Food Menu Glossary

Question 1

Fritters

Answer 1

• A fritter is a fried pastry.
• Usually consisting of a portion of batter or breading which has been filled with bits of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables or other ingredients.
• Fritters are prepared in both sweet and savory varieties.

Question 2

Garnet Amaranth

Answer 2

Garnet Amaranth is generally a summer annual. With stunning red flowers, Amaranth is not only edible but beautiful too. This is a garnet colored sprout that has a wide variety of uses. Amaranth is very easy to grow, heat and drought resistant and grows exceptionally well if you have rich soil or compost.

Question 3

Micro Cilantro

Answer 3

Micro Cilantro is a young, tiny, edible version of the well-known herb and is harvested approximately 14-21 days after sowing. Micro Cilantro is one of the most popular micro-greens currently on the market today.

Question 4

Beet

Answer 4

The Beet is a herbaceous plant widely cultivated as a source of food for humans and livestock, and for processing into sugar. Some varieties are grown for their leaves and some for their large nutritious root.

Question 5

Kale

Answer 5

Kale is a hardy cabbage with curled often finely incised leaves that do not form a dense head. Its leaves are used as a vegetable.

Question 6

Chard

Answer 6

Although a variety of beet, chard does not have an enlarged root, but does have large leaves and juicy stalks that are often cooked as a vegetable. Chard is also called Swiss chard. The leaves and stalks are a good source of vitamins A, B, and C. Chard is popular as a home-garden plant because it is easy to grow, productive, and tolerant of moderate heat. Highly perishable, it is difficult to ship to distant markets.

Question 7

Pea Shoots

Answer 7

Pea Shoots are delicate spiraling vines (shoots) and the uppermost leaves of a young pea plant. Tender in texture, the shoots provide a sweet flavor that is a cross between the taste of peas and spinach with a hint of watercress.

Question 8

Sunflower Sprouts

Answer 8

Sunflower Sprouts are tender greens that offer a slightly almond flavor and are a cinch to grow. Sunflower sprouts are ready to eat 7 to 10 days after planting. While other sprouts are grown in a screen-topped jar, sunflower sprouts actually need soil to germinate.

Question 9

Collard Greens

Answer 9

Collard Greens are members of the underrated cabbage family, a staple vegetable in southern cooking. Aptly, the leaves taste like a cross between their cabbage relative and hearty kale. While collards are available in most stores year-round, their peak season falls somewhere between January and April.

Question 10

Tempura

Answer 10

• Tempura is a Japanese dish usually consisting of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried. The dish was influenced by fritter-cooking techniques introduced by the Portuguese residing in Nagasaki in the 16th century.
• Our KFC (Korean Fried Cauliflower) is an example of a Tempura dish.

Question 11

Ssamjang

Answer 11

• Ssamjang(쌈장) is a thick, spicy paste used with food wrapped in a leaf in Korean cuisine. The sauce is made of doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, onion, garlic, green onions, and optionally brown sugar.
• We use a Ssamjang glaze on our KFC (Korean Fried Cauliflower) dish.

Question 12

What does Green Curry taste like?

Answer 12

Green curry, is called kaeng khiao wan which translates to sweet green curry in Thai. It is made from green chillies, coriander roots and coconut milk. Comparatively, it tends to be much milder than red curry, however, it does have a pungent flavor.

Question 13

Crostini

Answer 13

Crostini are an Italian appetizer consisting of small slices of grilled or toasted bread and toppings. The toppings may include a variety of different cheeses, meats, and vegetables, or may be presented more simply with a brush of olive oil and herbs or a sauce.

Question 14

Chicken Lollipop

Answer 14

• Chicken lollipop is, essentially a frenched chicken winglet, wherein the meat is cut loose from the bone end and pushed down creating a lollipop appearance.
• Frenched is a culinary term for the process of cutting away fat and meat from the bone end of a rib chop or steak for esthetic presentation.

Question 15

Crème Fraiche

Answer 15

Crème Fraiche is a type of thick cream made from heavy cream with the addition of buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt.

Question 16

What does Red Curry taste like?

Answer 16

Red Curry. The smell is both comfortingly tomato-ey and exotically heady with spicy aromas. The flavor is warm, but not biting, with tastes of ginger and garlic.

Question 17

What are candied nuts?

Answer 17

• Candied nuts are nuts that have been cooked in a special way, so they end up coated in browned, crunchy sugar.
• We use candied walnuts on our El Moro Wedge Salad, and on our Beet and Apple Salad.

Question 18

Purée

Answer 18

A purée is cooked food, usually vegetables, fruits or legumes, that has been ground, pressed, blended or sieved to the consistency of a creamy paste or liquid.

