I found some at a spice market and was so intrigued I could not wait to give the bag a try. What made me curious was the relatively copious amount of moisture that was evident on the bag. I’d never seen “dried” peppers with this amount. Boy am I glad that I let my...
This week’s CSA proved a bonanza of greens. One find I unearthed I have not used in a while mainly because its not a common herb in my local markets. So there was an excited “woohoo” elicited from me upon its discovery. The plant in question is sorrel, and if you are not familiar...
Growing up, a favorite treat for me was the beef jerky my parents made. I loved that delicious, salty snack, but after I moved away I questioned my memory of those meaty treats. My subsequent encounters, left me cold, they were not so much dried as desiccated, tough as nails, so stringy that I...
Smoking foods adds tastes and aroma to foods that to quote Emerile, “takes it up a notch”. I’ll confess – I love just about anything smoked, and as I live in an apartment, smoking foods is sometimes the closest I can get to my version of a barbecue. Discovering foods to smoke, and even...
I had read about Asafetida in Madhur Japher’s tome on Indian cooking and seen it referenced in many other Indian recipes and so confidently picked up a container so that my future Indian cooking endeavors might taste that much more authentic. However, I was unprepared for what was to come…. What is It? According...
A recent post on Hungarian paprika hinted at the possibilities of paprika’s use expands beyond the political confines of Hungary. The bright red colour of ground paprika leaves a lasting impression for anyone visiting the spice markets from Morocco to Turkey to Iraq to Northern India. In these regions, the spice is prized as much for...
Mahlab was another one of those purchases I made because I was very intrigued yet knew nothing little about when I purchased a bag of this spice. However, after my first experience with mahlab, I was determined to learn more about this wonderful new addition to my spice repitoire. I love being pleasantly...
I learned my lesson about being hesitant about trying sheep cheese, and eagerly jumped in with both feet to try goat cheese. I was ready to be impressed, and was not disappointed. Goat cheese, with the fresh kind also known as chevre, is made from goat milk. Goat cheese comes in a wide variety of...
When I attended a Yucatan cooking class in Mexico, the chef informed us that oregano was a foundation spice in many of the dishes we were to prepare, he further admonished us that we needed to use only Mexican oregano and not the Mediterranean Greek variety. Huh? Where I grew up, oregano is oregano is oregano. But...
Nigella is another ingredient that does not get the respect it deserves. I am convinced this lack of use in the United States, at least, is due to the fact that it has numerous aliases, making it challenging to find, much less get, the spice you intend – unless you know what to seek. ...
