THIS MONTH IN THE delicious. KITCHEN…

While the delicious. food team are testing recipes, they’re often debating the best ways to do things, as well as answer everybody else’s cookery questions, such as (this month) “I don’t recognise half the steaks on restaurant menus these days. What are they?” and “What can I do with kohlrabi?” Here they’ve collected together the best know-how – with help from a friendly specialist or two. It’s the kind of information you won’t find anywhere else and it will take your cooking to the next level.

TREND INGREDIENT Fregola

This pasta from Sardinia is made in the same way as giant (or Israeli) couscous – by rolling semolina dough into small balls about 3mm across, then drying them. Unlike its Middle Eastern cousin, it’s toasted, which gives it a nutty flavour. COOK It cooks to al dente in little more than 10 minutes and can be added to soups to bulk them up or used in tabbouleh-style salads like couscous or bulgur wheat. Fregola also makes a great pilaf, cooked in stock with aromatic vegetables, herbs and spices until the liquid has been absorbed.

TRY IT… the Sardinian way: simmer the cooked pasta in a spicy tomato and fish stock sauce for a few minutes, then add clams or mussels until they open. Or serve it with stews and braised meat, particularly lamb. The pasta soaks up the juices in the most flavoursome way.

KNOW-HOW

BUTCHER’S STEAK CUTS

Ask your butcher for these lesser known but tasty, thrifty cuts of steak. Although they need precise cooking and proper resting afterwards, all deliver texture and flavour that prime cuts rarely match

ONGLET (also called hanger steak) Seared quickly to no more than medium rare and sliced across the grain, this is one of the juiciest steaks there is. Now it’s restaurant-trendy and prices are rising. Cut from close to the kidneys, onglet has an open, rope-like structure, dark colour and slightly gamey flavour. It consists of two strips of meat joined by a tough membrane that your butcher should remove for you.

SKIRT can be one of two thin cuts from around the diaphragm, both of which have open-grained, full-flavoured meat. It’s often braised (it’s used in Cornish pasties), but can also be cooked hot and fast. Tenderise with a meat mallet or marinate it, cook medium rare, then rest it before slicing across the grain for maximum tenderness.

SHORT RIBS are cut from the meaty bones in the middle of the rib cage; those from the top of the ribs are considered the best. Though often used for slow braising, short ribs can also be grilled, on or off the bone. The fat marbling means they can handle plenty of direct heat. Cook quickly, just enough to soften the fat without drying out the meat – again, go for medium rare.

BAVETTE Along with onglet, bavette is one of the most popular French bistro steaks. The meat has an open-grained texture that takes marinades well and needs fast, hot cooking to prevent it turning tough. Cook at its full thickness or slice horizontally for thinner, faster-cooking steaks. If slicing into strips, cut the meat across the grain.

TRI-TIP A big, triangular steak from where the bottom of the rump meets the flank. The flavour is much like rump steak, but the grain of the meat is more open, with plenty of intramuscular fat to help keep it juicy as it cooks. It’s large, so it’s best seared over a high heat, then finished in the oven before resting and slicing.