Meatless Magic Meal

I was cold and wanted a simple supper that would warm me to the core.  I wanted easy and satisfying, and I wanted flavor and nutrition.  Oh, and it had to be something everyone would enjoy.   You may think this a steep list of demands for a one-pot dish, but, believe it or not, Kitchri magically fits the bill.

Kitchri is an Indian dish consisting of red lentils and basmati rice – and not a whole lot more.  It gets its flavor from fried onions and garam masala.  Garam masala is an Indian spice blend traditionally containing coriander, cumin, black peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

 

This Spice House carries my usual blend in its whole and ground forms. Theirs uses Moroccan coriander, cardamom from Tamil Nadu, India, Tellicherry pepper, cinnamon, kalonji (aka black cumin) caraway, Zanzibar cloves, China #1 ginger and nutmeg.  (I buy the whole and grind it myself in my spice grinder – aka cheap coffee grinder – on an as needed basis).

I assembled my ingredients and discovered…I was out of the aforementioned seasoning staple.  But…all was not lost.  I happened to have some newly purchased Ras El Hanout.  My cousin, Peter, fell in love with this Middle Eastern spice blend when he was in Morocco with the Peace Corps and, at one point, suggested I give it a try.  Thank goodness I did or my perfect dinner idea would have to be scratched.

 

Ras El Hanout, translated as “Top of the Shop,” is typically made from the best of the spices the merchant has to offer (hence the name).  It contains a range of flavorful ingredients.  My Spice House version is packed with Tellicherry black pepper, cardamom, salt, ginger, cinnamon, mace, turmeric, allspice, nutmeg, and saffron.  It was close enough for me and for my kitchri (but probably my old Indian grandmother – if I had one).

The recipe follows, but please note - only long grain basmati rice will do.  Short grain rice will not break down into the texture required for this dish and instant rice...yuck.  Don't even get me started on that. 

A great (and permissible) shortcut can be found in the aisles of many Asian and Middle Eastern grocery stores.  Instead of frying two onions in the butter (or ghee), sometimes I use half a cup of fried onions - and not the one's used on green bean casserole.  These are sold also as "fried shallots" or Bawang Goreng.  They are usually only a couple of bucks for a poundish (500g) bag and work nicely in a pinch.   

Kitchri
Ingredients:

1c basmati rice (no substitutions on this one!)

1c red lentils

2T butter (or ghee if you have it)

2 onions sliced thin (or .5c fried onions)

5.5c hot water

2-3t salt (to taste)

1.5t garam masala (ground)

Instructions:

-Rinse lentils removing any bad ones or impurities and set aside

-Melt butter in large stock pot over med heat.  When bubbly, add onions (if using) and cook until browned.

-Add rice and lentils and stir constantly for 3 minutes

-Add salt and garam masala (and fried onions if using instead of fresh)

-Turn heat to med-high and add hot water all at once (beware of the hot burst of steam) and give a quick stir.

-Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low.

-DO NOT peak, stir, maim, or harass for 25 minutes until lentils and rice are cooked.

-Stir rapidly to achieve smooth, porridge consistency (add .5c more hot water and cook on low 10 more minutes for softer texture if desired)

-Eat and enjoy!

The flavor might not have been exactly authentic, but the Ras El Hanout was an excellent substitute and had the exotic flavor I craved.  Oh…and as a bonus, it is meat free! 

Spicy Show and Tell

I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it!  My Spice House package just came!  I’ve been ordering from them for a few years now and remain nothing but impressed.  Not only is the product always incredibly fresh, but it is also perfectly packaged every single time.  The result is pristine looking herbs and spices that look as if I picked them myself (I wish).

I usually place my order based on the things I consider necessities and then add in a few new items I’d like to try.  Here’s what I received today:

WANT TO TRY

Greektown “Billygoat” Seasoning.  I make my own gyros and tzatziki sauce and adore roast lamb, so purchasing this new-to-me Greek salt blend was a no-brainer.  (Ingredients: coarse flake salt, granulated garlic powder, Tellicherry black pepper, onion powder, Greek fancy oregano and powdered lemon peel)

SHOULD HAVE

I’ve been considering buying this Italian blend for some time and, now that I frequently make my own spaghetti sauce, I decided it was time.  I grow my own oregano, basil and rosemary and just bought thyme, but this mouth-watering mix contains marjoram too - all in a perfectly proportioned package.

