Spices you've "discovered" and love?

Have you had any spices you've "discovered" and love to cook with now? Paprika is a spice I rarely saw or tasted when I was growing up, unless it was sprinkled on potato salad. I love it in a chicken paprikash, or a Swiss steak and they're so easy to make, too. I try to keep fresh paprika at all times.

I guess this is an herb, not a spice, but I think Sweet Marjoram is pretty darn good and underused. Good on tomato dishes, boiled buttered potatoes, actually many vegetable dishes. By the way, have you tried smoked paprika?

quote:

Originally posted by essemjay58

I guess this is an herb, not a spice, but I think Sweet Marjoram is pretty darn good and underused. Good on tomato dishes, boiled buttered potatoes, actually many vegetable dishes. By the way, have you tried smoked paprika?

I've not seen the smoked paprika, but I'll sure watch for it, now that you've mentioned it. Yep, Marjoram is an under-rated spice, as is Nutmeg. I've eaten nutmeg in several good Cajun dishes I liked it in.

Ground Coriander

If you go to the FoodNetwork and search for Rachel Ray's "Israeli Spice Chicken" she has an Israeli Spice Rub recipe I can't get enough of. I'm always using it. Delicious.

...chervil...fresh is best, but dried is great too - best with fish and chicken...
...curry leaves - since i found fresh curry leaves at a local indian market, i've been using them in soups and stews, as well as my favorite indian recipes!

oops - my post, i noticed too late, is about herbs, not spices...sorry, everyone!
...can we include herbs on the thread too?

quote:

Originally posted by essemjay58

I guess this is an herb, not a spice, but I think Sweet Marjoram is pretty darn good and underused. Good on tomato dishes, boiled buttered potatoes, actually many vegetable dishes. By the way, have you tried smoked paprika?

Try marjoram with mushrooms. Their affinity for each other is amazing.

It's not really a spice, more of a mix, but I use Chinese Five Spice a lot. In stir frys, chili, stews almost everything even if its just a pinch.

joe

quote:

Originally posted by fabulousoyster

Ground Coriander

If you go to the FoodNetwork and search for Rachel Ray's "Israeli Spice Chicken" she has an Israeli Spice Rub recipe I can't get enough of. I'm always using it. Delicious.

Oh, yes! I've used a touch of Coriander in my Green Chile before. It's one of the oldest spices around.

quote:

Originally posted by Sneetch

...chervil...fresh is best, but dried is great too - best with fish and chicken...
...curry leaves - since i found fresh curry leaves at a local indian market, i've been using them in soups and stews, as well as my favorite indian recipes!

Herbs, spices... It's all good!

quote:

Originally posted by jmckee


Try marjoram with mushrooms. Their affinity for each other is amazing.

Mmm, great suggestion, Jmckee! I love 'Shrooms!

quote:

Originally posted by Texianjoe

It's not really a spice, more of a mix, but I use Chinese Five Spice a lot. In stir frys, chili, stews almost everything even if its just a pinch.

joe

Yep, cinnamon, fennel, star anise, cloves, and Szechwan pepper. It's some super stuff! The Fennel is one I can't get too much of.

I love the smoked paprika over the sweet paprika it has such a deeper level of flavoring

along that same line I love using dried chipotle too.

quote:

Originally posted by CajunKing

I love the smoked paprika over the sweet paprika it has such a deeper level of flavoring

along that same line I love using dried chipotle too.

I have a recipe somewhere for "Cajun barbecued shrimp" that uses Szeged "Hot" Hungarian Paprika.

quote:

Originally posted by CajunKing

I love the smoked paprika over the sweet paprika it has such a deeper level of flavoring

along that same line I love using dried chipotle too.

I'm sure going to try the smoked paprika, Pard. I've enjoyed many a lunch at work improvised from lots of paprika, an onion, garlic, and six or eight chicken thighs. If I had them I'd add 'shrooms and tomatos. I love simple spicy dishes like that and a smoked flavor could only help.

quote:

Originally posted by jmckee


I have a recipe somewhere for "Cajun barbecued shrimp" that uses Szeged "Hot" Hungarian Paprika.

That would HAVE to be good!

I love to sprinkle a bit of allspice on ham and baked sweet potatoes. Also like to put it in chili and vegetable soups.

Seeing the refrences to paprika I have to ask that the only one I ever see in the supermarket is regular old paprika, have never found sweet or smoked or any other kinds that I have seen used on the food shows, am I looking in the wrong place?

quote:

Originally posted by lynndunham

I love to sprinkle a bit of allspice on ham and baked sweet potatoes. Also like to put it in chili and vegetable soups.

Thanks for mentioning Allspice, Lynn. I looked it up, and found it's not a combination of spices like I thought it was.