Question 19

Tabbouleh

Answer 19

• Tabbouleh is a Levantine (Middle Eastern) vegetarian salad made mostly of finely chopped parsley, with tomatoes, mint, onion, bulgur, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Bulgur is a cereal food made from the cracked parboiled* groats* of several different wheat species, most often from durum wheat. It originates in Middle Eastern cuisine.
• *Groats (or in some cases, “berries”) are the hulled kernels of various cereal grains, such as oat, wheat, rye, and barley.
• *Parboiling is the partial or semi boiling of food as the first step in cooking.

Question 20

Merguez

Answer 20

• Merguez is made with uncooked lamb, beef, or a mixture of meats, stuffed into a lamb intestine casing. It is heavily spiced with cumin and chili pepper or harissa (which gives it its characteristic piquancy and red color), as well as other spices such as sumac, fennel, and garlic.
• *Harissa-a hot sauce or paste used in North African cuisine, made from chili peppers, paprika, and olive oil.
• We have a house made Lamb Merguez Sausage on the El Moro menu.

Question 21

Berbere

Answer 21

• Berbere is a blend of powdered spices including red chili pepper that is used in Ethiopian cooking.
• The Lamb Merquez Sausage on the El Moro menu is served with a berbere sweet potato hash.

Question 22

Aioli

Answer 22

• Both mayonnaise and aioli are emulsions, meaning they contain two or more liquids that are typically unmixable. They’re also both made with egg yolks as the main emulsifying ingredient. And they’re both mayonnaise. Aioli is a mayonnaise, but mayonnaise is not necessarily aioli.
• In basic terms, aioli is a flavored mayonnaise.

Question 23

Arugula

Answer 23

Arugula is a yellowish-flowered Mediterranean herb of the mustard family cultivated for its foliage which is used especially in salads.

Question 24

Brie

Answer 24

Brie is a soft cow’s-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated. It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mold. The rind is typically eaten, with its flavor depending largely upon the ingredients used and its manufacturing environment. It is similar to Camembert, which is native to a different region of France.

Question 25

What are tobacco onions?

Answer 25

Onion strips that are battered and deep fried.

Question 26

Falafel

Answer 26

Falafel is a deep-fried ball, or a flat or doughnut-shaped patty, made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Herbs, spices, and onion relatives are commonly added to the dough. It is a well-known Middle Eastern dish that most likely originated in Egypt.

Question 27

Harissa

Answer 27

Harissa is a hot sauce or paste used in North African cuisine, made from chili peppers, paprika, and olive oil.

Question 28

Ancho

Answer 28

• Ancho chiles have a deep red color and a wrinkled skin. Sweet and smoky with a flavor slightly reminiscent of raisins, their heat is mild to medium-hot. You could also use a spice grinder to grind dried ancho chiles into a powder to use in spice rubs or for making mole, enchilada sauce, and chili.
• We have an Ancho Encrusted Tuna Sandwich on the El Moro Menu.

Question 29

Brioche

Answer 29

Brioche is a bread of French origin that is similar to a highly enriched pastry, and whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb.

Question 30

Prosciutto

Answer 30

Prosciutto is an Italian dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked.

Question 31

Tête de Moine

Answer 31

• Tête de Moine is a type of cheese manufactured in Switzerland (a type of Swiss Cheese). It was invented and initially produced more than eight centuries ago by French monks.
• Tête de Moine is a French name that translates literally as “monk’s head”.
• Traditionally, and at El Moro, this cheese is sliced with a tool called a girolle, which produces distinctive rosettes, or thin shavings. This helps to develop the odor and flavor by allowing oxygen to reach more of the surface.

Question 32

Rémoulade

Answer 32

Rémoulade is a condiment invented in France that is usually aioli- or mayonnaise-based. Although similar to tartar sauce, it is often more yellowish, sometimes flavored with curry, and sometimes contains chopped pickles or piccalilli.

Question 33

Braised or Braising

Answer 33

Braising (from the French word braiser) is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first sautéed or seared at a high temperature, then finished in a covered pot at a lower temperature while sitting in some (variable) amount of liquid (which may also add flavor). Braising of meat is often referred to as pot roasting, though some authors make a distinction between the two methods, based on whether additional liquid is added.

Question 34

Pork Belly

Answer 34

Pork belly, like bacon, starts out from the underside or the belly of the pig. But don’t think of the word “belly” as in stomach, rather it’s the flesh that runs on the underside of the pig. Pork belly is uncured, un-smoked and un-sliced bacon. Pork belly is particularly popular in Chinese, Korean and Philippine cuisine.