The garlic and poppy seeds are destined to adorn my ArtisanBread in Five Minutes a Day everything bagels!  Oh, and the caraway seeds are for my Artisan Bread rye bread dough already prepped and ready in the fridge.  (Mmmmm…Reubens!)  

     

MUST HAVE

I rarely make a dish that doesn’t use one of these decadent duos: coriander and cumin or thyme and sage.  The chili powder too is an absolute necessity (shhh…it’s a secret ingredient in my award winning chili.)

 

NEED TO HAVE

I would never have learned about my two new obsessions if it weren’t for The Spice House.  One is the delicious in a Bloody Mary, hot to trot Vulcan's Fire Salt – a House exclusive (As we speak, I’m enjoying a bowl of vegetable soup with a little sprinkle of His Habañero Highness).  The other - Korean Black garlic – I would never had tried if it weren’t for their tasty description.  I am a garlic lover but was surprised by the rich, nutty flavor of this aged and fermented version.  It’s delicious in chicken soup but even better added to Japanese ramen broth (I prefer the fresh noodle version, bar none). 

Now that my spice drawer (yes, I have an entire drawer dedicated to the savory stuff – less the saffron which lives in a vacuum packed pouch in the freezer) is happy, so am I.  My only trouble is deciding which one to use first!

Spice is Nice

Tonight I had a pound of local, grass fed, Three Sister’s ground beef thawed and ready for dinner…and that is just about as far as I'd managed with the preps. I had absolutely ZERO idea what I was going to do with it and mulled ingredients and thought about recipes and considered applications for a while and finally decided to make stroganoff. Then...I realized I was out of mushrooms.  My thinker shifted slowly to goulash – but not the Johhny Marzetti type macaroni and tomato stuff I grew up calling goulash - real goulash with bay leaves and tons of smoked Hungarian paprika and real sour cream (not that low fat or - heaven forbid - fat free junk). Technically what I ended up making would probably insult my old Hungarian grandmother – if I had one - but it was delicious, everyone loved it, and it is definitely on my Make It Again list. (recipe below)

The problem was, in cooking it, I used the last of my paprika and my last two bay leaves (one of which played a fierce game of hide-and-go-seek when I tried to pull it out of the sauce at the conclusion of cooking). Fortunately, my friend The Spice House was running a free shipping special for orders over $40 (code: FreeShip40). Not that I needed forty dollars of spices, but…well, anyone who knows me will know I surely didn’t mind finding something to add to my collection. I decided to stock up on a couple staples and take advantage of the free shipping special by treating myself to a couple items from my wish list.

Staples:

Hungarian Sweet AND Spanish Smoked Sweet paprika – They don’t carry the Hungarian smoked I’m used to, so I decided to try a couple new ones. I hope they will do in my recipes - but I’ve never been disappointed by anything I’ve ordered from The Spice House (mostly I use paprika for chicken and pork rib rub and my newly invented “goulash” recipe).

Turkish Bay leaves – Instead of the domestic leaves that I usually buy, I'm going to give these with a “milder and more complex” flavor a whirl.  Bay leaves are an essential ingredient in beef and barley soup, the goulash, spaghetti sauce and more.

Tellicherry peppercorns – I bought a half-pound. I seem to be using the stuff at an amazing rate.  I use it in EVERYTING.

Za'atar – Ok, maybe this isn’t a staple to some, but I use it when I have it and I’m out right now. This Middle Eastern/Mediterranean blend of sumac, thyme, sesame seeds, hyssop, and oregano is DELICIOUS packed onto flatbread brushed with olive oil and then grilled or lightly broiled.

Splurges:

Madagascar Bourbon Island Vanilla Bean Paste – I needed vanilla ANYWAY, but I’ve never tried the paste. I’ve heard it makes fabulous vanilla ice cream and Crème brûlée. Yummm!

Ras El Hanout – My cousin spent some time with the Peace Corps in Morocco and raved about the food. This regional multi-spice, spice blend directly translated to mean “top of the shop” is – in theory – the best of the best of the best of the best, sir! My cousin assured me I would find endless uses for it (NOTE: The Spice House website not only sells fabulous spices, they also list tons of recipe ideas using each type). I read that some blends of Ras El Hanout contain 20 or more spices – the one from The Spice House has 10 (Tellicherry black pepper, cardamom, salt, ginger, cinnamon, mace, turmeric, allspice, nutmeg, and saffron)

Aged Korean Black Garlic – I am a garlic nut, so I’m curious beyond words to try this aged and fermented specialty with the “sweet, salty, earthy taste…”

Vulcan’s Fire Salt – I’m also a spicy HOT food freak. This new item named after the Roman god of fire popped up in my twitter feed (yes, agoodcooker is on twitter – take a peek at the way bottom of the blog), so I had to try it. This sure-to-be-amazing salt blend contains the following: Salt, Louisiana Chile Mash, Garlic, Habanero Chile, Shallots, Tellicherry Pepper, Lime Peel, Pimenton de La Vera, Picane, Cumin, Allspice, and Vinegar.

