Seasonings

 

         The whole point of seasonings is to add or bring out flavor.  Salt is the most important seasoning.  Remember to taste and adjust seasonings.  Make it a habit to taste, adjust, season, and taste. 

 

Herbs come from the green parts of plants, like leaves, stems and flowers.  Many herbs can be purchased in dry or ground forms.  Prefer fresh herbs whenever they are available. 

 

Spices come from the hard parts of plants, barks, seeds, or nuts.  These are usually grated or ground into powders.  Occasionally they are left whole like poppy seeds or cumin seeds. 

 

Spice blends are mixtures of seasonings.  Many common seasonings are actually blends.  Once you try making your own blends, you will never go back to store made blends. Pumpkin Pie spice is very simple one part cloves, two parts ginger and four parts cinnamon.  A part can be whatever measurement you choose.  If you choose one teaspoon to equal one part, the pumpkin spice recipe would be one teaspoon cloves, 2 teaspoons ginger and four teaspoons cinnamon.

Some spice blend require the whole seed and need to be ground together to blend.  This will release a fresh and stronger flavor than using pre-ground spices.  I bought a second coffee grinder to use just for spices.  It is important to thoroughly clean the grinder after use.  Residue spices from the last grinding can ruin the next spice blend.




I wipe out the grinder removing as
much of the spices at possible, then
add a little water to the bowl rinse it out.

Wipe it clean with a paper towel.
Do not submerge any electrical
appliance in water.










 

The grinder should be clean for the next use.
There may be some discoloring in the bowl
of the grinder.

Other seasonings can be found in liquids like soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. There are many marinades, cooking sauces and condiments that can be used to season dishes.  Be creative in their uses and adventuresome in trying new tastes.  Many of these seasonings come with great recipes on the box or label or can be found on the website for the product.

 

This Week’s Challenge - Make your own seasoning blend

 

            Choose a seasoning that you like and try to make your own version.  It can be a chili blend, curry powder, blackening seasoning, or get adventurous and find a blend you have never used before.

 

Tip for this Week – More on Salt

 

            Salt is necessary for many ingredients.  Don’t be afraid to use it.  Remember to taste and adjust. Some ingredients love salt, like the potato, and need salt to work well in a dish. 

            Salt is necessary for normal muscle and nerve function.  The World Health Organization recommends 5 g of salt a day for adults. However it is also recommended for some with certain health conditions and older adults should reduce the amount of salt consumption to as little as 3 g per day.

            There are many kinds of salt available in markets.  Sea salt and kosher salt are often recommended in recipe.  Kosher salt is refined salt with no additives and meets hechsher requirements.  Sea salt is refined by evaporation from sea water.  Fortified salts have additives like iodine that helps meet nutritional requirements.  Flavored salts are processed to give additional flavors.  Smoked salt or celery salt are in this category.

 

This Week in Punkin’s Kitchen

 

BERBERE

Ethiopian Spice Blend

 

 

Makes one cup

1 t        Fenugreek seeds

½ C     Ground dried Serrano chilies or other ground dried chilies*

¼ c      Paprika

2 T       Salt

2 t        Ground ginger

2 t        Onion powder

1 t        Ground cardamom, preferably freshly ground**

1 t        Ground nutmeg

½ t       Garlic powder

¼ t       Ground cloves

¼ t       Ground cinnamon

¼ t       Ground allspice

 

The ingredients

The chilies

 

1.    Finely grind the fenugreek seed in a mortar and pestle or electric spice or coffee grinder. 



Cut the stem of each chile and shake
out the seeds as best you can.

Cut the chilies in small pieces and pulverize
into powder.

Place the powder in a bowl and continue with
the remaining spices.

 

Add The who spices to the grinder.
This is the cardamom seeds

The fenugeek seeds

I used whole cloves, too.

Pulverize the seeds and add to the bowl
with the chilies

2.    Stir together with the remaining ingredient in a small bowl until well combined.

Add the ground spices to the small bowl
with pulverized spices.  The is the paprika.

I used smoked salt.

 

The ginger

Garlic powder and onion powder



Nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon

Blend the spices together and
store in an air tight container,











 

3.    Store in an air tight container for up to three months.





I used the berere in ground turkey patties

Turkey melt with Insalata Capresi

 

 

 

From The soul of a New Cuisine, by Marcus Samuelsson, p.12

 

* I could not find dried Serrano chilies.  I used whole Chile Japones Entero since they are small like Serrano’s and ground them with the fenugreek seeds.

 

** I used whole cardamom seed and also ground them with the fenugreek seeds.

In Ethiopia this is used to flavor just about everything.  It is used mostly in soups and stews. Chef Samuelsson recommends using it as a rub for lamb or pork.  I tried it on chicken breasts and it was fantastic.  The first batch I used less chilies, because I wasn’t sure how hot it would be.  I would use more chilies at least an ounce.  After talking to my friend from Ethiopia at church, I would make this much hotter.  She was pleased with my first try. 

 

 

           

Emeril’s Herbes de Provence

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/herbs-de-provence-recipe.html

 

The ingredients

2 T of each of the dried herbs

Savory

Rosemary

Thyme

Oregano

Basil

Marjoram

Fennel Seed

 

Combine and store in an air tight container.

 

U made a half batch.  Put all the spices
in the grinder and blend.

I blend even the ground spices.
This refreshes the spice a little.

 
 

 

I combine in the spice grinder and grind into a fine power.

 

It is good to flavor soups, sauces, dips and a dry rub.  It is particularly good with poultry.

 

I used some of Herbes de Provence in
chicken vegetable soup

 

Caribbean Curry Powder

 



2 T       Cumin seeds

1 T       Coriander seeds

1 T       Poppy seeds

1 T       Mustard seeds, preferably brown

1 T       Cloves, whole

1 T       Peppercorns

2 T       Turmeric, ground

1 T       Ginger, ground, preferably Jamaican

 

 

The ingredients

1.    Toast the cumin, coriander, poppy and mustard seeds in a heavy iron skillet until the mustard seeds begin to jump about. 



I toasted the seeds in a cast iron skillet.
Move them around continuously on high heat
until the mustard seed begin to jump around.

 

2.    Add the cloves and peppercorns and grind in a mill or in a blender.

 

Add the cloves and peppercorns to the grinder
and add the toasted spice.  Grind into powder and
transfer to a small bowl.

3.    Mix with the turmeric and ginger. 

 

Add the ground turmeric and ginger
and stir to blend.

4.    Put through a fine sieve and store in a glass jar. 

 

I don't bother to sieve the spices.
If you choose to do so, use a small fine
strainer.  I have a tea strainer would work.

From:  Weight Watchers International Cookbook, p.65

 

I used some of the Caribbean Curry Powder
as a dry rub on baked chicken breasts.

This is very different from the traditional curry blends, but I really like this one.  It can be used to season vegetables, in soups and stews or in meat dishes.

 

Happy Cooking!