What is a spice paste good for?
What is a spice paste good for?
You want to add some flavor to a cut of meat. Why use a spice paste over a marinade?
First of all, you need time to marinate, time you may not have unless you've planned things in advance. Because a spice paste clings to the meat and forms a crust when you cook it, you don’t have to give it the waiting time you do a marinade. (You could rub a spice paste on a couple of hours ahead of time, but you don’t have to.)
Once cooked, the pungent, textured crust contrasts the plain, juicy meat. Unlike a marinade, which evenly coats a cut of meat and results in a consistently flavored finished dish, the spice paste comes with surprises: a cluster of ginger here, a nugget of garlic there.
The formula for a spice paste is simple: a few ground spices + puréed aromatics like ginger, garlic, chiles + salt and pepper + just enough oil to hold it together.
Some version of the mortar and pestle has been in use by many cultures for thousands of years to grind and prepare food.
The mortar is a stone or wooden bowl used to hold whatever is being ground (herbs, spices, nuts, beans). The pestle is the heavy hand tool used for grinding.
Stone was probably the original material used for a mortar and pestle, and may still be the most popular (basalt, granite and marble are common, as is porcelain).
Today, food processors and electric spice grinders often replace the mortar and pestle, but for small amounts of ground spices, pesto and spice pastes, they're hard to beat (and good looking, too).
Reference: What is a spice paste good for?
Should I toast whole spices before grinding them?
Should I toast whole spices before grinding them?
Toasting whole spices in a medium-hot pan for 2 to 4 minutes before grinding them wakes up their flavors, releases their oils and brings out their fragrance and nutty flavor.
Spice-heavy cuisines like those of South Asia often fry ground spices in oil and aromatics like onion and garlic before combining them with other ingredients, making toasting redundant. But in dishes where spices aren't cooked on their own, and in rubs and pastes, toasting spices before grinding them is well worth the extra few minutes.
Be sure to shake the pan so spices toast evenly and keep an eye on them so they do not burn.
Pistou is the French answer to pesto.
A Provençal condiment made from basil, garlic and olive oil, it's primarily used to flavor a vegetable, bean and vermicelli soup known as soupe au pistou.
Traditionally, pistou does not include parmesan, but in a borderless Europe, the neighboring cheese sometimes makes it into the mix.
Aïoli is a garlicky Provençal mayonnaise made by pounding garlic with oil, salt and egg yolks until it's emulsified into a thick, creamy sauce. Take out the garlic and add mustard and you have a basic mayonnaise.
You can eat aïoli with vegetables, cold meats, hard-boiled eggs, poached fish or snails. It can also be spread on baguette croutons and eaten with Provençal fish soup. Australians eat it with fries. Aïoli is served at room temperature.
Spanish allioli is a similar sauce that was originally made without egg yolks, but now usually is.
When mixing cocktails, herbs and/or fruit are often mashed or ground -- muddled -- with sugar in the bottom of a glass before adding the liquid ingredients to intensify their flavors. You can muddle with a spoon or a pestle-like tool called a muddler.
A classic example of a muddled drink is the Mojito, in which mint and sugar cubes are mashed together before adding light rum, lime juice and club soda.
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Cumin is the dried seed of an aromatic plant that has a dusty, vaguely bitter taste and a distinctive smell. Cumin seeds can be used whole, fried in oil to release their aroma; or ground into a powder.
Most cumin seeds are light brown in color, but they are also available in white (similar to the brown in flavor) and black (which has a more peppery taste). Cumin seeds look a lot like caraway seeds.
You can find references to cumin in the Bible, where it was cited as a flavor-enhancer for soup and bread. The Romans used it to preserve meat and broil fish and it was popular in the Middle Ages. Today, cumin seeds are used to spice up Munster cheese, to make Indian and Pakistani curries and to add flavor to Tex-Mex chili. Cumin is also popular in many cuisines of the world, including Middle Eastern, Mexican, Eastern European and Mediterranean.
During the Middle Ages, cumin was believed to keep loved ones (and chickens) from straying; likewise, brides and grooms carried cumin seeds during the wedding ceremony as a happy marriage charm.
Caster (or castor) sugar is superfine refined sugar. That makes it finer than granulated sugar but not as fine as confectiones sugar.
Caster sugar dissolves easily and so is used to give baked goods (especially meringues) a lighter texture.
If you don't have any or can't find caster sugar, you can pulse regular granulated sugar in a food processor to help break down the grains.
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Harissa is a spicy chili paste from North Africa and the Middle East that can be found in Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, and is popular in France.
Made with (often smoked) chili peppers, garlic, olive or caraway oil and coriander, it may also contain cumin, dried mint, verbena leaves, tomatoes or rose petals. The ingredients are pounded to a paste, which is left to develop its flavors for at least 12 hours.
Harissa is used to flavor merguez sausage; as a condiment for falafel and other dishes; as a meat rub; and diluted in broth to add spice to couscous, stews and soups. Prepared harissa is available in jars, tubes and cans; homemade harissa can be covered with olive oil and kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