Now that my spices are on their way, I'm sure I can think up more uses or make my newly invented version of goulash again soon. I know the family won’t mind.

Sorta Hungarian Goulash
1 lb hamburger
1 large onion, diced
1T paprika (preferably Hungarian smoked)
4 ounces red wine
8 ounces beef stock (preferably homemade)
2 large bay leaves
1t garlic powder
1t fresh ground black pepper
1t sugar
1T kosher salt (more or less to taste)
28oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 to 3/4c sour cream
1 lb fusilli (or similar) pasta

1. Over medium/high heat, brown hamburger. Drain most of the fat. Add onion and sauté until clear.
2. Add paprika and cook until fragrant. Add wine to deglaze pan.
3. Add beef stock (homemade), bay leaves, garlic powder, black pepper, sugar, salt and tomatoes. Simmer sauce on low until thickened (30 minutes or more to release flavors).
4. Cook pasta. Drain.
5. Toss pasta with sauce and add sour cream. Mix well.  Serve immediately and enjoy.

To each his own

Recently I was involved in a discussion regarding the difference between herbs and spices - in my mind, spices are seeds and herbs are leaves – but what about other plant parts and even dried vegetables like onion and garlic powder? And how does one categorize saffron, zest, bark, extracts? (Using my definition, bay leaves would be herbs, but I’ve always considered them to be spices). My favorite procurement palace, The Spice House, groups them all together as “spices” but does have an “herb” category that includes all the typical leafy things as well as lavender (but not saffron or bay leaves which are listed as spices).

I decided to do what I love to do and research it. As with previous entries, the more I dug into the topic, the more questions I had.

First, the similarities. Spices and herbs are all inarguably parts of plants. Both are used widely in all styles of cuisine to add or enhance different flavor elements. In a typical grocery store, less the fresh items, all mingle together on the same shelves with salt, food coloring, gravy packs and chili seasoning.

A few differences. The shelf life of dried herbs seems to be in the neighborhood of six months maximum. A note - my reading states herbs generally should have some flexibility (not powder when crumbled), color (usually green), and an evident scent. Whole spices last much longer and can be kept for a year or two or more (ground = 6 months). Most herbs are relatively inexpensive while quality spices can sometimes almost break the bank.  Spices come in a range of beautiful colors and herbs are more often than not shades of green. 

I asked my good friend Merriam Webster to straighten it all out for me and didn’t find much help there either.

Spice- (noun) any of various aromatic vegetable products (as pepper or nutmeg) used to season or flavor foods

Herb- (noun) a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, savory, or aromatic qualities.

And, just to further confuse the issue:  Spice- (verb) to season with spices

Not satisfied, I grabbed my always faithful Cook’s Illustrated annuals to get their take on the matter. While they did not clearly distinguishing between the two either, herbs seem to be those used primarily fresh (or in a dried form) and spices are seeds separated between savory or sweet applications. (Interestingly enough, CI included crystallized ginger with the “baking” spices). Julia Child, who focuses on French cooking, defines herbs as the following: parsley, thyme, bay leaves, tarragon, chives, chervil, basil, fennel (as in the plant, not the seeds), oregano, sage and saffron. Basically, she agrees that herbs are leaves and plant parts and spices (such as allspice) are seeds.

Cookbook after cookbook, article after article - even the McCormick website lists them ALL as spices - oh, and every expert has their own opinion - but all seemed to come to the same conclusion. There is no single, all-encompassing conclusion. Apparently there are clear cut spices and clear cut herbs and a huge gray area in between. So, I guess I’ll call my seeds spices and my leaves herbs but truly, these categories - I've concluded - are ultimately best left to the opinion of the cooker.

