Author Archives: Sherrie
Steve’s Sweet and Spicy Drumsticks
We are always on the lookout for new and interesting spice combinations, and this one is fabulous! It came from our globe trotting friend and fan, Steve R., and features the savory spice blend Tabil along with Piri Piri and Smokin’ Hot Garlic Pepper bringing the heat. The drumsticks get a quick brine to help them retain moisture and the spices flow into a sweet citrus sauce that hits all the hot-sour-salty-sweet flavors that shine in Asian cuisine. Steve was inspired by his travels- and love of street food- to create this fusion BBQ sauce, and we are so happy that he shared this recipe! We’re planning to try it on wings next.
Ingredients
- 1 pkg chicken drumsticks (6 - 8)
- 1 tablespoon Himalayan pink salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon ground Piri Piri
- 1 tablespoon ground Tabil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons Nuoc Mau (Vietnamese caramelized coconut sauce) - if you can't find it, you can substitute blackstrap molasses instead
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon Smokin' Hot Garlic Pepper
Instructions
- Rinse chicken and place in a resealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, dissolve the salt in the water and pour over the chicken. Seal the bag, shake, and set aside in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- While chicken is brining, mix together the remaining ingredients in a bowl and set aside for the flavors to blend.
- Remove chicken from brine, rinse and pat dry. Put the drumsticks and the spice mixture into another resealable plastic bag, mix and place in the refrigerator for 5 hours (or overnight).
- Preheat your grill or the oven to 400 degrees. Cook, turning once, for about 22-24 minutes (or until the meat runs clear when pricked with a knife).
Thanks so much, Steve! Safe travels, and stay in touch 
Cinnamon Toast Spice Blondies
Sometimes we just want a little something sweet, but not too heavy. This updated version of a classic blondie fits the bill. Our Cinnamon Toast Spice, featuring Indonesian and Vietnamese cassia-cinnamons with true cinnamon, dark brown sugar and just a hint of nutmeg, perfectly complements the sweet potato base. These disappeared in moments at our last recipe test, and may need a “re-test” in my personal kitchen tonight. They’ve got sweet potatoes in them… so they’re totally healthy, right?
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup mashed, cooked sweet potato
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon Toast Spice
- 1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons Cinnamon Toast Spice, for top
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees.
- Line an 8X8 baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray the bottom on the parchment-covered pan with a bit of nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, cream together melted butter, mashed sweet potato, sugar, brown sugar, milk and vanilla extract until smooth. Then add the baking powder, salt, 2 teaspoons of Cinnamon Toast Spice and flour to the mixture. Stir until combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Gently spread batter to all corners with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of Cinnamon Toast Spice evenly over the batter.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until they are just set in the middle. (You can also test with a toothpick in the center - if it comes out clean, then it's done.)
- Cool completely before cutting into bars. These will keep in a covered container for a week.
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.
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons Murray River flake salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup ice water
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 5 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 teaspoons alderwood smoked salt
- 3 tablespoons ground Ancho Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon mexican oregano
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- 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.
- 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, and 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!
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice, well rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 big pinch of saffron
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 2 tablespoons chopped cashews
- 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seed
- 1/2 teaspoon whole Indian coriander seed
- 3 whole green cardamom pods
- 2 Indonesia cassia sticks
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon Murray River flake salt
- 6 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 inch piece of ginger, chopped
- 2 tablespoons ground Continental Curry
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 7 mint leaves
- 1 jalapeno, chopped
- 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Murray River flake salt
- 1 tablesoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 1 pinch saffron
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cashews, chopped
- Pan spray
- Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- 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 and saute 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 puree and saute for 5 minutes. Add par cooked vegetables, stirring well to combine. Taste for seasoning and salt.
- 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. Next, add chopped cashews and fry until golden. Drain on paper towels.
- Remove the biryani for the oven. Top with fried onions and cashews and serve with Greek yogurt on the side.
Kala Masala Skillet Cornbread
This savory cornbread knocked our collective socks off at first bite. Our Kala Masala spice blend is a complex one, and that complexity of flavor transfers easily to the skillet cornbread. There’s a tiny bit of heat from some guajillo chiles in the blend that is balanced perfectly by a healthy dose of toasted coconut for sweetness. Try it with a fish, lentil or vegetable soup for maximum enjoyment!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Murray River flake salt
- 2 tablespoons ground Kala Masala
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1-1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons butter, bacon fat or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to get hot while you make the batter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda and Kala Masala. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and the ¼ cup melted butter together.
- Take the hot cast iron skillet out of the oven, and add in the butter. Swirl it around until the butter starts to melt, being sure to tilt the pan to coat the sides and bottom evenly.
- Pour the wet ingredients in the dry ingredients and mix quickly, just until moistened. Do not overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cornbread until it’s golden brown, about 20 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven, and try to let it cool for a few minutes before you dive in. Cut into 8 wedges.
Aleppo Pepper Muhammara
This eastern Mediterranean dish is the perfect example of that regions ability to take simple ingredients like nuts, peppers and olive oil… and make something magical by adding a spice such as Aleppo Pepper. The sweet and sharp chile from the Aleppo region of Syria has a moderate heat and fruity flavor that brings a taste of the sunny Mediterranean to every bite. An elegant alternative to hummus, Muhammara will be the easy holiday hors d’oeuvre that your guests adore.
Ingredients
- 2 – 12 oz jars of roasted red peppers
- 8 oz (1-1/2 cups) of roasted walnuts
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 2 teaspoons Murray River flake salt
- 1 tablespoons Aleppo pepper
- 3-1/2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 toasted pita, broken into small pieces
Instructions
- Put the toasted nuts in a food processor or blender, and pulse until they are broken down into small pieces.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until smooth. Taste for seasoning - you might want to add more salt, lemon juice or pomegranate molasses.
- You can then transfer to a serving bowl or put in a container for the fridge. It will keep about a week.
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