perfectly seasoned

 back in january, i mentioned that i salt my salads. it's something i picked up from my grandmother after seeing her doing it for years.

today, i wanted to continue talking about seasoning and why it's so important. proper, generous seasoning takes a dish from meh to oh mama every time.

for this example, i thought i'd try to illustrate layers of flavor. if you've ever watched food network for more than five minutes, you've probably heard one of their talking heads use this phrase. but it really, really makes a difference.

take your basic pork milanese.

you have your pork cutlets ready to go. they're looking good and you're feeling hungry.  

first things first: season both sides with kosher salt and pepper. this is true for any time you're seasoning meat. don't forget to give the underside of that meat some love too!

next, it's time for a dip in the ol' egg wash. after beating the eggs, i add kosher salt, pepper and hot sauce. you can omit the hot sauce if you want, but a few shakes adds a tiny kick and i really enjoy that.  

now, it's time to coat the pork.

again, we're seasoning every layer, so don't forget to season whatever breadcrumbs you're using. i use panko most of the time.

after you're done frying them up, i sprinkle just a touch of salt on the golden fried beauties. 

delicious. 

the example here is meat-based, but the concept of adding flavor to every layer holds true for almost everything. when i make homemade tzatziki, i salt and pepper the cucumbers before adding them to the yogurt. don't be scared to add salt--i'm not someone who likes their food particularly salty, but that extra seasoning will really bring out the flavor of any dish...even desserts. 

my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe doesn't call for salt, but i add it anyways. it's so much more flavorful. 

and while i love me some real simple recipes, we jokingly refer to them as "real under-seasoned" at our house. almost all of the recipes i've tried from there end up needing just a pinch of salt. when you're working from a recipe you found online somewhere, if it doesn't tell you to season the base layer (meat, veggies, whatever it is), throw in a little salt and pepper. 

your tastebuds will love you for it.