Spices and More

Today I thought would be a good time to discuss herbs and spices and exactly what to do with them. First thing is all the ground spices in your pantry (yes including the ones you got for a wedding present) that are over 6 months old will most likely have to be thrown out. You should not keep spices longer especially if they are not in a cool dark place. They lose their potency very quickly. ALWAYS buy your spices whole and grind them as you need. You can buy a coffee grinder, to be used only for spices for around $10.00. Whole spices keep for up to 3 years. Always date the spices when you buy them.

I like to buy mine at Penzeys.com. You can buy them in 1/4 oz sizes. They have superior quality and will really make your food taste great. I know that many of you get tempted to buy them at places like Michaels and the 99 cent store but please, RESTRAIN yourselves. These are very poor quality and your food will not taste great or even half good. If you can’t really smell them when you open the lid they are no longer good!!

Below I have listed some quick pointers for you. I know you have seen the Knorrs dried soups. Here are some ideas for them.

For an easy clam chowder, combine Cream of Potato Soup with 1 cup 2%milk, a can of drained chopped clams, and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce in a saucepan, heat to boiling, and stir in a few chopped fresh chives for color and flavor.

For a quick corn chowder, combine Cream of Potato Soup with 1/2 cup chopped ham, 1/2 cup 2% milk, and 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen and defrosted) in a saucepan and heat to boiling.

Lipton Onion Soup Mix: No it's not only for Sour Cream and Soup dip. You can stir in any long simmering stew to give it a deep, robust flavor. Or stir a packet into rice and water and you will have a seasoned rice dish in 20 minutes.

Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix: Great for beef dishes; stews, pot roasts, burgers and meat loaves. Mix it with Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup for a quick barbecue sauce.

Lipton Savory Herb and Garlic Soup Mix: Very versatile. Can turn canned chopped tomatoes into pasta sauces and transform canned white beans into a gourmet dip for vegetables. Great in stews, perks up vegetables and pastas.

Knorr Leek Soup Mix: gives a mild onion flavor to almost everything. It has a thickening agent in it so sauces are creamy when you add milk. You can add sauteed onions or leeks and add to the soup mix for still another great sauce over chicken.

Knorr Tomato Beef Soup Mix: Has a deep flavor base and a thickener to help long simmering beef dishes. Great in meat loaf, can be used to make a barbecue sauce or rub and turns sour cream into a beefy ranchero dip.

HERBS & SPICES

SPICES are dried seeds (cumin, coriander, cardamom, mustard), buds (cloves), fruit or flower parts (peppercorns, allspice), bark and roots (cassia, cinnamon and ginger) or leaves (kaffir lime leaves, curry leaves) of plants. They are usually of tropical origin, and almost all are native to the Orient. There are exceptions: allspice, vanilla and chilles were originally found in tropical Central America and the West Indies.

When buying spices choose whole seeds, berries, buds and bark, such as cumin seeds, cardamoms, peppercorns, allspice, cloves, cassia and cinnamon sticks if you can. They will keep their flavor and pungency far longer than ground.

HERBS are leaves from plants and sometimes the flowers. Thyme, savory, chives, purple sage, spearmint, lavender, parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary, etc. Herbs are like people, each has its own personality and style. Think about that when you're playing matchmaker with herbs and food.

BLEND, a mixture of spices and herbs and other flavoring materials either ground or whole.

Seasonings should always be used in small quantities until you know what flavor you are looking for.

When using fresh herbs, the herbs are usually added near the middle or end of the cooking process. When using dried herbs, the dried herbs are often added at the beginning of the recipe. This allows time for moisture to penetrate the herb and thus release the flavor contained therein.

A few examples of herbs and spices:

Choosing a spice to compliment your chicken may get confusing because there are so many herbs and spices available to us. Unless you use a recipe, how will you know what spices work with chicken or ham?

This list will give an overview of each spice, and what foods they best compliment. Now you can make up your own recipes.

Allspice: pumpkin pie, apple pie, gingerbread, winter squash, pickling, pate, ham, whole, ground. Small brown berry; flavor resembles blend of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Use in sausages and braised meats, poached fish, stewed fruits, pies, puddings.

Anise: baked goods

Basil: Italian cosine, vegetable, sauces, meats

Bay Leaves: stews, sauces, chili

Cardamom: baked goods (substitute for cinnamon to give more spice), Indian (not Native American)

Cayenne Pepper: Mexican cosine, chili, hot and spicy dishes

Chives: garnish, soups, Mexican cosine, Italian cosine, dips

Cilantro: Mexican cosine, salsa, guacamole, chili

Cloves: baked goods, baked ham, coffee, tea

Cumin: Mexican cosine, chili

Curry Powder: Middle Eastern cosine

Dill: pickling, fish, salads

Ginger: baked goods, Japanese cosine, peach deserts

Lemon Pepper: vegetables, fish, poultry

Marjoram: stews

Mint: lamb, iced tea

Mustard: salad dressing, fish

Nutmeg: baked goods, wild rice, eggnog, coffee

Oregano: Italian cuisine, vegetables, sauces, meats, fish, poultry

Paprika: garnish or to add color, fish, egg salad, stews

Poppy Seeds: salad dressing, poppy seed bread

Rosemary: beef, lamb, veal

Saffron: rice, risotto, pilaf, bouillabaisse

Sage: stuffing, poultry, pork

Tarragon: fish, béarnaise sauce, poultry

Thyme: chowders, soups, stews

The following can be interchanged in a pinch (substitute measure for measure)

HERBS:

basil and oregano

chervil and parsley

fennel and tarragon

oregano and marjoram

celery seeds and minced celery tops

caraway and anise

chervil and tarragon

fennel and anise

sage and thyme

SPICES:

allspice and equal parts of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg

chili peppers and cayenne

commercial curry powder and homemade curry powder

nutmeg and mace

The pictures below are of my pantry. I like to use plastic containers for all my rices, pastas, beans, sugars, flours, etc. This allows me to see everything. I also have found that when I keep my rices and flours in airtight containers, it helps me spot any potential “moth” problems. As you know. it’s common to bring home a “creature” or two every once in a while. This is especially common in dried chiles. This keeps it to a 1 jar minimum containment. It is rare that this happens, but if it does, I know that I will be able to contain it. Also, you know how much product you have in the container. I get the containers from Smart and Final. They come in 3 sizes. The range from $1.29 to $2.29 each. Great buy!!

Look for Salad Dressings and a few other ideas tomorrow!! Happy Eating.