While researching the topic for which I found no real answer, I did stumble across this very cool herb and spice guide. Check it out: http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/indepth.food/herbs/chart.html 

Cup 'O Joe By Any Other Name

I never used to be a regular coffee drinker but lately can’t seem to get my day started without it. I’m fond of Starbucks but only occasionally order anything but their brewed coffee as both the price and the calorie content of some of their featured items scare me (although once or twice a year I indulge in a Cinnamon Dolce Latte or a cappuccino). My frugal side spurs me to make the majority of my own coffee at home, but because I fancy myself a sort of coffee connoisseur, I've found the fair-trade organic blends from Trader Joe’s (they have a few) nicely suit my daily needs.

(A Fair Trade Certified designation, in theory, marks goods that pay the farmers producing them - typically coffee, tea, chocolate and sugar - a larger percentage or "fair" amount of the proceeds. For more on this, see http://www.transfairusa.org/)

Regular coffee aside, my Vietnamese coffee post prompted me to think about other “exotics” I’ve tried both here and abroad. Of course I’ve had Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kona coffee; indeed, when I was on the Big Island in April, I visited a coffee co-op and bought plenty of Kona for me and some to share. But, I suppose my two absolute favorites are of the Greek and Turkish varieties. Although I’d tasted Greek coffee at our local Greek food fest, the cup I had in Crete was second to none. I was able to watch the curator grind the beans in an ancient looking mill, carefully spoon out just the right amount of fine powdered coffee from the mill’s wooden drawer, simmer my single serving in a small metal pot known as a briki and slowly pour the rich, dark brew, grounds and all, into a white porcelain demitasse topped with the lighter brown foam left clinging to the sides of the pot. Delicious.

(Greek coffee is made with or without sugar. The amount or a lack thereof sugar is identified by the name. Sketos = no sugar, metrios = a little sugar, glykos = a lot of sugar, vary glykos = extra strong coffee with extra sugar.)

Turkish coffee is prepared in the same manner as the Greek coffee and indeed is often referred to as one in the same (although the Turkish beans traditionally have a far darker roast). Finely powdered coffee - sugar or no - is also brewed in a long handled pot called a cezve.  Not unlike a briki in form and function, this Middle-eastern version is traditionally made from copper and a bit more ornate.  Additionally, Turkish coffee is frequently spiced with cardamom. Cardamom, of the ginger family, is indigenous to India but also grown in South America. Available in whole pod, seed or powder form, it is widely used throughout Indian cooking from curries to desserts and even to season steamed basmati rice. In the Middle East, where I lounged on a red velvet couch to enjoy my first cup of Turkish coffee, cardamom is used to add flavor to both coffee and tea.

I don't have the capicity to grind my coffee beans as fine as is required for either of these, nor do I have plans (unfortunately) to travel overseas again any time soon, but I have learned to make due.  A couple brands of pre-ground Greek coffee can be found in specialty markets, and I satisfy my Turkish coffee crave by grinding a whole cardamom pod (purchased from http://www.thespicehouse.com/, of course) with my regular beans before brewing. 

Thanks to these last couple posts, in addition to a Vietnamese coffee press (I've now learned is called a cà phê phin), I now feel the need to find a briki or perhaps even a cezve.

(Thank you to http://www.thespicehouse.com/ for the cardamom picture and to http://www.freshcoffeeshop.com/ for the cezve picture)

What's This Here Sauce?

I was asked to explain “meat muffins” from my earlier post. Nothing fancy - it’s simply meatloaf cooked in a muffin tin. My kids love meatloaf, but I hated to wait and wait for a large loaf to cook and once had the profound thought, “If one can divide quick bread batter into smaller portions and make muffins, why not do the same with meatloaf mixture?” It not only worked - it took only 20 minutes for the little guys to cook at 350 as opposed to an hour or more for the big one. Thus meat muffins were born.

Now, how I make my meatloaf is not an exact science. Ingredients can be any combination of raw egg, homemade bread crumbs, onion, tomato, bulgur wheat, ketchup, salsa and more, but I do always add Worcestershire sauce. I will admit that try as I might, I can’t pronounce it. My grandma used to tell me to say, “What’s-this-here-sauce.”  However, I usually call it, “The stuff in the brown bottle” or “Lea & Perrins” – but I use it in all kinds of dishes and probably go through a paper-wrapped bottle of the stuff a year, so I decided to learn more about it.

