The Spice of Life

No, it’s not the waitress (or waiter) that you’ve been eyeing at the local diner. It’s not a group of Brits singing pop songs on the radio. Nor is it a metaphor for any other indulgence (illicit or otherwise) that you’re engaging in. Real spice. The stuff that flavors food. And I’ll be liberal in my definition. Seeds, bark or roots – whole or ground (true spices) plus leaves – whole or ground (actually termed herbs) that add multiple dimensions of flavors to things we eat and drink. Heck, I’ll even include flavored salts in the mix of spices and that’s a whole ‘nother column on its own. Though most of our spices simply lay dormant in the spice rack (and should have been thrown out a long time ago), they have applications well beyond “cracked black pepper” and “cinnamon sticks”. But how many of us use those other spices that come with the spice rack?

A Spicy Life

Spices generally refer to the dried seeds, roots, bark and fruits of plants. Because they started life as live plant matter and are simply dried, they do have a finite life span. And it’s not the same life span as the kitchen stove, silverware or even the spice rack itself. After about 6 months, they should either be used or tossed out (I actually run old spices down the garbage disposal as a natural air freshener). Why 6 months? It’s not because it goes bad in the sense that someone will get sick on your cooking, it simply starts losing its flavor or worse yet, takes on funky flavors from the kitchen gracing your hard earned meal with old-fried-fish-garlic –fries-somewhat-basil-flavor. My family is just as guilty as any other; Mom has original Schilling spices in her spice cabinet that were around well before we landed on the moon. I’m actually contemplating sending them back to the Schilling Company – maybe they can display it in their company museum (if they have one). Same goes for herbs though it’s usually apparent when it’s time to toss the herbs – brilliant green is now various shades of brown and yellow. And unless it’s saffron that you’re tossing in the garbage, it doesn’t cost a whole lot to replace – most supermarkets have regular sales on spices and herbs.

Spice Applications

I’m sure everyone has tried the basic spice conglomeration that is known as curry powder. It’s native to India and is the ground seed casing of the indigenous curry palm. After the monsoon season, the curry palms rapidly grow – up to 2 feet per day – then blossom and drop the seeds of this ubiquitous spice… Seriously, there is no curry palm (and if there is, it doesn’t produce curry powder) and while you may see curry leaves in various recipes, curry powder is an amalgam of various individual spices like coriander, cardamom, fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, garlic, various spicy peppers and a host of others. Though the final dish is called a curry and in the States we usually only use one blend of curry powder, the various ratios of the individual spices produce a wide range of “curries” in the Old World.

If you don’t feel adventurous enough to experiment with your own blend of curry powder, how about trying the next level of spice enlightenment. Using previously unknown spices in your next chicken dish. Why chicken? Well, almost everyone eats chicken, it doesn’t have a strong flavor on its own to clash with strong spices and it’s hard to ruin a chicken dish. Where to start? How about cinnamon? It’s not just for desserts you know. Commonly used in the Middle East and parts of the Mediterranean, a cinnamon laced chicken stew with a sweet element like apricots or raisins or a tart element like preserved lemons or tomatoes or a contrasting textural element like toasted almonds or pistachios will have your taste buds dancing! Or perhaps added to Greek flavored lasagna substituting goat cheese for mozzarella, elbow macaroni for flat noodles and a dash of cinnamon in the meat sauce.

Still too adventurous for you? Okay we can start at the basics. Like that All-American classic, chili. But instead of using pre-bottled chili powder, how about concocting your own special blend. With individual toasted cumin, your own blend of various peppers like paprika, chipotle, Anaheim (which makes up most of the pre-bottled chili component), garlic powder, Mexican oregano, salt and black pepper. Who knows? Your own spice blend may be able to win some chili cook-off someday… then folks will be beating a path to your door for the secret blend.

Still Not Ready to Bottle Your Own?

In the Bay Area it’s very easy to sample cuisines using spices and herbs that you’ve seen in the supermarket but haven’t thought about adding to your own culinary creations… just yet. On our last sojourn to The City late last year, we sampled several restaurants with bold spicy flavors.

Dosa on Fillmore
An avant garde Indian restaurant featuring Southern Indian cuisine with layer upon layer of flavor sensations. From the Beet Box martini which included anise (frequently used in braised Chinese dishes) to the Chennai Chicken appetizer which was flavored with coriander and cumin to the Lamb Biryani which seemed to include the kitchen sink of spices but in harmony with each other so as not to dominate the dish.

Saha in the Hotel Carlton
This Moroccan restaurant incorporates the usual host of spices including cinnamon, cumin, mint and za’atar (a blend of thyme, basil, oregano and savory added to sesame seeds, salt and sumac). The Lahem Sougar or grilled lamb was so tender, teeth are optional to consume and the spice blend spread over the palate like a wave while the Mansaf or stewed lamb with cauliflower, yogurt, allspice and mint had me debating which lamb dish was better. They BOTH were!

Basic Spice Tips

Purchase in small quantities unless you know that you’ll use the whole batch within 6 months. Throw it out after 6 months. Don’t let spices sit in direct sunlight or right next to your oven burners – heat and light shortens their lifespan. If you decide to grind your own whole spices, get a separate coffee grinder for this application… unless you don’t mind clove, cumin and coriander flavored coffee and espresso flavored curries and stews. Purchase spices where the spice turnover is high, i.e. spice shops or gourmet stores. The price will probably be a little more but you’ll derive the full flavor of each spice. Your neighborhood supermarket might be cheaper but that bottle of whole cardamom pods was probably sitting on the shelf longer than 6 months. Experiment, experiment, experiment! There are no rules. Who said that curry powder blends can’t have star anise and whole fennel seeds? If you and your family love the taste of your own creation, GO FOR IT!
I realize that in my spice mania, I haven’t really touched on herbs and salts like I originally stated. But then again, I guess that’ll have to wait for another column.