What is your favorite underrated cooking ingredient?

I have to pick two, and the two that I’ll pick are pomegranate molasses and Calabrian chili paste. Pomegranate molasses is really popular in Middle Eastern and, especially, Persian cuisine. It’s basically concentrated pomegranate juice. Sometimes, it might have a little bit of added sugar or lemon juice, but it’s basically the texture of a balsamic glaze, with a pretty sour and a little bit of sweet pomegranate flavor. It is such a versatile ingredient. You could also use it in cocktails. 

I have a Pomegranate Molasses Glazed Salmon recipe. I include it as a generic marinade. There’s a whole page [in the book] on marinades. I use [pomegranate molasses] in a salad dressing. It goes with literally everything, because you always need something a little bit sour to lighten things up and to have that acidity and balance. It’s one of my favorite ingredients.

Pomegranate molasses and Calabrian chili paste are a little bit more difficult to find than pretty much every [other ingredient I mention in the book], which [are all] very easy [to locate]. They sell Calabrian chili paste at Trader Joe’s, and they have pomegranate molasses at Whole Foods. You can buy them online, or you can buy them at Wegmans. Any kind of Middle Eastern grocery store [will carry pomegranate molasses], as well, so it’s not impossible to find. I give you a lot of recipes to use both of them. 

Calabrian chili paste is fermented. I love putting it [in eggs]. I have a really simple fried egg in Calabrian chili butter recipe, as one of the breakfasts [in the book]. I love putting Calabrian chili paste in a balsamic vinaigrette and making a sweet and spicy salad dressing. I like to add [Calabrian chili] paste into braises, for a little bit of heat and funk. Both of those are really versatile ingredients on opposite ends of the spectrum. One’s kind of sweet and sour, and the other one is funky and spicy and a little sour.