posted
I've come to belief that nearly any food (with the exception of eggplant, which can go die in a fire) can be made to taste extra awesome with the addition of the correct blend of herbs and spices. My question to you, fellow people who eat stuff, is what are your favorite spices for different dishes? Do you find that certain flavors work best together? Are there any spices of which you feel the same way I do about the eggplant, curse it's unholy name?
I found that with a can of green beans, some butter, a little fresh ground pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and garlic powder, you get a culinary delight so far removed from regular green beans, it's like a tiny invisible puppy with lasers compared to a broken down old horse with a fifth leg growing out of its belly.
What are your spice secrets, and does anyone know what the Colonel's 11 herbs and spices are, besides salt, pepper, and paprika (the 1970s wonder spice!)?
Posts: 3950 | Registered: Mar 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Have you ever had Eggplant Parmesan? Because that stuff is GOOD. You slice eggplant and fry it in breadcrumbs. Then you cover it in sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan and bake. The typical italian seasonings apply.
posted
Many people I know who didn't like eggplant liked it after someone prepares it for them correctly.
Salting, draining it for a while, and then rinsing it goes a long way to overcoming many eggplant dislikes.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by MightyCow: I've come to belief that nearly any food (with the exception of eggplant, which can go die in a fire)
that is really offensive and you should change it you wouldn't say that if you had ever seen someone who had died in a fire RARRRRRRGH
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by MightyCow: does anyone know what the Colonel's 11 herbs and spices are, besides salt, pepper, and paprika (the 1970s wonder spice!)?
From Wikipedia:
quote:In 1983, writer William Poundstone tackled the recipe in his book Big Secrets. He reviewed Sanders' patent application, and advertised in college newspapers for present or former employees willing to share their knowledge.[7] From the former he deduced that Sanders had diverged from other common fried-chicken recipes by varying the amount of oil used with the amount of chicken being cooked, and starting the cooking at a higher temperature (about 400º F (202º C)) for the first minute or so and then lowering it to 250º F (120° C) for the remainder of the cooking time. Several of Poundstone's contacts also provided samples of the seasoning mix, and a food lab found that it consisted solely of sugar, flour, salt, black pepper and monosodium glutamate (MSG). He concluded that it was entirely possible that, in the years since Sanders sold the chain, later owners had begun skimping on the recipe to save costs (Sanders himself had been highly critical of changes made to the gravy).[8]
quote:Originally posted by Dagonee: Many people I know who didn't like eggplant liked it after someone prepares it for them correctly.
Salting, draining it for a while, and then rinsing it goes a long way to overcoming many eggplant dislikes.
True Story.
Unfortunately I am not one of those people. Eggplant just never works for me, especially in curry!
Ill say right now the sheer number of dishes that taste better when you add Tabasco is just phenomenal IMO. Scrambled eggs were not meant to be eaten without it!
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm of the more minimal school of spice when it comes to cooking.
Excluding salt and pepper (black or white), I try to never use more than two other types of herbs. I find that the tastes for four and five herbs simply muddle into a brown average taste. Even salt as an additive can be reduced / eliminated by using other foods that have salt as part of their preparation (Prosciutto for example).
A little side note to this, garlic, jalapeño, lime / lemon juice, and other such ingredients I don't really consider to be spices, so they're occasionally exempt from the above.
For suggestions, white pepper and fresh sage are a wonderful addition to most beef dishes.
Cooking a pounded chicken breast in Marsala and Rosemary is probably one of the most simple and tasty main courses I've gotten good at cooking. Lasagnas and sauces that have only oregano, basil, sage, coriander, OR thyme I find I tend to prefer over the most traditional conglomeration of "all of the above".
Note: The above opinion is likely strongly influenced from several months in Northern Italy, where this sort of cooking seems to be the norm.
Posts: 1368 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I love Sriracha. Tapatio is great on lots of things. I use tons of cumin on beans, chicken. I think my fave spice is Gram Masala.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Excluding salt and pepper (black or white), I try to never use more than two other types of herbs. I find that the tastes for four and five herbs simply muddle into a brown average taste. Even salt as an additive can be reduced / eliminated by using other foods that have salt as part of their preparation (Prosciutto for example).
