Recently in Spices and Seasonings Category

Absolutely no pretense at healthy or gourmet food here, just good old fashioned junk food. Nothing green at all on the plate. Girl is at a birthday sleepover tonight, so it's just me and the boys. I thought (correctly) that this would be a crowd-pleaser.

Oven-Baked French Fries

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut your potatoes into thick planks (fry-shaped, maybe 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch wide). Sprinkle the fries lightly with sugar (about 1 Tbsp. per 6 small-to-medium-sized potatoes) and your choice of seasoning. BBQ seasoning would be good, or Baby Bam, but I used this No-Salt Substitute Seasoning, because I like to have a little control over the amount of salt on my fries; I like to be able to taste them after they're cooked and add the salt, at that point, so that I can be more sure of the correct amount.

Toss the fries with a generous coating of canola oil. Pour them out onto a very large baking sheet and bake until golden, about 30 minutes, but you'll need to keep an eye on them. They will stick to the baking sheet, so you won't be able to turn them during cooking, but, if you have put enough oil on them, they will toast on the bottom side, too, and will "release" from the pan when they are done.

When they're done, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool for about 1 minute, then use a large spatula to remove them to a large plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess grease. Salt liberally with salt or Fleur de Sel.

While the fries are baking....

Patty Melt Sandwiches

serves 4

for the patties:
1 lb hamburger meat
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1 medium-sized garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 to 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, to taste
1/4 tsp ground mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

butter or margarine

4 slices of your choice of cheese - Swiss would have been great, but we only had 'Murrican on hand, so we used that.

8 slices bread of your choice - it should be fairly hearty, dense bread and shouldn't be sliced too thinly - We used a round sourdough loaf.

Blend together all patty ingredients (kinda gross, but really best to do it with your hands). Heat up your grill or a grill pan. I usually spray our grill lightly with Pam and then fire it up on high heat until I'm ready to put the meat on, then I'll turn it down to low while the meat actually cooks. Cook the patties until done, turning as little as little as possible. When the patties are done, pull them off the heat and assemble the sandwiches.

Top each patty with a slice of cheese and place it in between two slices of bread. Lightly butter the outside of each sandwich. Put the assembled sandwiches back on the grill (or grill pan or griddle or whatever you're using), over low heat, and cook until the bread is toasted and the cheese has melted, turning only once, if possible.

The fries should be about done by this point, so pull them out, pour the Zinfandel (or maybe one of these?) and ketchup and dig in.

Italian Herb Seasoning

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1 tsp dried sage

Combine all herbs and store in a small, airtight container. Sprinkle in tomato sauces or rice, on pizza dough, on garlic bread, into salad dressings or dips, etc.

Barbecue (BBQ) Seasoning Spice Blend

2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp lapsang souchong smoky salt
(or pre-made smoked salt or hickory salt, if you can find it at your grocery store)
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp granulated sugar ("raw" or organic sugar, if possible)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp dried lemon peel
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp dried thyme
grind of two fresh black pepper

optional: 1/4 tsp amchoor powder (available from Kalustyan's)

The amchoor (dried green mango powder) is completely optional, but it does give a sour, tangy flavor and will also help tenderize meats.

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container. This seasoning is delicious as a rub for grilling meats or as a sprinkle on french fries or corn on the cob. It's also great when mixed into dips or added to sour cream that will be used to top quesadillas or tacos.

We had a fun dinner last night to celebrate the kids coming home. I tried 2 different taco seasoning mix recipes to see which I liked better - I don't like the pre-mixed seasoning "packets" because they have too much salt for my taste and also sometimes have MSG. I prefer to mix my own seasonings, anyway, since I usually have all of the individual ingredients on hand, anyway...

So, we tried these two recipes:

Taco Seasoning Mix from Cooks.com

Lawry's Taco Seasonings Clone from TopSecretRecipes.com

On balance, we liked the Top Secret Recipes version better; it was moister and had better flavor. All of us except Boy found the Cooks.com version WAY too salty.

I also would probably prefer to use my own fresh onion and garlic, since I always have those on hand, instead of garlic powder and dried minced onion.