“The story of Lea & Perrins® famous Worcestershire Sauce begins in the early 1800s, in the county of Worcester. Returning home from his travels in Bengal, Lord Sandys, a nobleman of the area, was eager to duplicate a recipe he'd acquired. On Lord Sandys's request, two chemists—John Lea and William Perrins made up the first batch of the sauce. Lea and Perrins were not impressed with their initial results. The pair found the taste unpalatable, and simply left the jars in their cellar to gather dust. A few years later, they stumbled across them and decided to taste the contents again. To their delight, the aging process had turned it into a delicious, savory sauce.”

The secret recipe contains mainly anchovies and tamarind as well as a laundry list of other ingredients, spices and “natural flavorings.” Both anchovies and tamarind are used around the world in many different ways as a sort of “season-all” solution for cooking. Both, used in large quantities can be overpowering to the inexperienced palate but, in moderation, can accent a dish nicely. The same goes for Worcestershire sauce.

Tamarind (Tamatindus indica) is the pod of a tree native to Africa but now is mainly cultivated in India. This sweet/sour and tart fruit is widely used throughout Africa, South-east Asia, and South America in curries, chutneys, beverages, candies or even eaten whole when allowed to mature. It is available in dried pod, paste or powder form. (I use the paste when cooking a popular Philippine sour pork soup called Sinigang na Baboy.)

Anchovies, usually found in fillet or paste form in both salted and oil-packed varieties, are more than that stinky little fish used as a pizza topping. Indeed, Caesar salad would not be Caesar salad without anchovies.  Just as my meatloaf, beef stroganoff, Bloody Marys and even Caesar salad (yes, it needs a dash too) would certainly be lacking without Lea & Perrins.

Speaking of which, here is my favorite Caesar salad recipe ala Cooks Illustrated (May/June p12-13, 2002)

2 large eggs
1T plus 2t fresh squeezed lemon juice
1t Worcestershire Sauce
1/4t salt
1/8 fine fresh ground black pepper
1 garlic clove (pressed)
4 flat anchovy fillets, minced (about 1.5t)
1/3c olive oil
2 medium heads romaine (washed, dried and torn)
1/3c grated parmesan (NOT the stuff from the can!)

-Bring two inches water to boil in small pan. Lower eggs into water and cook for 45 seconds. When cool enough to handle, crack open, reserve yolks and discard whites. Add lemon juice, Worcestershire Sauce, salt, pepper, garlic and anchovies to yolks and whisk until smooth. Whisking constantly, add oil in slow, steady stream. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
-Toss lettuce, cheese and dressing to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Thanks to The Spice House for the tamarind picture and information.  Learn more about Lea & Perrins here: http://www.leaperrins.com/about-lea-perrins.aspx

Holiday delay

The holidays have always been about cooking and baking for me. I plan far in advance what I will make. I stew over my ten or so Cook’s Illustrated annuals and crack open my old-timey Betty Crocker Cooky Book. (I don't need bookmarks because "favorite" pages are always marked with a glob of dough or stuck together with molasses.)  I make my final selections, write out my shopping lists, and gather only the best ingredients – heavy cream, real butter and vanilla, Scharffenberger chocolate and cocoa, and new spices – especially new spices. I regularly restock spices this time of year. A good rule of thumb is six months for ground spices and twelve months for whole. (I grind most everything but cloves. My grinder doesn’t do them fine enough to suit me). This is another reason I love The Spice House. They sell herbs and spices in a variety of sizes from less than an ounce up to a pound.  This permits me to purchase what I will need for about a year. Oh, and I always buy a fresh can of baking powder regardless of the expiration date. There is nothing more disappointing than having ones baking powder fail (unless you really like hockey puck biscuits).

Because we spent Christmas visiting family out of state, my efforts this year were slightly delayed. We will celebrate our Christmas on New Year’s Day. So, today I baked Cook’s Illustrated double chocolate cookies, pfferneuse and gingerbread men. All three involve flour and, even worse, copious amounts of powdered sugar. This is a bad thing, as I am messy beyond compare when I cook. I frequently use my hands and often wipe them on my clothes without thinking (and I'm usually wearing black). I routinely spill, slop, splatter, and splash – activities that are only truly appreciated by the little dog who stands at the ready to clean up after me. Today I even turned on the mixer a little too high while adding cocoa/flour mixture. Poof! A fine dusty layer still coats my kitchen. All of this ensures I have just as must powered sugar on me as on the pfferneuse.

Photo by Susan Wenzel 

Nonetheless, everything is delicious. Now, if I could just find someone to finish the dishes.

