“Flavor first.” That’s what Mom always said. “People feel full, because they’re satiated by flavor not volume,” she’d say.
Here’s a kitchen tip that allows you to come back and add rich flavor to soups, stews and even vegetables while cooking. That weekend skillet of bacon is a flavor gold mine even after the bacon is gone. Of course, the fat drippings should be saved for future cooking use.
More importantly, those tiny flavorful bits left at the bottom of the frying pan should be saved too. This is easily done be a technique known as deglazing. Once you’ve poured off the bacon fat, allow the pan to cool a little. Add room temperature wine or warm water to the pan, and scrape the bottom of it, dislodging the flavor bundles stuck there. The wine or water helps make this task easy. Pour the resulting solution into a jar and store in the refrigerator. A couple of tablespoons or more added to soups, stews and cooking vegetables adds that intangible flavor factor Mom always sought.
Text and photos by Gregg Patterson