I tend to agree, except that certain combinations of spices, when adjusted problem, add true depth of flavor instead of mere muddled-brownness. Since the muddled-brownness is usually edible ans often pretty good, I find that I try to reach those combinations that create true depth even though, quite often, I don't succeed. The worst case is simply a good meal instead of a great one.
And when I do achieve that greatness, it's worth all the failed attempts.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by romanylass: I love Sriracha. Tapatio is great on lots of things. I use tons of cumin on beans, chicken. I think my fave spice is Gram Masala.
I love garam masala. Technically, though, it's a spice blend rather than a spice in and of itself. I've acutally been surprised at how variable the ingredients of garam masala can be.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Spices are fun. I am a huge fan of hot and spicy food. I like to add jalapenos and habeneros to things like spaghetti sauce and scrambled eggs. And there's nothing better than a well made curry. And by well made, I mean adjusting the cumin, turmeric, coriander, etc. to desired levels. Just using curry powder is often very overwhelming.
And as someone with Hungarian ancestry, what is this about paprika being a 1970s wonder spice? There are many varieties of paprika including sweet and hot. You certainly can't make a good paprikash without hot paprika. I've found that adding a little paprika to a dish gives it a nice flavor. Heck, you can sprinkle paprika and a little olive oil on eggplant slices and grill it. Mmmmmmmmmmm eggplant.
Posts: 511 | Registered: Mar 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Something that I like to do is take whole cumin and black mustard seeds, roast them briefly, then fry them with a bay leave in a little oil, then finally add the oil, seeds, and leaf when beginning to cook rice. It gives the rice a really nice, subtle flavor.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
I love spices. I have a biiig shelf full in my pantry.
I tend to use fresh herbs, not dried, and whole dry spices - we have an electric coffee grinder we use as a spice grinder if we want ground. Or there's always the mortar and pestle.
I love cumin, and use it a lot - it's really good browned with onions for a bolognaise. A relatively new discovery is sumac which is great used as a spice crust (along with coriander and cumin) on barbequed lamb.
Fennel seeds + star anise + salt = the best rub for roast pork with crackling.
And I like eggplant. I had babaganoush my Dad made on the weekend - mm, smoky eggplant goodness.
Posts: 4393 | Registered: Aug 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
When I cook a whole chicken in the pot, I cut up a few carrots, celery, and onions to cook along with it, I put in all the giblets except the liver, and then I add parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. Simmer just barely enough so it's bubbling for one hour. Then take out the chicken, allow to cool, then cut up. It should fall off the bone. Keep simmering the stock for another hour, then strain it and let it sit overnight in the fridge. Next day, scrape all the fat off the top, which hardened overnight in the fridge. Boil the stock down to concentrate it (once the fat's gone, it's safe to boil it rapidly), and either use as a base for soup, or for gravy, curry, or whatever else you want it for. This concentrated stock adds a delicious flavor to almost anything.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
It's delicious. It adds a really terrific warmth to the rice, somehow. Not a picante type effect, just...it's kind of like adding a dash of a sunlit Sunday afternoon to your dish, if that makes any sense.
I've been daydreaming about eating rice cooked like this ever since I posted that description of the process. I'm too tired to cook tonight, but I think I'll have to have it tomorrow.
quote:I tend to use fresh herbs, not dried, and whole dry spices - we have an electric coffee grinder we use as a spice grinder if we want ground. Or there's always the mortar and pestle.
Me too. I usually just use a mortar and pestle, since it's so much easier to clean than the spice grinder. I have powdered cumin and coriander for use when I'm in a hurry (I often scorch the spices when I'm roasting them prior to grinding, and have to do a second batch of them), but if I have the time I'll prepare them myself.
I have a kaffir lime plant that's finally getting big enough that I'll be able to use its leaves without damaging it too horribly, and grow my own lemon grass. I tried to get some galangal started a while back, but didn't have much luck with it.
I've never had sumac. I can't wait to try it.
Another thing that I like to make is cilantro pesto. It's basically a bunch of garlic, black peppercorns, and cilantro ground into a paste, with a bit of oil in the mix as well. It's easy, and shrimp stir fried in it is breathtaking.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Evil Laugh]](graemlins/evillaugh.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
It's delicious. It adds a really terrific warmth to the rice, somehow. Not a picante type effect, just...it's kind of like adding a dash of a sunlit Sunday afternoon to your dish, if that makes any sense.
