Asian Spice Mixes

Finishing our tour of homemade, regional herb and spice mixes, we find ourselves traveling through Asia. The flavors are exciting, spicy, and will make your taste bugs tingle.

Even though all the spice mixes in this series are regionally inspired, that doesn’t mean they won’t work well in dishes from other countries. The following Shanghai blend, for example, works equally well to kick up Mexican dishes.

As with the previous flavor stops in Europe, the Mediterranean, and Northern Africa, to make these you’ll want a quality coffee/spice mill and spice jars.

Shanghai Coastal Mix
2 Tbl crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground anise

Grind to a fine powder.

One of hottest spice mixes in this series, it’s an excellent choice for adding kicking up the heat in any dish. I especially like it on eggs.

Indian Spice Mix
3 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dry mustard
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/4 tsp dill seed
1 tsp cardamon
1 tsp fenugreek seed

Grind to a fine powder.

Fenugreek is sometimes hard to find in my town. If you have trouble finding it, just leave it out. I enjoy using this blend in rice dishes, or any time I want to get a hint of curry without the curry.

Bali Spice Mix
2 bay leaves, crushed
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Grind to a fine powder

This blend provides a nice alternative in stir fries, satays, fish and tofu dishes.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our tour of the flavors of the world through these spice mix blends. To some, mixing your own spice blends has probably seemed odd, while other may consider it being lazy. It’s neither. Instead, they provide a quick and easy way to add variety and excitement any meal.

Photo by abcdz2000 via sxc.

North African Spice Mixes

Fresh from our short tour of the flavors of the Riviera, our next stop on the spice mix tour takes us across the Mediterranean to coastal North Africa. If you missed the first two installments in this homemade herb and spice mix series, you can always go back to visit Europe and the northern Mediterranean coast.

As always, you want a good spice mill and spice jars to blend these for yourself.

Moroccan Mix
2 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Grind to a fine powder.

This distinctive mix is excellent in meat and/or vegetable stews, served with rice or couscous. I wonder if Bogey used this in Casablanca?

Harissa (dry)
1 tsp caraway seed
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
4 tsp red pepper flakes

Grind to a fine powder

Harissa is actually a spicy chili sauce hailing from Tunisia. This dry spice variation is excellent. It adds a unique flavor, as well as a nice amount of heat, to any dish.

Next time, we’ll visit India and Asia for a blast of flavors from Shanghai China, through India, to Indonesia. Stay tuned flavor lovers …

Mediterranean Spice Mixes

Last time, I introduced you to Graham Kerr’s idea of Ethmixes, herb and spice mixtures based on regional flavors to quickly spice up your meal. I gave you two Norther European blends so, this time let’s travel south and visit the Mediterranean. Ah, flavors of the Riviera … yum!

As with the previous blends, you’ll want to use a good spice grinder.

Southern France Mix
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
2 1/2 tsp sage
2 bay leaves, crushed
2 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
2 1/2 tsp dried oregano

Grind to a fine powder.

This mix adds great flavor and complexity to almost any dish.

Northwestern Italy Mix
4 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp sage
2 tsp dried rosemary

Grind to a fine powder.

This is an excellent go-to blend for any Italian themed dish, especially tomato based pasta sauces. I also like it with sauteed vegetables.

Greek Isles Mix
2 Tbl dried oregano
3 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp dried lemon zest
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Grind to a fine powder.

This is a surprising alternative for beef, lamb, and fish dishes. It’s great for flavoring a rice pilaf, too. The Greeks invented the edible complex, didn’t they?

Next time we’ll cross the Mediterranean into coastal North Africa. Are you ready for homemade Harissa?

Spice Up Dinner with Homemade Spice Mixes

Quickly putting together a meal sometimes means whipping up whatever is on hand. Even if you plan  meals in advance, life gets in the way sometimes and plans have to be changed. It’s not your fault. That’s just modern life.

Quick meals don’t have to be boring meals, though. Changing the herbs and spices is a great way to add flavor variety to our lives, especially when improvising. Instead of endless trial and error, trying to figure out which spices go with what herb for what dish, try using a pre-made spice mix. Just don’t rely on the ones at the grocery store.

In his book Swiftly Seasoned, Graham Kerr introduces the idea of “Ethmixes,” spice and herb blends based on regional flavors and made at home. I love this idea. They’re a wonderful addition to the cooking arsenal, quickly adding depth of flavor and variety.

