Main Meals
Ancho Chili Beef Empanadas
Who doesn’t love food that you can hold in your hand? The beauty of empanadas is that the rich, buttery dough can be filled with almost anything - sweet or savory. Our Ancho Chili Powder is mild-medium in heat and adds magnificent depth to the beef and vegetable filling we chose. Ancho chiles have a wonderful, darkly sweet flavor, so we added a little Alderwood Smoked Salt for just a touch of smoky contrast. They can be served either hot or at room temperature; we like ours with salsa, sour cream and a Hibiscus Margarita. They freeze well, so make a bunch and plan to enjoy them another day, or surprise yourself at how quickly your guests devour the extras.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Sift flour into a large bowl. Add salt and chilled, cubed butter. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, mix together until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, chilled water and vinegar and add to flour mixture.Combine until well incorporated.
- Empty onto a lightly floured surface and knead just enough to bring the dough together. Cut dough in half and form each half into a rectangle. Chill for at least 1 hour.
- In a heavy skillet heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add onions, red bell peppers and garlic and saute until softened. Add Alderwood Smoked Salt, Ancho Chili Powder and Mexican Oregano, and saute for about 1 minute.
- Add ground beef, breaking up any lumps and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add olives and mix well. Taste for seasoning, adjust as needed. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator. Cut each rectangle into 12 pieces. Form into discs and cover with a towel.
- On a lightly floured surface, take one of the pieces and roll it out into a circle (about 1/8 inch thick). Holding the circle in the palm of your hand, place 2 heaping teaspoons of the chilled filling in the center.
- Fold the two edges of the circle together over the filling. Press the edges to seal. Using a fork dipped in flour, crimp the edges so the filling won't escape.
- Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling. Lightly brush the empanadas with egg wash.
- Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. They are done if they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Serve with salsa and sour cream.
Continental Curry Biryani
It’s almost Buddha’s birthday! Buddha’s birthday is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth month of the Chinese lunar calendar in nearly all east-Asian countries. This year it falls on Friday, May 17th in the Western calendar. Because it is customary to eat rice on Buddha’s birthday, we developed this heavily spiced vegetarian biryani to honor the Buddha and many of the exotic lands from which our spices come. Our Continental Curry is the perfect blend for this occasion, as it combines the best elements of several varieties of yellow curry. While we can’t promise a permanent Nirvana as a result of this dish, we guarantee at least a transient one!
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Ingredients
Instructions
- In a medium-sized pan over medium heat, add the oil. When hot, add the onion and cook until softened.
- Add raisins, cashews, cloves, cumin, Indian coriander, green cardamom and cassia sticks.
- Saute spices until fragrant and the seeds start to "pop", about 3 minutes.
- Add salt, water and saffron and bring to a boil.
- Add rice and turn heat down to simmer.
- Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Rice will be 3/4 of the way cooked. Spread in a shallow pan to cool.
- While rice is cooking, par-cook the vegetables. In a shallow pan over medium-high heat, add the vegetables and water. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes.
- In a food processor, puree the garlic, ginger, onions, mint leaves, Continental Curry, jalapeno, salt and tomato.
- In a medium saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil.
- Add paste and saute for 5 minutes.
- Add par cooked vegetables, stirring well to combine. Taste for seasoning and salt.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small saucepan, warm a pinch of saffron and the milk. Remove from heat.
- Spray a large ovenproof casserole dish with pan spray.
- Layer in half of the rice and sprinkle with half of the cilantro.
- Evenly spread the vegetable curry paste mixture over the rice.
- Top with remaining rice and sprinkle with remainder of cilantro.
- Drizzle with the saffron-infused milk.
- Cover the casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked through.
- Turn the oven off and let the biryani stay in the hot oven for another 10 minutes.
- While the biryani is baking, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the sliced onions and fry until golden. Drain on paper towels.
- Add chopped cashews and fry until golden. Drain on paper towels.
- Remove the biryani for the oven.
- Top with fried onions and cashews.
- Serve with Greek yogurt on the side.