Question 35

Pho

Answer 35

Pho is a type of Vietnamese soup, typically made from beef stock and spices to which noodles and thinly sliced beef or chicken are added.

Question 36

Pork Rinds

Answer 36

Pork rind is the culinary term for the skin of a pig. It can be used in many different ways. It can be rendered, fried in fat, or roasted to produce a kind of pork cracklings or scratchings; these are served in small pieces as a snack or side dish.

Question 37

Chevre

Answer 37

Chevre is cheese that is made with goat’s milk.

Question 38

Marrow Bone

Answer 38

Marrow Bone is a bone containing edible marrow. When raw, the marrow looks almost like part of the bone. It’s off-white and hard with a slightly spongy texture. Once it’s cooked, it becomes soft and rich, melts easily and tastes almost like butter, with a sweet, nutty flavor and a lighter, more delicate texture.

Question 39

Charcuterie

Answer 39

Charcuterie is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork.

Question 40

Fromage

Answer 40

Fromage is the French word for cheese.

Question 41

Duroc Pork

Answer 41

The Duroc pig is an older breed of domestic pig. The breed was developed in the United States and formed the basis for many mixed-breed commercial hogs. Duroc pigs are reddish-brown and golden yellow , large-framed, medium length, and muscular, with partially-drooping ears.

Question 42

Bucatini

Answer 42

• Bucatini [bukaˈtiːni], also known as perciatelli [pertʃaˈtɛlli], is a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center. The name comes from Italian: buco, meaning “hole”, while bucato or its Neapolitan language variant perciato means “pierced”.
• At El Moro we make our own Bucatini pasta in house.

Question 43

Mornay

Answer 43

• A Mornay sauce is a béchamel sauce* with shredded or grated Gruyère cheese added. … A Mornay sauce made with cheddar is commonly used to make macaroni and cheese.
• *Béchamel sauce, also known as white sauce, is made from a white roux and milk. It has been considered, since the seventeenth century, one of the mother sauces of French cuisine. It is used as the base for other sauces.
• At El Moro, we use a Mornay Sauce with our house made Bucatini Pasta dish.

Question 44

Hanger Steak

Answer 44

A hanger steak, also known as butcher’s steak, is a cut of beef steak prized for its flavor. Derived from the diaphragm of a steer or heifer. This cut is taken from the plate, which is the upper belly of the animal.

Question 45

Crimini Mushroom

Answer 45

A Crimini Mushroom is a moderately mature version of the white button mushroom, which is why it has a similar flavor. It’s younger than the portobello, but still related, which is why these are sometimes sold as “baby bella” or “baby portobello” mushrooms.

Question 46

Collard Greens

Answer 46

Collard greens are a type of leafy green vegetable common in southern U.S. cooking. Collards feature dark green leaves with tough stems. They’re a member of the same group of plants that also includes kale, turnips, and mustard.

Question 47

Puttanesca

Answer 47

Puttanesca is a pasta sauce typically including tomatoes, garlic, olives, and anchovies.

Question 48

Torchio

Answer 48

Torchio is a type of pasta that is made into a shape that appears similar to the base of a torch. This shape works well to scoop up and hold heavier chunky sauces.

Question 49

Sumac

Answer 49

• The sumac bush, native to the Middle East, produces deep red berries, which are dried and ground into coarse powder. … Ground sumac is a versatile spice with a tangy lemony flavor, although more balanced and less tart than lemon juice. A small sprinkle also adds a beautiful pop of color to any dish.
• At El Moro we use sumac spice to season our Baja Bass entree.

Question 50

Demi-glace

Answer 50

• A Demi-glace or “demi” is a rich, glossy brown sauce from which the liquid has been partly evaporated, typically flavored with wine and served with meat.
• A traditional demi-glace recipe is made by combining a mixture of half basic brown sauce and half brown stock (such as beef stock) and then simmering until it’s reduced by half.

Question 51

Compound Butter

Answer 51

Compound butters are mixtures of butter and supplementary ingredients. Primarily, they are used to enhance flavor in various dishes, in a fashion similar to a sauce.

Question 52

Risotto

Answer 52

Risotto’s name comes from the Italian word riso, meaning “rice”. It’s a northern Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and parmesan cheese.

Question 53

Black Angus

Answer 53

The Black Angus, or more commonly, Angus, is a black-hided breed of cattle without horns (also referred to as polled). The Angus breed has a number of advantages in the quality and production of the meat, and it quickly became a favored breeding stock to reduce problems of over-breeding in other lines of cattle