Here are two of my favorite European blends. They are based on Graham Kerr’s recipes, modified for availability of ingredients, amounts likely to be used within a year, and my own tastes. I’ll share more of my mix variations in the coming days.

Equipment Needed

Making your own spice mixes is easy. You will need some equipment that you may not  have purchased before, though. First is a good coffee/spice mill. I don’t drink coffee, so I only need one. If you grind your own coffee, though, buy a separate mill or your coffee will have the peculiar flavor of herbs and spices.

The next is a collection of empty spice jars. Almost any small jar with a tight lid will do. If they are UV resistant, that’s even better. Mark your jars with the date you create the mix. Use them within 6 months to a year. After that, the flavors will weaken and some will simply become stale. Ick.

Directions
For each of the following mixes, simply combine the ingredients in your spice mill and grind into a fine powder. With some mixes, you will mix in addition ingredients after you grind the others. Some herbs instill better flavor if used that way, instead of being ground.

Scandinavian Medley
2 1/4 tsp caraway seeds
3 Tbl dried parsely
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tsp salt

Grind into a fine powder, then mix in 1/2 tsp dried dill weed

This one is much simpler that Graham Kerr’s version. I enjoy it in fish dishes, vegetable soup, and almost everything else.

Northern France Mix
3 tsp dried tarragon
3 dried bay leaves, crushed
2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 tsp dried parsley

Grind into a fine powder.

I like this mix as a rub for roasts or in meaty stews.

Stay tuned. I'll be sharing more spice mixes, next time.

Easy No-Cook Melba Sauce

Melba sauce is made from raspberries and current jelly and is a perfect topping for ice cream, fruit, or pound cake.

Traditional Melba sauce is cooked raspberries and current jelly. I love that combination, but current jelly is sometimes hard to find and a bit expensive. I wanted something less expensive and quicker to make, so I came up with this no-cook variation.

Note: If you choose not to use the current jelly, increase the confectioners' sugar to 1/2 cup and increase the apple juice to 1/4 cup.

Equipment Needed
Measuring cups and spoons
Blender or food processor

Ingredients
2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup current jelly (optional)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple juice

Directions
Puree everything together in a blender. Pass through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds, or leave them if you prefer.

Photo by Alexander Kalina
 

Making Chicken (or Turkey) Stock

Times being what they are, with the economy kicking us in the wallet, we need to take stock of our finances. Why not save some money by turning the bones of all those roasted turkeys, chickens, hams and whatever other animals my you're planning on devouring this holiday season, into stock? It beats buying stock it at the grocery store, and it tastes better too.

I've been doing a lot of reading on making stock, recently. Of course, that means something that used to be a simple procedure for me has suddenly become more complex. According to Jacques Pépin, the French create several kinds of stocks and glazes through reduction. Brown stock, white stock, demi-glace (half-glaze), glace de viande, jus, broth ... it's enough to make your head spin.

I've been experimenting with these things and to be honest, it still confuses me. The best I've been able to figure out so far is that if you reduce a regular stock by about half, you get a demi-glace. Reduce by half again (or more) and you get glace de viande. If you cook fresh bones, you get a white stock. If you roast them in the oven until they turn brown, before you boil them, you get a brown stock.

I'm not going to go into all the variations until I feel more comfortable with them. Instead, I'm going to share a simple way to make a chicken or turkey stock.

Whenever I have a left over chicken or turkey carcass, I save the bones to make stock with. It's okay if there's a bit of meat left on the bones. I don't know if you're really saving money, given the cost or the electricity or gas used to make it, but home made stock has better flavor, and a lot less sodium, than the store bought kind. I've still not gotten the hang of making a perfectly clear stock, but I'm working on it.

A good stock will actually have very little flavor. Stocks serve as a vehicle for other flavors when cooking. Some purists tell methat stock should have no flavor at all. I think they're daft. If you want no flavor at all, why go to the trouble and expense of stock? Just use water.

This is the simple way to make a white stock using chicken or turkey, so there's no cooking the bones beforehand. The fact that they've been cooked a bit in the bird doesn't seem to matter. You'll notice that there's no salt in the stock. That's so if you reduce it, it won't become too salty.

