These ingredients are special for two reasons: First, they are unlikely to be in your pantry; second, they add new and unusual dimensions to food. Because fat intensifies flavor, recipes that limit fat must compensate for its absence, and special ingredients may provide the needed flavor boost. Smoked paprika, for example, has the capacity to transform a dish. A little tin will cost you $3.50, but-once you own it-it will be in your pantry and therefore no longer special in the first sense. Ultimately, one cook’s special ingredient is another’s staple; but if you are the sort of person who becomes furious at the sight of what may be a special ingredient to you, simply avoid that recipe.

Two ingredients that appear in my recipes deserve additional comment: Macadamia Nut Oil and Hulless Barley. I use them for reasons of health not flavor. (In fact, the oil’s lack of pronounced flavor is one of its attributes!) Macadamia nut oil ranks highest among culinary oils in monounsaturated fats and lowest in omega-6 fat content. It is even superior to olive oil in these 2 categories. (For more information, see Building Blocks.) You can substitute canola or any other neutral oil for macadamia nut whenever you wish, but it will be a nutritional downgrade. Hulless barley is another favorite of mine. I use it in hot cereal because it is really whole and it has the lowest glycemic index of any grain. Both the oil and the barley are available in the Store.