Brunch For Mom
Eggs Benedict is a classic, there’s no denying that, but “classic” is perhaps not the word I’d use to celebrate my funny, youthful, and adventurous mother! For my mom, poached eggs will sit atop crisp potato pancakes, under a blanket of creamy Orange-Tarragon hollandaise sauce. The sweetness of the orange peel plays against the anise notes of the tarragon in this classic French combination, made whole with shallots and Tellicherry black pepper. The sauce is so sumptuous, and the crunchy fried potatoes make a perfect vehicle for it. Not to mention the eggs- nothing says “love” like a perfectly poached yolk, don’t you know! Mother’s Day is May 12th, so make Mom breakfast, and let her know how sorry you are for your teenage years.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
- Peel potatoes and coarsely grate using a box grater.
- Transfer grated potatoes to a large bowl of cold water and soak for 1-2 minutes.
- Drain well in a colander.
- Spread grated and drained potatoes with onions on a kitchen towel and roll up jelly-roll style.
- Twist towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible.
- Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and add eggs, salt and flour.
- Mix well to combine.
- Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until very hot, but not smoking.
- For each pancake, spoon 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture into the skillet, spreading into 3-inch diameter rounds with a fork.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook until the undersides of the pancakes are browned, about 5 minutes.
- Flip pancakes and cook again until browned, about 5 minutes
- Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt.
- Add more oil to skillet and repeat with remaining batter.
- Keep warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven.
- Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl until the mixture is thickened and has doubled in volume.
- Boil approximately 1 cup of water in a saucepan.
- Place the bowl with the egg yolks mixture over the saucepan making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Whisk the mixture rapidly being careful not to let the eggs get too hot - or they will scramble.
- Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce easily coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Remove from heat and whisk in Orange Tarragon.
- Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.
- Fill a deep skillet half full of water.
- Add remaining lemon juice to water.
- Bring to a slow boil - not rolling!
- Gently crack 1 of the eggs into the water, taking care not to puncture the yolk.
- Repeat with remaining eggs.
- Reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer.
- Cook until the egg white is set and the yolk remains soft, about 3 1/2 minutes.
- Top a warm pancake with a poached egg and drizzle generously with hollandaise.
Pacific Seafood Halibut Escabeche
The first of the season Alaskan halibut has arrived, and we are thrilled! Considered the world’s premium whitefish, first of the season halibut are the best quality because the fat content of the fish is at its absolute peak. To celebrate the arrival of this delicacy from the icy north, we created an escabeche using our Pacific Seafood. This simple preparation is a luscious showcase of some of spring’s first fresh flavors.
Pacific Seafood Halibut Escabeche
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick saute pan over medium heat
- When hot, add the halibut steaks and saute until golden, about 2-1/2 minutes per side
- Remove from pan and transfer to a dish large enough to hold all of the halibut in a single layer
- Set aside
- Using same oil and saute pan, saute onions, jalapenos, bay leaves and peppercorns until they are almost soft, about 4 minutes
- Add Pacific Seafood and saute for another minute until the onions and jalapenos are completely softened
- Stir in vinegar and cook at a simmer for about 5 minutes
- Pour mixture over the cooked halibut, being sure to spread over and around the halibut
- Top with remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil
- Serve at room temperature
Link Lab’s Pizza Special
Link Lab’s Pizza Special
I absolutely love to cook, but there are some days when I don’t want to make anything more complicated than a phone call for pizza. I recently had just such a night and was thrilled to discover that Pagliacci was running a special featuring Link Lab sausage. The shiitake and sage pork sausage on this pizza is fantastic; it works especially well paired with the fresh shiitake on the pizza. David, the owner and driving force behind Link Lab, has been a client of World Spice since they started grinding out sausage. I remember tip-toeing up to the door at David’s house, being careful not to wake his newborn, to drop spices off at his converted home-workshop. Now he has a beautiful, dedicated facility to keep up with the growing demand for Link Lab products. So, to David and everyone at Link Lab: Congratulations on having your fantastic sausage featured on a great pizza! All of us here at World Spice can’t wait to taste what you come up with next.
If you miss February’s pizza special, be sure to check out Link Lab’s website for the most up-to-date information about where you can find their incredible sausage. If you’re in the mood for pizza, but were too late for the Link Lab special, be sure to try Pagliacci’s pie featuring Salumi products, another one of our favorite clients at World Spice.
Roasted Quail Feast for Valentines Day
Exotic, aromatic and romantic we prepared this intimate feast with a table for two in mind. Succulent quail are roasted to perfection with one of our most alchemical blends: Ras el Hanout, which contains a hint of Moroccan rose petals and finished with a finger licking honey glaze. Our Wild Rice Pilaf accompaniment features the bold, classic flavor of cassia cinnamon while the Paradise Pistachio Relish combines grains of paradise and Aleppo to bring everything together for a memorable Valentine’s Day Feast, we’ll leave the desert up to you.