Equipment needed
Stockpot, Dutch Oven, or other large cooking pot
Strainer
Kirtchen Knife
Skimmer or large spoon

Ingredients
1 left over chicken or turkey carcass
1 medium onion, peeled and halved
1 celery stalk, rough chopped
1 medium carrot, rough chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Directions
Break the carcass up so it will fit in your largest pot. The last turkey I had was so big, I ended up cooking the bones in two batches. Add the vegetables and herbs. Add cold water to cover the ingredients.

Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam or other scum (albumin) as it forms. Reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for at least three hours. If you cover the pot, or boil it too fast, much of the fat and albumin will be emulsified back into the liquid, making a cloudy stock that is less digestible and nutritious.

After 3 hours, remove the pot from the heat and strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve or colander. A chinois is the best option, but a sieve works fine for home cooking. Refrigerate overnight. Left over fat and albumin will separate from the liquids and solidify, making fat removal easier.

Put the stock in freezer bags or other air-tight containers and freeze.

If you want, you can boil the bones again. The resulting stock won't be as strong, but it's almost like getting a second batch for free.

This last time I made stock this way, I was able to make about 2 gallons of stock, a quart of demi-glace (the stock reduced by half or more), and a half cup of glace de viande (the stock reduced until all or nearly all of the water is gone). All of them tasted delicious. Not too bad for one left over turkey carcass and a few vegetables. I guess I was just stocking up for Christmas.

I've been trying to save the vegetable trimmings when I'm cutting up vegetables, to make vegetable stock with, but I'm not as good at it. I never get enough vegetables together to make stock before they start to go bad. What I ought to do is freeze them. Over time I'm sure I'd have enough to make vegetable stock with.

Photo by Mathieu Bernadat

Yes Virginia. If you click on the equipment links and buy something, I make money. You knew that already, though.

Homemade Poultry Seasoning Mix

Many stuffing and poultry recipes traditionally made around Thanksgiving call for poultry seasoning. Vegetarians may shy away from it, but they don't need to. It's just an herbal blend commonly used with stews, casseroles, stuffings, and other poultry related dishes. Poultry seasoning is perfectly wonderful in vegetarian versions of such things, as well.

Sometimes, commercial herbal blends leave a little to be desired, though. Here's a way to make your own poultry seasoning. I use a spice grinder for this, but you don't have to. You could just as easily use a mortar and pestle or just a bowl and a fork.

Equipment needed
Spice Grinder (optional)
Mortar and Pestle (optional)

Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground clove (optional)

Directions

Put all the ingredients in a spice grinder and grind until uniform and thoroughly mixed. (Like I mentioned, before, you can also use a mortar and pestle or mixed them up some other way.)

Store in an airtight container. Use to season dressings, stuffings, and other dishes.

Quick and Simple Dijon Mustard Sauce - 200th Post!

It's my 200th post at Confessions of a Mormon Foodie! To commemorate it, wouldn't you know I'd post something as dirt simple as this Dijon mustard sauce. You'd think I'd go all out, or something. Not today, gentle readers. I'm too tired to go all out. Then again, that makes this easy recipe perfect for today.

In order to save time, I may cook up a bunch of things all at once, and then reheat and re-purpose them throughout the week. I don't always do this, but it does help me throw together quick meals when I don't have much time or energy. It also helps on those rare occasions when I just don't want to cook, but still want to eat something good and not resort to take-out.

The other day, for example, I had sauteed a bunch of chicken breasts. When I got home from work tonight, I just didn't have the energy to cook a whole meal for 5 hungry mouths, my own included. I didn't want a peanut butter sandwich, and I didn't want to order pizza. My girls do a fine job with boxed macaroni and cheese, but I wasn't up for that, either. What was I to do?

No worries. Quick meal time! I had cooked chicken breasts, frozen veggies, and a loaf of bread I'd made that morning. While the veggies were cooking in the microwave, I came up with this quick Dijon sauce for the chicken. After reheating the chicken and cutting some bread, I realized the whole meal had been thrown together in just over ten minutes.

Equipment Needed
Microwave safe bowl
Microwave (You had to have seen that coming, right?)

Ingredients
3 heaping tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (a spicy brown mustard will do just as well)
1 tablespoon butter
pinch of sugar
dash of mixed Italian herbs
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Mix everything together in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for about 40 seconds, or until bubbly. Serve over cooked chicken, beef, fish, or just about anything else that you like to eat mustard with.