Allspice -(Pimento) is a the "dried unripe berry" of the Pimenta dioica which belongs to the family Myrtaceae. It is also know as Jamaica pepper, common name applied to the berry of a small West Indian tree of the myrtle family.
The tree grows to a height of about 9 m (about 30 ft) and has aromatic, glossy green leaves and white flowers. The fruit, when dried, is widely used as a spice. The name pimento is sometimes applied to the pimiento, a variety of sweet pepper, also used as a spice.
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/sr_allspice.htm

I recently bought smoked paprika. It is wonderful sprinkled over deviled eggs! I will definately look for other uses.

quote:

Originally posted by exsquidao

Seeing the refrences to paprika I have to ask that the only one I ever see in the supermarket is regular old paprika, have never found sweet or smoked or any other kinds that I have seen used on the food shows, am I looking in the wrong place?

I'm researching sources for Smoked Paprika now, Exsquidao. One source says it's available at:
"gourmet food shops, Spanish groceries, speciality spice suppliers and some markets."

quote:

Originally posted by agnesrob

I recently bought smoked paprika. It is wonderful sprinkled over deviled eggs! I will definately look for other uses.

Do you recall the source of your paprika and brand name, Agnesrob? If I can't find some locally I'll buy some online. I know what I've bought off the shelf is good in eggs, sausages, shrimp, eggs, fish and in sauces. I'd sure like to see how much better the really good varieties are. Another spice I'll be finding a gourmet source for is Saffron. I love it in rice!

The smoked paprika I bought is McCormack that is available in any of my local grocery stores. I can buy very reasonably priced saffron in
Trader Joe's. My sister lives in Hurst, Tx, I can ask her where she might find these things. But even she will admit, cooking is not her forte.

Dick - Thanks for the lesson on allspice! It's always nice to know more about your ingredients.

The Indian spice mixture,GARAM MASALA,and its regional variations...

For several different kinds of smoked paprika and all sorts of authentic Spanish items, go to Tienda. It's the best source on line for Spanish spices, vinegars and much more. A really good company....

http://www.tienda.com/

quote:

Originally posted by agnesrob

The smoked paprika I bought is McCormack that is available in any of my local grocery stores. I can buy very reasonably priced saffron in
Trader Joe's. My sister lives in Hurst, Tx, I can ask her where she might find these things. But even she will admit, cooking is not her forte.

Aha! Thank you, I just ran across their announcement they have New McCormick® Smoked Paprika now as well as Black Sesame Seed. I'll probably try some of it before looking elsewhere.

quote:

Originally posted by lynndunham

Dick - Thanks for the lesson on allspice! It's always nice to know more about your ingredients.

You are most welcome, Lynn. You're right, I was happy to learn more about it, too.

quote:

Originally posted by iqdiva

The Indian spice mixture,GARAM MASALA,and its regional variations...

Garam masala? Wow! It sounds quite spicy, Iqdiva. I may have to give it a try.

Garam masala is a blend of ground spices common in the Indian cuisine, whose literal meaning is 'hot (or warm) spice'. There are many variants: most traditional mixes use just cinnamon, roasted cumin, cloves, nutmeg (and/or mace) and green cardamom seed or black cardamom pods. Many commercial mixtures may include more of other less expensive spices and may contain dried red chili peppers, dried garlic, ginger powder, sesame, mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander, bay leaves, cumin, and fennel. While commercial garam masala preparations can be bought ready ground, it does not keep well, and soon loses its aroma. Whole spices, which keep fresh much longer, can be ground when needed using a mortar and pestle or electric coffee grinder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garam_masala

quote:

Originally posted by zataar

For several different kinds of smoked paprika and all sorts of authentic Spanish items, go to Tienda. It's the best source on line for Spanish spices, vinegars and much more. A really good company....

http://www.tienda.com/

Thank you, Zataar. I saw several references to them. It appears they may be the "go to" people for good Saffron, too!

Dickestep,try garam masala on baked chicken pieces with peppers,onions,and lots of garlic and melted butter...Finish it with heavy cream or yogurt...Serve on buttered steamed rice...Boy,it's good !

quote:

Originally posted by dickestep

quote:

Originally posted by jmckee


I have a recipe somewhere for "Cajun barbecued shrimp" that uses Szeged "Hot" Hungarian Paprika.

That would HAVE to be good!

It is. It's from a lovely restaurant here in Cincinnati that's gone now: The Heritage.

Basically, it's not "barbecued" in the traditional sense. Rather, extra large shrimp are sauteed in an extremely over-the-top heavily seasoned butter / oil mixture and finished in the oven. Served with French bread, which is almost as good as the shrimp when dipped in the sauce.

The best time I ever made it was when a guy with more money than kitchen know-how threw a party, and I was invited. He offered to pay for the ingredients if I made this dish as the appetizer. Which I did: TEN POUNDS of it.