Honey Roasted Quail with Wild Rice Pilaf and Paradise Pistachio Relish
Ingredients
Instructions
- For the Brine - Bring water to a boil in a large stock pot.
- Once boiled, remove from heat and add sugar and salt.
- Stir until sugar and salt have dissolved.
- Add enough ice to bring water volume to 1 gallon
- Once the brine has cooled, add quail and spices and refrigerate for 2 1/2 hours
- Preheat over to 450 degrees
- Remove quail from brine and pat dry with paper towels Set aside to bring to room temperature, about 30-40 minutes
- While quail are setting, melt butter in a small skillet
- Add Ras el Hanout, whisk and remove from heat
- Apply butter/Ras el Hanout mixture liberally to quail
- Roast quail, preferably on a grill rack, for 12-17 minutes
- While the quail roasts, prepare the glaze:
- In a small saucepan, heat honey and coriander over medium heat, stirring often, until honey is reduced by half, about 8 minutes
- Discard coriander seeds
- With a pastry brush, glaze the roasted quail with honey.
- Finish with Sel de Mer
- Serve with rice pilaf and pistachio relish (recipes below)
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, brink stock to boil
- Add rice, cinnamon stick and bay leaf
- Reduce heat and simmer until rice kernels open, about 45-50 minutes
- While rice cooks, saute onion on medium heat until lightly browned, about 10 minutes
- Add garlic to onions and continue sauteing until garlic is lightly browned
- When rice is nearly cooked, add onion/garlic mixture, and dates
- Cover and until the dates have dehydrated, about 10 minutes
- Season with salt to taste
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine pistachios, parsley, mint, garlic and lemon in a mixing bowl
- Slowly add olive oil, mixing as you go
- Add Aleppo, grains of paradise and salt
- Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour
Voodoo Shrimp and Grits
Have you ever eaten something so good that it induces a trance? Well, check out our Voodoo Shrimp and Grits. This classic dish features our brand new spice blend, Voodoo, a robust seasoning which includes onion, garlic, thyme and allspice on a base of peppercorns and sea salts. We are excited to share Voodoo Shrimp and Grits just in time for Mardis Gras. French for Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras refers to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season. Definitely rich, this recipe could be the inspiration for your own Mardi Gras ritual.
Voodoo Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
Instructions
- For the Grits: Put water in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil.
- Add salt and slowly sprinkle in grits while stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Add the half-and-half and return to a simmer.
- Reduce heat, cover and cook the grits slowly.
- After 30-40 minutes, stir in chopped butter and black pepper.
- Continue to cook grits until smooth and creamy, about an hour.
- For the Sauce: In a heavy saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat and brown the andouille sausage. Once the sausage begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes, remove from pan.
- Season both sides of the shrimp with Voodoo.
- Sear the shrimp over medium high heat for about a minute on each side, working in batches to not crowd the pan. Remove from pan.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to pan
- Add cooked sausage onion, pepper, garlic and spices. Saute for 3 minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent
- Add stock and bring to boil, gently scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any flavorful bits on the bottom of the pan
- Reduce heat and slowly add the cream
- Bring up to a simmer and allow to reduce until sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes
- Once thickened, add seared shrimp and simmer until the shrimp are just cooked, about 2-3 minutes
- Spoon sauce over grits
- Finish with Voodoo
Piment d’Espelette Fish Stew
This hearty stew hits it on all notes — the high acid of the tomatoes and wine play against the sweetness of the deeply caramelized onion and fennel, the brine-y olives render the seafood right at home, and the Piment d’ Espelette… oh, the Espelette! The perfect balance of heat and complexity that clarifies this bounty of flavor, and unites it all in delicious harmony. If my fish-monger has them, I’ll often throw in a few oily little fish, like fresh anchovies or sardines, too… Just sear them whole, skins and all, in a bit of olive oil and add to the serving dishes.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel and de-vein the shrimp, placing the shells in a medium pot and reserving the de-veined shrimp in a bowl, tossing with half the ground fennel to coat. Use the remaining ground fennel to season the fish fillets, and set aside.
