I think I fessed up that I have a habit of buying spices first and asking questions later. Sometimes the purchases were duds, although I believe the argument could be made for ” user error”, one or two chance encounters caused strong feelings of repulsion, but sometimes they led to those wonderful “Eureka” moments....
Read more »
Cumin is one of those spices, that grows on me; the more I use it, the more I appreciate its versatility – it adds a depth of flavor to the dish that I love, but without the astringency that coriander can add. Even my so called “spice adverse” dinner companions appreciate its contribution to...
Read more »
This post continues the Curry series I started with: Britain’s National Dish is… and Curry, A World Traveler I am continuing my exploration of these them and future posts will cover curry beyond, India and Britain. Like Salad Oliveh this is truly a global dish and has influenced many cultures. I have seen curry leaves...
Read more »
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...
Read more »
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...
Read more »
For me, paprika and Hungary are the immediate paring that come to mind, followed closely by smoked paprika and Spain. In this case, there is no talk about settling for second best. This spice is stellar. Smoked paprika is an amazing spice that that assertively adds depth and packs flavor to any dish. It...
Read more »
Due to the favourable climate and geographical conditions Hungarian paprika has a bright red colour and a distinctive rich flavour that allowed Hungary to became one of the leading paprika producers in the world. Kalocsa and Szeged in the southern part of Hungary are the heart of paprika production in Hungary. These regions have...
Read more »
Mead is a fermented beverage also know as “honey wine” because that is frequently made where grapes are not grown and has the simple ingredients of water and yeast. Although, mead is not technically a wine. It has a long history and has been the stuff of legends, literally, having been featured in Beowoulf....
Read more »
In a recent bout of Mexican cooking (I go through periods, I just wrapped up a long stretch of Italian). I encountered, or more specifically, paid attention for the first time to the ingredient – avocado leaves (hojas de aguacate). In most cases, they list this ingredient as “optional”, but I had to wonder...
Read more »
photo from sfgate.com In preparing a recent post on raw fish, I developed a craving for cerviche, and really who could blame me? Living in San Francisco, there was one restaurant on my radar that I knew could offer me an authentic, or at least close proximally, of the Peruvian cerviche I desired: that restaurant...
Read more »