Was that quick (and simple) or what?

Makes about 1/3 of cup of sauce.
Yes, you could easily make this in a saucepan over the stove if you prefer.

Photo by Charles Thompson

Ravioli with Bacon Blue Cheese Sauce

I came up with this recipe for a contest I found on FoodBuzz. Kraft foods was promoting their Buitoni ravioli line. I didn't win, but it got quite a bit of attention from the FoodBuzz community. My family certainly thought this sauce was a winner. I've modified it slightly since the contest.

This creamy sauce, inspired by bacon blue cheeseburgers, is quite rich. I have been warned by various recipe books not to make pasta sauce with blue cheese. The flavors are just too strong, they say so, of course I had to prove them wrong.

I'll admit, this is best eaten on the day you make it. Letting it sit in the refrigerator will make the blue cheese flavor too strong for pasta. But I love blue cheese. I love bacon. I love pasta.

Death to conventional wisdom! Bring on the flavor!

This recipe was designed with meat ravioli in mind, but I suspect it will work with any good pasta.

Equipment needed
Saute pan
Kitchen knife
Spatula
Sauce pans, one medium, one large
plastic wrap
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups


Ingredients

1 lb. bacon
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled (or more if you like)
1 cup heavy cream
1 /2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried chopped parsley, or 1 tsp freshly chopped parsley
1 /4 tsp ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice
additional salt, pepper, and chopped parsley to taste
18 oz package of meat Ravioli, fresh or frozen

Directions

Remove the egg from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the sauce. The egg is optional. It will add a bit more thickness and body, but you may find you don't need it.

Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Chop into small pieces and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the melted bacon fat.

Add the melted bacon fat and the butter to a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Melt the butter. Add the ricotta cheese and 2 Tbl of the blue cheese, stirring with a whisk until melted and smooth. Add the cream and stir until smooth and well combined. Remove from heat and stir in the bacon, salt, parsley, and pepper.

Beat the egg, if using, and add it to the cheese mixture, mixing thoroughly. Return to the heat and gently cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens and starts to get bubbly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Add more salt, pepper, and parsley to taste. Cover the sauce with plastic wrap, so the plastic wrap is just touching the surface, to avoid a skin forming on the top while the pasta cooks.

Cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain the cooked ravioli and add the sauce, mixing gently, and covering each piece with sauce. Pour the ravioli into individual serving bowls and garnish with the remaining bacon, blue cheese, parsley and additional freshly ground black pepper.

Makes 4 main dish servings


Picture by Dominic Morel

Hollandaise Sauce

“It's 'Hollandaise Sauce,' honey. Not 'Holiday's Sauce.'” I told her with a smile. “Here. Try some.”

My daughter blew on the spoon so she wouldn't burn her mouth, just like I taught her. “Mmmm!” she said. “That's good!”

Now, I'm sure there are many of you that just gasped. (I could feel the air intake from here.) That's okay. I understand your concern. For those who don't know, I had given my daughter a spoonful of what amounts to butter and thick, but still runny, eggs yolks. I can't say that I don't completely share your concern. Anytime you consume raw eggs there is a small (very small) chance that you will get food poisoning. I will contend that eggs cooked in the manner aren't entirely raw, but I'll also admit that the sauce doesn't get to temperature that will kill salmonella bacteria, either.

Let me stress that I don't use eggs like this very often. Let me also stress that you need to be careful whenever eating raw eggs. Some people say you shouldn't eat them at all. Make sure you're using the freshest eggs possible (like I did) to minimize the risk even further. Because of this risk, I recommend consuming it the day you make it.(1)

Okay, now that the obligatory health warnings are over, let's discuss hollandaise.

Hollandaise sauce is one of the “mother sauces.” It's great on it's own, but can also be used as a base to make other sauces. Add a little white wine vineagar, onions, and tarragon and it becomes a bearnaise. Add some tomatoes to the bearnaise and it becomes a choron. There's plenty more variations, I'm sure. Maybe you know a few to share with us.

Normally hollandaise sauce is made with clarified butter. I've tried a couple variations and I prefer those made with regular old unclarified whole butter. Supposedly this makes the sauce a little thinner, but I've never had that problem. Unclarified butter definitely gives it a creamier taste.