One size fits all

I was wrapping presents today and noticed a good chunk of them are food items. Among them are chai spice blend and cocoa nibs (both from my favorite – The Spice House) as well as 100% Kona coffee for my mom, Virginia Diner peanuts for my grandparents (salted, Old Bay seasoned, and butter toffee) and dad (chocolate covered), little boxes of Godiva chocolates for the girls’ stockings, wine for my sister – heck, even the dog gets a 2 foot long rawhide bone. When I was a kid, Christmas Eve was filled with people stopping by and dropping off food gifts: cookies, candies, a ham, fresh baked bread, fruit baskets. (As I mentioned before, our neighbors here share gifts from their own kitchens: a rum cake, homemade trail mix, fudge, and brownies are often among the treats.)

Aside from fruitcake (I’ve tried to appreciate it, I really have), food gifts given this time of year are lucious, delectable and unique (and fattening, but we won’t go there) – not your typical run-of-the-mill grocery store items but special things we wouldn’t normally think to purchase. And, I’m apparently not the only one who gives food gifts. From Harry & David and Cheryl’s Cookies (lemon frosted…yumm) made in the town where my great-grandparents lived – Westerville, Ohio – to Hickory Farms and Omaha Steaks – these specialty food companies cite Chirstmas time as their busiest season.

Now, I could wax philosophical about breaking bread, but I prefer to think that the answer is much simpler. We want to give something to be enjoyed not something that will be returned the next day. We give what we love and we love food. Food is the any age, any sex, any holiday or religion, true “one size fits all” gift. (Personally, I’d rather have a couple jars of homemade jam over a waffle iron any day!)

Gold, Frankincense & Saffron

Yesterday I received a Christmas package from my sister-in-law containing gifts for the girls and spices for me. A few weeks ago she told me about a new spice market near her house in South Pasadena and asked if I wanted anything. I had just placed a big order from http://www.thespicehouse.com/ but had forgotten a couple items. As I planned to make pfferneuse and gingerbread from an old German recipe, I told her I would deeply appreciate allspice and “real” cinnamon. **I most recently learned – I think from Alton Brown – that most cinnamon sold in stores is not really cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) but cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticu) – a close relative.

This made me start thinking about spices ...how much I didn’t know then, how much I know now, and how much I still have to learn. Case in point: About ten years ago I visited Bali in Indonesia and very near The Spice Islands (aka Maluku Islands) – so named for the abundance of spices grown there. Unfortunately, at that time I was not as enamored of cooking as I am now and missed my chance to stock up. I did, however, buy whole nutmeg, anise, cloves and a bunch of other goodies for my Aunt Carol who is a cooker extraordinaire.

Years later I found myself in the middle-east, Dubai to be exact, and made a point of visiting a couple of the souks (Arabic for market). Souks, I soon learned, are both market places and festival places. The range of goods sold in each and the opportunities for people watching were mind-boggling! At the gold souk, I gawked at the millions and millions of dollars of gorgeous gold jewelry (sold by the gram regardless of the workmanship involved) on display in each storefront and finally settled on an intricate 22k filigree ring for $15(US) a gram ($466 an ounce – a good deal at the time).

Photo by Susan Wenzel

Then…I ventured into the spice souk. Surrounded by the kaleidoscope of colors and panorama of smells emitting from row after row of huge burlap bags and bins of every kind of spice, herb and nut imaginable – I was quickly approaching sensory overload. After gathering myself, I was determined to not make the Bali mistake. Now older and wiser, I purchased all kinds of amazing items including premium grade frankincense (not a spice but a highly prized tree resin used in perfumes and incense) and then honed in on my intended target – saffron. Saffron, stamen from the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), is one of the most expensive, highly prized items in the food world. (I most recently saw 1 gram for sale in a specialty market for $9). This fragrant and richly colored spice is loved just as much for the exotic aroma and taste it imparts as it is for the golden hue it gives to rice, chicken or even custard. After passing on bins of yellowish-orange saffron in one crowded little store, I succeeded in persuading the merchant I meant business. He finally pulled a small tin from a shelf behind the counter. This was the stuff I was looking for – the good stuff. After parting with about $12, I walked away with nearly a full ounce of rich smelling, deeply red colored tiny curls of saffron.

My penchant for purchasing spices both at home and abroad has earned me the nickname of “Spice Girl.” Although I’ll admit I’ve moved far beyond seasoning my food with only salt and pre-ground pepper, there are so many more spices to learn and flavors to explore!