What one seasoning, spice or herb do you use most often? I'm not talking salt here, though I do love the wonderful sea salts recently introduced to me by my friend, Lucy. What I'm talking about is your day-to-day cooking habits. Are you more Provence or Guadalajara? A taste of Italy or a taste of Bangkok? Chowda' or Chow Mein?
When first thinking about this, I immediately thought of fresh basil. I love to use it in a variety of meals served throughout the day - a yummy egg frittata, assorted soups, roasted chicken, and my work-in-progress shrimp curry. But then I had to acknowledge that nothing beats fresh rosemary. I count it among my favorite herbs and love sprinkling it with olive oil over soon-to-be roasted red potatoes, serving it and Stonewall Kitchen's Cranberry Horseradish sauce over pork loin chops, and mixing it up with a 'bunch of other stuff' to produce a popular rosemary chicken dish.
But when really thinking about it, I'd have to say that the seasoning I most often reach for and replace most regularly is ... cumin. It's ubiquitous, my little friend. Found in Mexican, Middle Eastern, Asian, and many African dishes, cumin is my go-to flavoring most days. I think my fascination with cumin began when living in the Southwest.
Interestingly, a Serbian friend who grew up in Canada and Seattle picked cumin as his top seasoning as well. He's traveled the world and eaten throughout and is convinced that cumin is evident in most country's culinary offerings. I feel so worldly ... living in my little town!
So, what's your go-to seasoning and why? What has most influenced your cooking style - geography, family recipes, travels?
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Boy, that's a tough one. Cumin is definitely up there--love it. And ginger--fresh grated, not powdered. I buy big knobs of it, grate it in the cuisinart, and freeze it in tablespoon portions in an icecube tray. Ditto with lemon zest, but by the teaspoon. It's a great way to have "fresh" ingredients on hand.
ReplyDeleteBut then there's wasabi, great in mashed potatoes. yum. With ginger soy marinated flank steak on the side.
So many choices, so little time, off to cook valentines cookies for my sweeties.
Lori Grannis said...
ReplyDeleteSo, rather than define it as spice, I'm going to break it down into two categories: Herbs and Spice.
For herbs, I'd have to say thyme is my weapon of choice - it is more delicate in flavor than basil (which I like in small doses - torn leaves atop Caprese salads and such).
As far as spice, other than plain old sea salt or Fleur de Sel and peppercorns, probably hand-grated nutmeg. Awesome in egg and cheese dishes, and a real boon to Dauphinois, it is the most versatile and interesting tasting spice.
Don't get me started on Indian spices, please!!
Great question! I love trying new recipes and spices - recently, smoked paprika is my favorite. However, I have to say cumin is also my fastest-disappearing spice on the shelf. Thyme is a close second.
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