I have a few updates tonight so I'll get to them in a minute, but this has been on my mind this week. I want this blog to be a bit more than just a list of recipes, I want it to be helpful to people (mainly mums and dads, obviously, but not just parents) who want quick but nice food, and, like me, don't speak "chef".
Tonight, I'm going to decipher the mysteries of the spice rack! Sort of...
I kind of take after my mum, who thinks you NEED herbs and spices in a dish, except not quite as strongly. I think people that say they "transform a dish" are going a bit overboard, because no amount of coriander is going to make chicken taste like fish, you know? But on the other hand, if all you've got in the cupboard is a couple of carrots and some coriander then there you go! Carrot and coriander cuppa soup. Just makes life a little bit less beige.
So here's the YMHT guide to essential herbs and spices it might be a good idea to stick in the cupboard:
If you only want a REALLY basic stock I'd go with cumin, coriander, oregano and mixed spice, but that's no fun at all.
Tonight, I'm going to decipher the mysteries of the spice rack! Sort of...
I kind of take after my mum, who thinks you NEED herbs and spices in a dish, except not quite as strongly. I think people that say they "transform a dish" are going a bit overboard, because no amount of coriander is going to make chicken taste like fish, you know? But on the other hand, if all you've got in the cupboard is a couple of carrots and some coriander then there you go! Carrot and coriander cuppa soup. Just makes life a little bit less beige.
So here's the YMHT guide to essential herbs and spices it might be a good idea to stick in the cupboard:
- Coriander (dried, leaf)- lots of recipes ask for this, it's one of the most useful herbs there is, you can use it in soups, curries, stews, salsa, mexican food, thai food, indian food and it's really nice in stuffing
- Oregano (dried)- this is also really useful, the best way of describing its flavour is 'italian' and it's great with tomato dishes and meat stews
- Cumin and Turmeric (ground)- if you only have cumin, you don't necessarily need turmeric and vice versa, but they work really well together in curries and asian dishes- I use a lot because I love moroccan food and these two give a nice, bit more exotic flavour
- Nutmeg and Cinnamon (ground)- these are lovely in cakes or rubbed into grilled apple wedges but they give sweet dishes a little bit more of a pudding-y flavour; if you get cinnamon sticks these are nice in asian stews as well but they aren't all that essential
- Flat leaf parsley- parsley's quite easy to grow and it is nice fresh but it's just as easy to buy dried. There is actually a difference between curled and flat leaf but flat leaf is a bit more common for cooking and curly is more of a garnish- it has a nice clean flavour that goes with fish, pork, soups, salads and vegetables on a sunday roast
- Basil- this is like oregano in that it has a nice italian flavour that goes really well with tomatoes and meats
- Chives- really easy to grow, it has an onion-y type flavour because it comes from the same family so it's great with cheese, salad, dips and sauces
- Mixed Spice, Mixed Herbs- right now this can be a bit confusing because mixed spice and mixed herbs are pretty obvious, but allspice lives near mixed spice in the supermarket and it's not the same- technically it's ground pimiento berry but you can make an allspice substitute by mixing 1 part cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves
If you only want a REALLY basic stock I'd go with cumin, coriander, oregano and mixed spice, but that's no fun at all.
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