Jmckee,that sounds a lot like New Orleans BBQ shrimp...With the butter sauce that you sop up with that wonderful New Orleans french bread !

quote:

Originally posted by jmckee

It is. It's from a lovely restaurant here in Cincinnati that's gone now: The Heritage.

Basically, it's not "barbecued" in the traditional sense. Rather, extra large shrimp are sauteed in an extremely over-the-top heavily seasoned butter / oil mixture and finished in the oven. Served with French bread, which is almost as good as the shrimp when dipped in the sauce.

The best time I ever made it was when a guy with more money than kitchen know-how threw a party, and I was invited. He offered to pay for the ingredients if I made this dish as the appetizer. Which I did: TEN POUNDS of it.

I will have to try that one soon. I usually wrap my jumbos with bacon and a sliver of bacon, then baste with BBQ sauce. Paprika and EVOO would be a good alternative for the sauce.

I like Zaatar - I brush olive oil on a piece of fresh pita bread (from a Middle Eastern Market) and then I sprinkle a generous amount of Zaatar on top and warm it in the oven. I'll have that with either a garlic spread, yogurt or hoummous.

Also, I love sumac. It's soooo good on a grilled chicken or beef kabob.

Hep

Hep,my Lebanese friends that I went to school with as a teen,loved zaatar on eggs fried in butter and olive oil. They served it with thick yogurt,sliced tomatoes and toasted pita bread.

quote:

Originally posted by hep2thejive

I like Zaatar - I brush olive oil on a piece of fresh pita bread (from a Middle Eastern Market) and then I sprinkle a generous amount of Zaatar on top and warm it in the oven. I'll have that with either a garlic spread, yogurt or hoummous.

Also, I love sumac. It's soooo good on a grilled chicken or beef kabob.

Hep

The flavors sound rather exotic, Hep. I'd love to try it sometime and will if I find a Middle Eastern deli.

quote:

Originally posted by iqdiva

Jmckee,that sounds a lot like New Orleans BBQ shrimp...With the butter sauce that you sop up with that wonderful New Orleans french bread !

It is very much that type of dish. The Heritage prided itself on regional American cooking, and was one of the few I know of outside Louisiana to do Cajun or Creole properly. The head chef even learned how to do a proper blackened redfish from Paul Prudhomme.

I loved that place and miss it terribly.

quote:

Originally posted by hep2thejive

I like Zaatar - I brush olive oil on a piece of fresh pita bread (from a Middle Eastern Market) and then I sprinkle a generous amount of Zaatar on top and warm it in the oven. I'll have that with either a garlic spread, yogurt or hoummous.

Also, I love sumac. It's soooo good on a grilled chicken or beef kabob.

Hep

I recently discovered sumac thanks to a remarkable book, The Arab Table, by May Bsisu. (See the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Arab-Table-Recipes-Culinary-Traditions/dp/0060586141/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6205217-9080658?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178553558&sr=8-1)

I haven't exactly become expert in its usage yet, but I'm learning!

Fresh tarragon - I have a small pot of it, and it goes well in a pasta-crawfish dish I make.

Not really new - but fresh rosemary - you were talking about NO style barbequed shrimp - I make something similar, but more on the herbal side, butter, garlic, lemon juice, a little thyme and basil, parsley, lots of fresh rosemary - with heads-on jumbo shrimp.

I am a fan or marjoram too. It's delicious on roast pork and one of my favorite ways to cook fresh green beans is to put a can of chicken broth and a big chopped onion in a pot with some additional water, black pepper and marjoram. Bring to a boil, add the beans, and simmer until as done as you like them. You can also add some peeled and quartered potatoes and leftover ham chunks to make a whole meal.

I'd like to know more ways to use ground coriander too, which I didn't discover until I bought some to use in a sausage recipe.

RubyRose, At the Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant where I was the chef, we made a very nice sausage called Corianderli. It had ground coriander, fresh coriander, lots of garlic, parsely and black pepper. It was so tasty.

Artichoke bottoms braised with orange juice, white wine vinegar, shallots, crushed red pepper, garlic, cumin and lots of fresh ground coriander make a wonderful salad. Reduce the braising liquid for the dressing. I like this one because it's better made one day ahead.

I've made babas with a coriander simple syrup instead of the usual rum. We served them with poached dried fruits and salty butterscotch. That was a very successful dessert. I really like coriander.

Epazote. I grew up eating it, but didn't know what I was eating and really wasn't all that interested in finding out back then. Once I grew up, started a family and commenced getting into cooking, I rediscovered it.