Here's my suggestion, untested as of yet, but I'll give it a try the next time that I make tacos. I think that it will take the best qualities of each recipe.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

1 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp dried oregano leaves

1 large clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh white onion

1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup water

Combine all of the dried spices in a small bowl (can be placed in a tightly sealed plastic container or zipper bag until needed).

Brown ground beef with onions until no more pink is visible and meat is crumbly. Add garlic and cook about 1 more minute. Drain fat (I usually also pour very hot water over it in the colander, to remove residual grease). Return meat to pan. Add spices and water and cook, stirring occasionally, until water is almost all absorbed and a thick "sauce" has formed.

If you prefer to use dried onion and garlic, you may use 1 tsp dried minced onion and 1/4 tsp garlic powder, instead of the fresh.

I like to make my own Greek Seasoning, because the grocery store brand has MSG in it, which I am VERY sensitive to. This seasoning is great for grilling, adding to marinades or any kind of rice or pasta dishes. Delicious on steamed or grilled vegetables. Add some to whatever recipe you use to make garlic bread.

Greek Seasoning

2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. dill
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. rosemary
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme

Mix all ingredients together and store in airtight container. This recipe can easily be cut in half if you don't think that you'll use the full amount before it goes bad.

I use this seasoning on absolutely EVERYTHING, so I thought it deserved its own entry. Here's the link to Emeril's recipe:
Emeril's Baby Bam seasoning

If you go up to the top right corner of this blog and put "Baby Bam" in the search field, you'll hit on lots of recipes where I use this magical blend.

I've been threatening to make a batch of Chai macaroons (macaron), but haven't been able to. It's been rainy and wet here and I'm worried about the impact that all of the moisture would have on the meringues. So, I'm waiting for drier weather before I give it a try. I have also ordered some pistachio extract so that I can give a pistachio version a try (I thought that I would use ground pistacho instead of almond meal and then would use a bit of the pistachio extract in the buttercream), so the macaroon project (thankfully!) is on hold for the moment.

I did, however, want to give you all the recipe for my Chai Spice Seasoning. I've noticed quite a few searches for it are directing people to my site (since I have my fancy-dancy new Google Analytics set up) and I don't want to be a tease, so here it is:

Chai Spice Seasoning Blend

1 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground mace or nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground coriander seed
a small sprinkle of ground black or white pepper
optional: a little (1/8 tsp?) star anise or anise seed, if you're willing to go through the trouble to grind it

Mix all of the spices together and store in an airtight container. Add to tea, coffee, any baked goods (especially yummy with chocolate - try it in brownies!). Add a pinch to meringue or whipped cream or sprinkle it in your cereal or over your oatmeal. Try blending it into a sweetened vinaigrette for a great dressing over baby spinach, fruit and nuts. If it's too "spicy" or exotic for you, feel free to cut back on some of the other spices and bulk up the percentage of cinnamon until your taste buds (or your childrens') get used to it.

Boy, enjoying a warm samosa.

When I saw this recipe in the new special edition Fine Cooking "Appetizers" magazine, I knew that I would have to try it. We LOVE Indian food, and especially samosas. We are attending a party soon where we are expected to bring an appetizer and this may very well be what we bring. These were WAY labor-intensive: I prepared the garam masala one day, cooked the potatoes the next and then prepared the dough and make the samosas the next. Whew! But.....they were REALLY good. My worst fear is that I didn't seal the samosas well enough and that they would fall apart and the filling would come out when I fried them, but they didn't! Yay!

I learned a few things making them, though:

Garam Masala, toasting in a skillet.
The peppercorns that I use are a mixture of different colors of pepper, so that's what the red things are.

I didn't use the garam masala recipe that was in the recipe, but used this one, instead. They were similar enough that I don't think it changed the flavor of the final product.

Browning the parboiled potatoes.
I used Yukon Gold potatoes, because that's what we like and that's what we had on hand.

I also couldn't bring myself to use shortening: it's just not something that I keep in the house, so I used butter, both to brown the potatoes and to make the dough.

Completed filling.

The first thing that I learned:
I think this recipe called for just a BIT too much coriander. There's already quite a lot of coriander in the garam masala, so I don't think I'll add the extra seeds to the filling next time.

Rolling out the dough.

Forming the dough into a "cone".

Stuffing filling into a dough "cone".