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 tablespoon of lemon juice(2)
1 tablespoon of water
2 sticks (8 oz.) of butter, broken into about 8 peices
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper(3)

Separate the eggs. Put the whites in a good zipper lock sandwich bag and freeze them to use later in a meringue or something. Put the yolks, lemon juice, and water in a small sauce pan.


Beat the mixture over (mostly) low heat, for about 5 minutes, or until the eggs start to thicken a little. (Please don't laugh at my dirty stovetop. Better yet, tell me how to get that crud around the back burner off too stove.)



The secret, here, is getting the right temperate, and constant stirring. You want the mixture to get hot, but if it gets too close to a boil, you'll get scrambled eggs. If the temperature is too low, it'll start to get foamy, and you want to avoid that as well. You'll get volume, but the mixture will stay too thin and the emulsion you're making will separate. Make sure you get the the whisk into the “corners” of the saucepan. If the eggs want to scramble, this is where it will start. You'll know it ready for the next step when you start seeing the bottom of the pan between strokes.

Start adding the butter, piece buy piece, whisking each piece in completely before moving on to the next. Keep the temperature very low when you add the butter, maybe even taking off the heat for just a moment as you add each piece. Once all the butter has been incorporated, add the pepper and whisk it in, as well.

Don't whisk too quickly! We don't want to add air (remember the whole “destroy the emulsion” thing?). We just want it nicely incorporated.

The sauce should be creamy, smooth, but somewhat thin at this point. Turn the heat up very slightly, and continue whisking until the sauce thickens enough to stick to a wooden spoon, and not run right off. Be patient. It will take several minutes for this to happen.

Don't let it get too hot, or the emulsion will break down. If you start seeing an oily residue around the edges of the pan, pull it off the heat, add another tablespoon of water and keep whisking, returning it to the heat and hoping for the best. If you're careful about keeping the heat low in the first place, you won't have this problem.

Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool slightly. Place plastic wrap over the sauce to keep a skin from forming before you're ready to serve.

Hollandaise sauce is great served with with cooked vegetables, chicken, fish, or eggs.

Pictures by my daughter, Writer Girl!

(1) If you don't want to use raw eggs, you can make a “mock” hollandaise sauce by combining 1/3 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup of commercial mayonnaise or salad dressing, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of yellow prepared mustard. Cook and stir over medium heat until hot and creamy. It won't give you the luscious creaminess and mouth feel of regular hollandaise, but it will do in a pinch.

(2) If you want to leave out the lemon juice, you can replace it with another tablespoon of water. I prefer it with the lemon juice.

(3) Most recipes I've seen call for ground white pepper, so you don't see black flecks of pepper in the sauce. I prefer the more intense flavor of black pepper, and don't mind the few flecks. You can also add a dash of cayenne pepper if want, but I leave it out.

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Thai Peanut Sauce

Peanut Butter month may have come to a close, but I want to give you a peanut flavored encore, Thai Peanut Sauce.

Mostly because I made some the other day and thought I'd blog about it.

I first learned this recipe from booklet called Thai and More, published the people at Cooking Class magazine. At least I think it's a magazine. I varied it slightly because I didn't have quite all the ingredients at hand. I think it worked out better this way, though. It had intense coconut and peanut flavor, and wasn't too hot so my kids could still enjoy it.

And enjoy it they did. I used this sauce to top a tofu and veggie stir fry last Sunday. It was such a hit that by the time I thought about taking a picture to share with you, the only thing left was an empty pan and a bit of rice.

Ingredients

2 teaspoon peanut oil (vegetable oil will do in a pinch)
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup coconut milk (or 1 cup milk and 1 teaspoon coconut extract)
2 teaspoons lime juice

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.

Add peanut butter, brown sugar, fish sauce, chili powder, and black pepper. Stir until smooth and well blended. Slowly add the coconut milk (or regular milk and coconut extract) and stir until well blended. Continue stirring until it starts bubbling a bit.

The sauce should be pretty thick at his point. If you want it a little thicker, stir 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the sauce. Cook and stir about one or two minutes more until thickened.

Stir in lime juice and mix into stir fried veggies, tofu, sauteed chicken, or whatever else you can think of.

If you want to make this in advance, to have on hand whenever you're ready, stop before adding the coconut milk, let cool, and refrigerate. It will last up to a week in a cool fridge.

Picture by Kasia Franc.