Like the flavor of cilantro, people either love it or hate it. There's no middle ground it seems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epazote

I love cilantro, which is the green herb version of the coriander seed, kinda looks like flat leaf parsley. I never tasted it until I came out here to CA 20+ years ago. Most people love it or hate it. I think it adds a nice zing to Mexican and Thai food. It is a taste I cannot describe.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/ff/pickOfMonth/pickOfTheMonth_cilantro.htm

===Fresh tarragon ====

Tarragon sure seems to be a herb that is going by the wayside and forgotten. One of the first restaurants that I worked in did chicken with a tarragon cream sauce in puff pastry. That was the only dish that I have done with it. Too bad as I like anise/licorice type flavors.

Is saffron a herb or spice? I love it in certain dishes. Paella naturally..

I do not have any 'new' spices or herbs, but I do have new favorite ingredients. Most of the time it involves me trying to cook Asian style meals. Out of those, my favotite items are lemon grass, galangal, preserved or pickled radish or turnips. You can include ketjap manis, Mae Ploy chili sauce,coconut milk and curry pastes.

I have a few Thai cookbooks, and every time I discover I need a new ingredient. The spice cabinet keeps growing...

For those who want the BBQ shrimp recipe, it goes something like this:
Reduce worchestershire sauce and hot sauce down by at least half in a pot. Chopped garlic should be in this reduction too.
Whisk in some softened butter. Do this rapidly and make sure that the butter blends/emulsifies with the reduction. Add some lemon juice to taste. This dish benefits from the addition of fresh rosemary when served...

Cook shrimp in saute pan with more garlic. When they are done, quickly add the sauce and serve.

mark

Exsquidao - A friend had trouble finding smoked paprika as well. I helped look for her in several stores - finally found it in-house at Williams-Sonoma. Do you have one near you, or possibly you could order from Penzey's?

Got to echo other's posters sentiments and say za'atar is a big favourite.

I live in Japan and there is a spice called Sancho, which they say is 'japanese pepper' but apparently it's something called the ashberry. They use it on broiled eel but I've put it in burgers. It's kind of resiny and too much numbs the tongue for a second. Worth trying.

quote:

Originally posted by BelleReve

Do you have one near you, or possibly you could order from Penzey's?

My mother turned me on to Penzey's and I've never looked back. One of my favorites is their Bavarian spice blend. It's a mixture of crushed brown mustard, rosemary, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and sage that tastes great in braised cabbage, or used as a rub for pork.

for all of you, looking to try any or all of the different herbs and spices that others have mentioned- there is a company out of the midwest called Penzey's. They sell all types of spices, rubs, herbs and such. They are on line and also have a great mail order catalogue that has some really tasty recipes in it- once you sign up they mail it ot about every 3 months or so. I love thir Smoked Spanish Paprika- who knew there were so many varieties of that one spice- and they all have their own individual flavor- and the spices come in small enough containers that you can try several without spend way too much. Give them a try!

Cumin - I usually keep it whole, but before using it I will toast it in a non stick pan lighty, then grind it fresh.

Sensory overload when i take the top off the spice grinder.

Also

When using pepper i like to add all 3

Cayenne - for the initial bite
Black Pepper - for the next wave of just enough heat
finally
White Pepper - for that lingering tingle of pepper

I add all three to my grinder and whirl it up, freshly ground, definately make you sneeze

I love using Cummin and Cilantro.  I even make a rice dish with kidney beans and both spices.  It's a Carribean recipe and I got the recipe off of Islanflav.com.  I like to experiment with foods and am always looking for new recipes.  I also order spice from Signature Spices and have bought many.  I've bought several such as Cranberry Orange seafood seasoning, Sweet Bourbon Coffee Rub, Key Lime and Mandarin Habanero Rub. 

I love fresh sage and thyme in my eggs.

I keep a small jar of homemade salt-free creole seasoning in the refrigerator and sprinkle it on any number of things I'm cooking and added to flour and bread crumb coatings.  It's especially good with fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter.  The ingredients include granulated onion, garlic, thyme, marjoram, freshly ground black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, and paprika.  

 My favorite of all time has to be Mediterranean Grey Sea Salt. I use it in every thing I make, even in my pasta water. It is kind of moist and not grainy at all. I have heard that because of some of the minerals in it that it can prevent and even treat gout. It was used in this manner in the 13th century by the Mongols and other Asian races.

David O.

I too love cilantro and cumin.  One pepper mix that I use in chili is called "Janes Krazy Mixed Up Pepper".  Baby carrots sauteed in tarragon are also very good.  I basically love all spices but am not a huge fan of curry.
 
Andrea

I recently discovered, thanks to my Iranian co-worker, zarchoobeh... otherwise known as turmeric. I first used it in a baked dish of potatoes, chicken, onions, peppers, and tomatoes, turned out pretty good. I used it on a pan of homefries I made the other day too, it worked pretty well.

I also like to use regular curry powder whenever I can, especially in my chicken wing sauce.

Epazote
Achiote

I love added cilantro or rosemary or dill makes most dishes just taste fresher...gardenier. Especially to fish and veggies.

Also curries....to meats.