The second thing that I learned -
I was afraid to stuff the samosas too full, for fear that the dough would rip, but they are really better when they are stuffed full of the potato-pea filling, and don't have any empty "air space" in them. It turns out that the dough is much less fragile than I feared, so stuffing them pretty full is OK.

Formed and filled samosas - can you tell which ones I did last, after some practice?

Samosas, frying. 350 degrees for 5 minutes was PERFECT.

The third thing that I learned:
It was hard to turn the samosas over; they had a tendency to want to stay the way that you first put them in and would flip back over when I tried to turn them.

The finished plate of samosas (minus the two that Hubby and I ate before we took the photo).

The last thing that I learned -
I had a lot of filling left over. I haven't decided if I'll make a second batch of dough tomorrow and use it up or if I'll use the filling in some sort of sandwich or fritatta, instead (maybe with some leftover turkey - ha, ha!)

I would HIGHLY recommend this recipe for anyone that loves samosas but hasn't tried making them before. I would also highly recommend buying the "Appetizers" magazine - it has a lot more great recipes in it to get ready for upcoming holiday gatherings.

Cinnamon Spice Blend

6 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. ground allspice
1 Tbsp. dried orange peel
2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Mix all ingredients together until blended. Store spice in a tightly lidded glass jar or small airtight plastic container.

We use this mixture in just about anything that calls for cinnamon. It's great when mixed with sugar to use for cinnamon toast. Sprinkle it in your coffee (or on top of the foam if you have a "fancy" machine) or over hot cereal and oatmeal. We love it in pancakes, beignets, or any other baked good recipe.

We had a family dinner party last night to celebrate Hubby's 40th birthday. Hubby requested Mangia's Pizza (the Jeff's Special is TO DIE FOR) and salad for the meal. I had some leftover Jerked Pumpkin Seeds from the Butternut Squash soup that I made recently and decided to come up with a salad that would work with them. This salad was a MAJOR hit - the guests loved it and there was absolutely not one bite left - a few guests even went back for seconds! This will make a HUGE batch (about 16 servings), so feel free to adjust quantities as necessary to suit your needs. Girl is a big onion fan, so she liked this salad better than Boy. The salad is is still pretty kid-friendly (apples, carrots, sweet peppers), though. If your kids aren't fans of slightly spicy things, you might leave the pumpkin seeds out of the kid portions.

Fall Greens with Pumpkin Vinaigrette and Jerked Pumpkin Seeds

For Salad:
1 pound of your favorite greens or lettuce mixture (the mix that I used had romaine, oak leaf, lolla rosa, tango, chard, mizuna, arugula, frisee and radicchio)
1 roasted red bell pepper, peeled, seeded and cut into slivers
1 large (or 2 small) Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 grated carrot (or about 8 baby carrots, grated)
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced into strips
3/4 cup shaved (use a veggie peeler) Parmesan
3/4 cup Jerked pumpkin seeds (see below)
1 batch Pumpkin Vinaigrette (see below)

Gently toss together all ingredients EXCEPT pumpkin seeds, Parmesan and vinaigrette. Pour vinaigrette over salad (you'll probably need all of it) and gently toss again to coat. Sprinkle a little Parmesan and a few pumpkin seeds over each salad serving as it is plated. Pass remaining pumpkins seeds for anyone that likes their salad "extra crunchy" and would like more.

Pumpkin Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
4 Tbsp. pumpkin puree
4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
8 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except the olive oil into a small bowl. Whisk well. Add olive oil and whisk until incorporated. Makes about 1 cup.

Jerked Pumpkin Seeds

3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
about 1/4 cup Jerk seasoning (see below)
1 and 1/2 Tbsp. melted butter

Pour the melted butter over pumpkin seeds, add the Jerk seasoning and stir. Bake at 250 degrees for about an hour, turning and stirring about every 15 minutes.

Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
This is Chef Jeff Blank's recipe from his WONDERFUL book Cooking Fearlessly, I've just cut the quantities down some:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
6 Tbsp. onion powder
2 Tbsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne
4 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. ground clove

This seasoning can also be used as a rub on meats before smoking or grilling.
I also used it to make Jerked Cashews and Pecans recently for a great cocktail snack (follow the same instructions for making the Jerked Pumpkin Seeds).