Spice of Life

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Added: Thu Jan 10th 4:07pm
Posted in: Cuisine

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Have you ever noticed the first four letters of the word Butter? It' s not a coincidence. It's Karma. I know, I know. Butter tastes good. In fact, the old saying goes something like: "Name the 3 most important things in French Cuisine." The answer is... Butter, Butter and Butter.

I'm not saying that butter isn't good in moderation. Everything (albeit me getting caught looking at pretty girls when my wife is next to me) in moderation is generally okay, but who is moderate in using butter? How do get away from all that extra fat and cholesterol and still make flavorful food? Well, put on your seatbelts, boys and girls, we're going on the Spicy side of life.

Here's a quick primer in what to use to flavor your foods that don't add lots of extra calories but will have you salivating while and after you have cooked your meals.

1) Use different oils to season your foods! All oils have about the same calories, 100 per tablespoon, so you can use a myriad of different types...Virgin Olive oil, Sesame Seed oil, Grapeseed oil, Truffle oil, Mushroom oil....whatever you want. You can ever infused an oil like olive oil with herbs or peppers or spices to make them special.

2) Get new spices! If your spices have been in your drawer or rack for over a year...toss them...and then just buy what you will use in 6 months, top. Past that, ground spices have lost any essential oils in them that make them vibrant. I use a lot of Madras Curry, Coriander, Cardamon, Anchiote, Spicy Hungarian Paprika, Tumeric, Five Spice, Moroccan Cinnamon, Cumin, Ancho Chili Powder, Dried Chipoltes (Smoked Jalapeno) and believe it or not, Granulated Garlic (not Garlic Salt)

These spices in many combinations are great to season meat, fish and/or poultry whether sauteeing or grilling. It's also key to always good to have fresh sea salt and fresh black peppercorns to grind over anything. We make a lot of spice rubs for our foods. Just rememember the rule of 3 flavors...mixing too many flavors can really go into flavor overload, so pick out 3 or so to mix so each flavor comes out okay (I will sometimes use more, but ...Hello, my name is Mark...I'm a spiceaholic) then just take a few teaspoonfuls or so of your favorite spices, mix them together, rub them on your favorite piece of protein and cook away....Yum.

3) Use Dried and Fresh herbs...! Dried Herbs should be on your list, and the rules are like spices. Got them in your drawer or rack for over a year? Toss 'em and reload. My faves...Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Herbs de Provence, Tarragon and Dill. And here is a goodie -- Dried Mushrooms: you can reconstitute them and they're awesome. You can grind them to make mushroom dust and use it like a spice, you can make a broth with it and use it to base a sauce or soup. Use herbs to Dust or Rub chicken, fish or meat or mix them with oil and a few spices and paint them on your food before you grill or saute'.

With fresh herbs, I always use the most fragrant and freshest I can get. Most of the time it's from my garden. I like to add fresh herbs after I've cooked a dish, not cooked into it. Why? You want the fragrant oils of fresh herbs, not the cooked flavors of a seasoning. If you want the fragrant oils of fresh herbs to influence your dish, add them either in non- cooked items or for cooked items, just as you finish. The oils will come out and taste like they were on the plant.

Hope this moves you to try a few new things... All good, All good for you, and All not butter. Enjoy.

Next we'll be talking about the 5th flavor. There is bitter, salt, sweet and sour. Anyone out there know what the fifth is? Write in....I'll fill you in on it on Saturday!