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SPICE SMARTS
What's in your spice cabinet? Knowing the right answers could open the door on a whole new world of flavors.
The scenario.You buy a particular spice for some special recipe then let it lanquish on the shelf because you haven't a clue about other uses for it. So here are a few suggestions for giving those neglected spices a fair shake-and sparking a bit of culinary magic in the process. |
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Though this berry of a warm-climate evergreen tree
will grow almost anywhere, it bears fruit in only four places on
the planet: Jamaica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
Because this three-in-oner tastes like a combo of cloves, cinnamon,
and nutmeg, chances are its bouquet already blossoms in
your favorite cakes, pies, and other desserts. But many savvy
cooks also use allspice to add a touch of sweetness to such
entrées as creamy chicken casseroles, beef or lamb stews, baked
ham, meat loaf, and boiled fish dishes. Try it, too, in your own
split pea or tomato soups, and in side dishes that feature red
cabbage, eggplant, or cranberry as a star ingredient.
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A kissing cousin of the ginger family, the
cardamom plant’s fruit produces the aromatic seeds that you’ll
usually find in ground form. As a native of India and southeastern
Asia, this spice is a traditional ingredient in curries and
other dishes indigenous to those areas. But in this part of the
world, you shouldn’t hesitate to try it in a simple summer pea
soup or, say, a well-seasoned cauliflower/yogurt salad, or other
vegetable dishes. Given its more exotic associations, you may
be surprised to learn that cardamom is also the unique taste
that often flavors the Danish you have with your morning coffee—
a good indication of sweet possibilities for your own
home-baked goodies.
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| Put it this way; cayenne is to black pepper what
paella is to Rice-A-Roni. Which is to say, this pungent red
pepper is hot—in both senses of the word. Chili specialists
swear by it, as will your family’s grilling guru after he (no
sexism intended, but it usually is a he) includes it in his personal
version of the ultimate barbeque sauce. Flip through your
cookbook collection and you’ll often find that many a recipe
with a bit of the devil in it—deviled crab, deviled eggs, megaspicy
fried chicken, any sauce called “Diablo”, and yes, paella,
(but probably not devil’s food cake)—will list cayenne as one
of its ingredients. A final word to the wise: a little deviltry goes
a long way, so don’t over do it.
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Don’t confuse it with cilantro, a pungent leaf of the
coriander plant. True coriander (made from dried seeds of the
plant’s fruit) is both different and milder in taste—and more
versatile. How versatile? Would you believe the coriander seed
that flavors hotdogs can also, in ground form, spice up a batch
of cookies? Fact. And if you need more proof of its multitasking
virtues, just add a zesty dash of coriander to bring out
the “wow!” factor in your scrambled eggs, poultry stuffing,
Moroccan lamb couscous, spinach and onion dishes, or
butternut squash soup. This spice could even entice finicky
kids to eat their veggies (especially after you tell them about
the hot dog/cookie thing).
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Legend has it that cumin carried by a bridal couple on
their wedding day ensures marital happiness (a claim that
you’re free to take with a grain of salt). Cuisine-wise, however,
this warm, pungent spice is a tasty talisman for cooks the
world over. Though Mediterranean-born and therefore often
found in Spanish fare, it’s also widely used in Chinese cooking,
as well as in Indian curries and Mexican chili powder. The
Germans add it to sauerkraut; the Dutch and Swiss, to cheese;
and the French, to cakes and breads, as well as—among other
things—a wonderful concoction of shrimp and tomatoes called
Shrimp Seviche.
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To honor the moon goddess Ashtoreth, ancient
Phoenicians ate crescent-shaped cakes baked with saffron. If
the goddess herself wasn’t offered this delicacy, she missed out
on a good thing. The dried stigma of a crocus flower (whose
labor-intensive harvesting process explains the end product’s
through-the-roof price), saffron is very pungent. Use too much
and it tastes medicinal. Use just a pinch and it adds a wonderful
succulence (and glorious golden color) to many classic rice
dishes, as well as to bouillabaisse, oeufs brouillés (scrambled
eggs), fish sauces, Indian or Spanish chicken dishes, and even—
with a nod to those ancient Phoenicians—old-fashioned
saffron cake.
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Another member of the prolific ginger family (which
at last count runs to about 1,300 species), this ground plantroot
gives a sharp mustard-y taste and rich amber color to
almost anything. Mix it into your homemade mayonnaise, with
the flavorings on your roast pork, in your oyster stuffing. In
fact, you could add turmeric to just about any recipe that calls
for prepared mustard. As you explore the possibilities and
experiment with this palate pleaser, you’ll soon be reaching for
it to season sauces and salad dressing, chicken and fish, rice
medleys and egg dishes.
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