zippy flavor and a few crisp leaves of Romaine, iceberg, or watercress, a pleasing crunch. (For spicy mayo, mash one-half canned chipotle pepper and 1 teaspoon of the can’s adobo sauce, or use a teaspoon or two of sriracha, with ½ cup of mayonnaise.)
Chefs like Michael Scelfo can teach us how to jazz up our meals. Scelfo is the chef-owner of Harlow Hospitality Group, which operates Alden & Harlow, Waypoint, Longfellow Bar, and Josephine. The small plates at Cambridge’s Alden & Harlow, many of them vegetable-centric, offer intriguing flavor and textural combinations that hit all the right notes.
Take the restaurant’s Pickled Corn Pancakes. The dish was inspired by the little corn cakes Scelfo’s mother used to make when he was young. “I grew up in a humble home, and we didn’t have extravagant ingredients,’’ he says. The chef’s pancakes, made with pickled corn and cornmeal, are paired with flash-fried shishito peppers, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a sprinkling of popcorn for whimsy and crunch. “There’s heat, sweetness, crunch, a touch of acidity from the pickled corn, and a buttermilk yogurt base for creaminess,’’ he says. “It came together in an organic and unexpected way and became a signature dish.’’
Scelfo’s plate of grilled broccoli revolves around smoky flavors, which reminds him of the barbecue he loved in Kansas City, where he grew up. He grills broccoli until it’s lightly charred, makes a puree of roasted butternut squash, smoked cashews, and Middle Eastern spices, and finishes the dish with a drizzle of honey and crumble topping of smoked sheep’s milk cheese and cashews. Again, diverse ingredients, flavors, colors, and textures mingle on the plate.
One of the chef’s newer dishes showcases New England oysters: He fries the bivalves and plates them with a creamy potato puree and sweet pickle vinaigrette, a riff on a mignonette commonly served with raw oysters. For “freshness and lightness,’’ he scatters lightly dressed herbs (dill, tarragon, chervil, parsley, chives) on top.
Speaking of pickles — sour, sweet, dill, spicy, fermented, or vinegar-brined — home cooks should be using them more liberally and more often. Honestly, the Whopper and Big Mac have the right idea. Mix chopped pickles into chicken, turkey, egg, and tuna salads and add slices to meaty sandwiches for a punch of acidity. Make your own quick-brined pickles from sliced cucumber, carrot, radish, onion, green beans, cauliflower, and cabbage, as well as apples, pears, and plums. They bring bright, sharp flavor and crunch to all kinds of foods.
What chefs like Scelfo demonstrate with their well-designed dishes is the interplay of the five tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (savory). While other factors, such as aroma, temperature, textures, and spiciness, also impact flavor, the five tastes are the key building blocks. You’re not necessarily striving for balance, because you might want a certain flavor to stand out, but too much of any one taste without adequate contrast is usually not a good thing. (Unless it’s ice cream.)
Here are some tips on flavors and seasoning:
To add sweetness to a dish, use sugar in various forms and size crystals, maple syrup, honey, fresh and dried fruits, jam, and chocolate. Sweetness will soften bitter and sour flavors and also mellow spicy heat.
For saltiness, add salt, soy sauce, olives, Parmesan, and other aged cheeses. Salt is not only a seasoning, it enhances other flavors. Think salted caramel or chocolate, and how bland most foods are without a dash of salt.
Sourness and acidity come from citrus fruits, cranberries, vinegar, pickled vegetables, and dairy foods, such as plain yogurt, sour cream, and buttermilk. Scelfo says chefs are always adding “brightness’’ to dishes, often with a splash of lemon juice. Acidity helps balance sweet, spicy, and salty foods. Think of that wedge of lime accompanying many spicy meals.
For bitterness, there are bitter greens/leaves, such as arugula, watercress, mustard greens, escarole, and radicchio, as well as beer, wine, dark chocolate, and coffee. Some people love bitter foods, others hate them, but bitter notes bring a welcome contrast to many foods and beverages.
Umami is the savory taste of meat, mushrooms, aged cheeses, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, and miso. It adds depth and savory richness to many of our meals.
For those of us who are textural eaters, crunch and chew are as important to good eating as flavor. “Nuts are a great way to add texture to a lot of dishes,’’ says Scelfo. Crunch can also come from toasted breadcrumbs or croutons, crumbled potato or tortilla chips, and chopped vegetables. For bright-juicy crunch, use crisp lettuce, pickled vegetables, cucumbers, celery, bell pepper, fennel, and cabbage.
And then there is the world of spices — from floral and earthy to spicy-hot, to perk up our meals — without which our food would be quite bland. Claire Cheney, founder and CEO of Curio Spice Co. in Cambridge, says spice blends are “a wonderful shortcut to achieving big flavor.’’ When you buy good quality blends, she says, not only are the ingredients fresh, but they’re chosen to go together logically.
Many of Curio’s mixes are associated with a specific country or region. “We like to honor the origins of where the spices and herbs are coming from, but you’re not restricted to how you use them,’’ says Cheney. You can even mix two blends together, such as adding spice or floral tones to herb mixtures.
Cheney explains that you can vary the flavor of everyday foods by alternating the spices. “If you make a big batch of beans, you can use a different spice mix every night to flavor them,’’ she says, suggesting accents like Korean BBQ, Indian, and Mexican. She recommends adding spice blends to citrus dressings for salads and vegetables as well as drizzling over cooked meats and fish.
Some spices work well with sweet foods. Cheney describes the Sichuan Five Spice blend (star anise, cinnamon, coriander, clove, and Sichuan pepper) as “very aromatic,’’ pairing well not only with pork dishes, but also stewed fruits and chocolate in brownies, cakes, and pudding. Another blend, Zenu Spice, inspired by Colombian flavors (including passion fruit, coriander, and chilies), can be stirred into rice pudding, custards, and fruit salads.
Finally, of course, there’s heat, as in spicy-hot, not temperature. According to Scelfo, “every dish needs a little bit of back heat.’’ His go-to, an easy option for home cooks. too, is crushed red pepper, but he also uses thinly sliced jalapeno and other fresh peppers and hot sauces. The popular condiment, chili crisp, as well as kimchi, add piquancy and umami to all kinds of foods, including fish, chicken, eggs, and grain bowls.
Scelfo’s recommendation to home cooks is simple: Start with quality ingredients based on what you can afford, use a variety of flavors, strike a pleasing balance of acidity and richness, and add something crunchy or chewy for contrasting texture. The chef wants us to stop thinking that good, flavorful food is difficult or expensive.
Why this matters, says Scelfo, is, “We eat a lot. Bringing interest and unexpected nuance to your cooking makes food much more pleasurable.’’
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