Dec 12 2008
The Spice Rack
Ah, the spice trade is a wonderful world of smells and tastes. This is a beginning list of spices that you should add to your kitchen. Trust me, spices will turn an ordinary plate of chicken breast, rice, and vegetables into a feast.
Sorry about dropping the spice rack yesterday. My wife and I had an emergency to take care of at home and I didn’t get to post when I wanted. It’s not easy researching information when you have the landlord banging around in your bathroom.
Spices can also be used for holiday arts and crafts in your home. Who doesn’t love the smell of cinnamon during the holidays or the sight of gingerbread cookies and a gingerbread house?
Salt and Pepper are the mainstay in the kitchen. A cast member was kicked off of Top Chef because she didn’t know how to season a dish recipe with salt and pepper.
Allspice
You can find Allspice either ground or whole in my recipes. Allspice comes from unripe berry from an evergreen tree. When using Allspice in a recipe you will obtain the aromatics of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Many people use Allspice in their ground beef for Swedish meatballs. I like to use it in tomato and chicken soup. Since Allspice reminds me of the holidays, I use it in dressing and on baked squash.
Whole Allspice needs a longer time to release their flavor. They work well in longer cooking recipes like soups and stews.
Anise Seed
Anise seeds are actually in the parsley family. The seed gives of the flavor and scent of licorice. It’s often used to make Anise Cookies.
Stir 1 ½ tsp Anise Seed into 1 package (17 oz) sugar cookie mix. Prepare and bake cookies as directed on the package.
Many people roast Anise Seed for a recipe. To do this all you have to do is add the seeds to a dry frying pan and brown them till they start to release their aroma.
That’s it from the spice trade today. I’ll be back tomorrow to cover Basil, Bay Leaves, and Caraway Seeds. After that I’ll talk about Celery Flakes, Chili Powder, Chives, Cilantro, and Cinnamon from the spice trade.