- Add the stock, water, clam juice, wine, bay leaf, lemon rind and allspice berries to the pot with the shrimp shells; bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the broth through a wire strainer, discarding the shrimp shells and whole spices. Add potatoes to the broth, and simmer until fork-tender.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of the Piment d’ Espelette. Cook for 12 to 14 minutes, stirring a few times, until the vegetables are tender and golden. Deglaze with the tomatoes, add the garlic, and simmer until reduced by half.
- Add broth to tomato and vegetable mixture, adding in the olives and sun dried tomatoes, and season to taste with salt and fresh pepper. Keep hot over medium low heat.
- Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of the oil and the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the fish until lightly browned, turning and cooking until just firm- do not overcook, as they will continue to cook in the hot broth when served. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the shrimp to the hot pan along with clams and/or mussels, along with a few generous ladles of broth, and cover tightly with a lid to steam open the bivalves.
- Place an equal portion of fish into serving bowls. Ladle the hot broth over the fish, garnishing each serving with shrimp, clams and mussels, chopped fennel fronds and a generous pinch of Piment d’ Espelette.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Expect a huddle in the kitchen as well as around the TV with this Creole-inspired dish. Many of us fondly remember Sesto’s Cafe, our neighbor here on Western Avenue and its New Orleans native and owner, Chuck Smith. Chuck made some of the most memorable and mouthwatering Gumbo out of the Bayou. We sure miss Sesto’s but lucky for us, Chuck generously shared his recipe for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. We’ve streamlined his process just a tad (Don’t worry, Chuck, your secret is safe!), and layered it with a classic roux from the cookbook of the Junior League of Lafayette, LA. There’s this big game happening on February 3rd in New Orleans – a city rich with culinary history, laden with exotic influences. What an excellent opportunity to enjoy this delicious dish.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
Instructions
- A large, heavy pot is a must - the heavier the better. Patience is a must - the more the better. (It will be rewarded! We promise!)
- Mix flour and oil until thoroughly until blended before heating. Turn heat on medium-low and immediately begin stirring. Allow roux to brown slooowly, stirring constantly.
- When roux is dark brown, add chopped vegetables.Increase heat to medium and stir until onions are translucent. Add seasonings, stirring to blend. Add sausage and chicken, stirring until evenly browned.
- Slooowly add heated chicken stock, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until gumbo comes to a simmer. Simmer 1 hour, stirring often and reducing heat if necessary to prevent sticking. Add salt to taste.
- You can adjust the final thickness of the gumbo with file (FEE-lay) powder , or pass it at the table as a traditional accompaniment.
Harissa and Vegetable Couscous
This recipe has been a long time coming. Hardly anyone who comes in to the shop — spice masters and novices alike — can pass over the North African section without some long, lingering sniffs. The spices from that region are so exotic, in their perfect union of sweet-spicy-aromatic. “How do you use the Harissa?” is one of the most common questions following the exclamations of delight, and though my fellow merchants and I have written versions of this recipe on many a business card, envelope, and scratch paper, it’s about time it took its place among our favorites here on the blog.
The tender-crisp vegetables and fluffy cous cous are a perfect vehicle for this sumptuous sauce; our version of the traditional Tunisian red pepper condiment that is so ubiquitous in Northern Africa. The cumin, coriander, and caraway add complexity and depth, with the guajillos lending just enough heat to be interesting without being overwhelming. You can also try the Harissa sauce on grilled meats or eggplant — or even on halibut!
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Ingredients
Instructions
- To make the Harissa – In a small saute pan on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When hot, add the chopped red onion, and saute until it starts to get a little color. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the tomato paste, roasted peppers, Harissa, garlic granules, 1/3 cup olive oil and red wine vinegar. Pulse until it’s still a little chunky. (You can also puree it until it’s smooth.)
- Transfer to a bowl and add salt to taste. Add the sauteed red onions and green onions and mix well. (You can prepare this ahead of time – let it get to room temperature before serving. If you have any leftovers, it will keep well in the refrigerator. This works well as a condiment to any meal.)
- To make the Couscous – In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over low heat. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Add stock, dried apricots, squash, zucchini, cauliflower florets, chickpeas, turmeric, ginger powder and Aleppo pepper, stirring well. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Place the cover on the pot, reducing the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are tender, but still a bit crispy. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Then mix in the diced tomatoes, peas, cilantro and couscous. Remove the pot from the heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes. (This will cook the couscous.)
- Remove the lid and fluff the couscous with a fork. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle some of the Harissa onto the couscous, serving the rest of the Harissa on the side.
