A Few of My Favorite Spices (and Fancy Salt)

Bottom, starting in the front: Sea Salt (coarse grain hollow pyramids), Ground Nutmeg,
Sumac Berries, Smoked Spanish Paprika, Aleppo Pepper, Indonesian Cinnamon (Korintje)

One of the most interesting-shaped food accessories I use, although not often, is coarse grain sea salt. The delicate crystals are scooped from the surface of the brine and allowed to dry by wind and sun - creating a miniature hollow pyramid shaped crystal. The coarse salt is fantastic on fresh heirloom tomatoes drizzled with olive oil but maybe next time I'll try it mixed with an herb butter on warm bread.

Nutmeg is a great spice to keep around because it works in both sweet and savory dishes. I'm a firm believer that nutmeg works with any meat: ground beef, shredded chicken, pork chop, lamb kebob...yes everything. Take your nutmeg beyond the pumpkin pie - perhaps to eggnog land or latte town. Potato salad, scrambled eggs, sweet potato muffins, hot cider.

Turkish ground sumac berries were new to me until I found a spice store that allowed me to smell the herbs and spices before buying. Smelling food helps me think about how to use it. Ground sumac is often sprinkled on top of hummus (although paprika works too) along with a olive oil. It is fruity and sour and works well when you'd use lemon in a dish by brightening the flavors and adding that sour note to something already salty/sweet/bitter.

My love of Spanish paprika is in need of censoring. Smoky, peppery, bitter, sweet. Great mixed with salt, black pepper and olive oil and rubbed on vegetables before roasting or sprinkled on top of a creamy potato or squash soup. Eggs, chicken, salad dressing....

Aleppo pepper is another spice I'd never used before I had the chance to smell it but right after bringing it home I read that it was the number one underused/favorite spice of 2011. Okay. Good, I'm all about being trendy. It's got a little heat that definitely builds in dishes that sit overnight. It dresses up my favorite thin crust pizza (Whole Foods, no really) and works well with strong meaty dishes.

And finally cinnamon. Not just any cinnamon, because there are different kinds and when you find this out it will blow your mind, maybe, just a little. Indonesian cinnamon or korintje is strong, warm, spicy, sweet and delicious. I've put it in every baked good for the past year - chocolate muffins, banana bread, carrot cake, oatmeal cookies and would never have oatmeal without it. In fact, I should take it with me when I travel, that won't be suspicious at all!

Sausage Stuffing

MMMmmmm sausage. Focus! I disagree with the amount of broth in the original recipe, and maybe that's because I used dried bread instead of fresh, but it could also be a taste preference. I guess that's what happens when you shop for bread on Thursday morning and yet refuse to pay $3 or more a loaf - you buy dried bread cubes.

I like stuffing really moist, like a custard. I'd add at least 2 cups of broth and maybe more. You can always add liquid and rebake if it's not the right consistency for you.

Darn flashy cranberries, always stealing the show! This stuffing recipe made three times the amount seen in the above photo. I hope you love stuffing.

Receipe Time: Sausage Stuffing
adapted from Chow site
serves 10-12

2 pounds of dried bread cubes
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery (about 4 large stalks)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped yellow onion (about 1 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 teaspoons dried thyme
3/4 cup (if stuffing a turkey) or 1 1/2 cups (if baking separately) low-sodium chicken broth

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat until hot, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the sausage and break it into pea-size pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a medium bowl.
4. Set the pan with the sausage drippings back over medium-high heat and add the butter.
5. Once melted, add the celery, onions, and paprika. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 6 minutes.
6. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
7. Add the reserved sausage and the herbs and stir to combine.
8. Add 3/4 cup of the broth and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits.
9. Transfer the sausage mixture to a bowl with the bread cubes and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
10. If you’re using the stuffing in a turkey, let it cool to room temperature before proceeding (do not add the remaining 3/4 cup broth—the stuffing will moisten as it cooks inside the turkey).
11. If you’re baking it separately, add just enough broth to moisten the mixture (you may not need the entire remaining 3/4 cup). Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
12. Transfer to a 4-quart baking dish, cover with a lid or foil, and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until dry to the touch and golden brown on top, about 20 minutes more.

Smoked Paprika and Potato Soup

The last day of the farmers' market is a crazy day. Do we really need more produce if we never can or freeze? But there won't be good tomatoes until next year! It's rainy and cold, no one will be there. My life is a barren wasteland without fresh fruit! But every time I buy onions I get a bad batch. And so on ...but you can never go wrong with potatoes. Unless of course you have too many spuds and not enough space.

I wasn't going to post this recipe since it doesn't "come from somewhere," unless you count my desperate state as a destination, but once I tasted the spicy soup I don't regret only taking pictures at the halfway mark. This is a quick recipe and most of the time takes place in the microwave. The soup is also fairly hands-off except for watching the onions in the beginning and watching the knife when you cut the microwave softened potatoes into large chunks.

The flavor comes from a rough-chopped yellow onion cooked in a few teaspoons of olive oil with smoked paprika, dried parsley, dried thyme, salt and black pepper. Just throw it all in the bottom of your soup pot while you microwave eight medium potatoes (or whatever you've got on hand).

When the potatoes are fork tender carefully remove them from the microwave - those little devilspuds are HOT! The eight potatoes magically equals eight cups. How convenient. After the onions become translucent add four cups of chicken stock and the potato chunks. Let it simmer, check your Facebook, stir it around, get a drink, think about serving it, then decided to blend it with an immersion blender.

less creamy

more creamy

I'm always looking for a reason to use the immersion blender, mainly because it is the one kitchen gadget we own. For creamy but not overly smooth texture I removed roughly a cup of the soup before blending and then added that back to the blended portion. You do whatever makes you happy.

Recipe Time: Smoked Paprika and Potato Soup

serves 8

4 cups organic fat free or low-fat chicken broth
1 cup onions
8 cups potato
1 Tbsp parsley
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp table salt
2 tsp black pepper

1. Microwave the potatoes until they are fork tender.
2. While the potatoes are cooking roughly chop the onion.
3. Cook/sweat the onion in a stock pot with the oil and the seasonings until the onion turns translucent.
4. Add the chicken stock and simmer.
5. Cut the cooked potatoes into large chunks.
6. Add the potatoes to the soup and simmer about 10 minutes.
7. Eat or blend the soup with an immersion blender for a creamy texture.