Some of My Favorite Spices

 I like to use all sorts of salt and spices in my cooking and I am always on the lookout for new ones to incorporate into my dishes.  I collect lots of different salts and this is one of my favorites.  Truffle salt is great sprinkled on steaks and burgers because it adds a depth of flavor.  It is particularly good on french fries and popcorn too.

 Mahlab is the pit of the sour cherry.  Ground up, it has a sweet-sour nutty flavor that is delicious in breads, cookies and scones.

 I love this Krakow Nights Polish seasoning from Penzeys.  It's great on all kinds of meats, in soups and of course, in halushki.

 I now use this almost exclusively instead of red pepper flakes. Korean chili flakes are earthy, fruity and smoky.  They waken up any dish and depending on how much you use, they can brighten a dish or add a kick to it.

 Sumac berries are widely used in Mediterranean cuisine.  Sometimes it's sprinkled on food as a condiment. It has a lemony flavor which adds a fruity sourness to sauces.

 I add truffle zest to dishes when I want them to have an earthy flavor.  It's especially good in meatloaves and meatballs.  I add it to rice and soups and gravies.

 Aromat Seasoning is a good all purpose seasoning to use on just about anything.


Sazon Goya can be found in most grocery stores or Latin American markets.  I use this a lot!  The garlic and onion can be used in almost all soups, stews and sauces.  The Coriander & Annatto is used in stews, soups, pasta, rice, beans and mixed into cooked vegetables.

 I think we get used to adding the same spices and flavorings to our food.  I like to experiment with flavorings, especially from other countries, to see how they improve and enrich the food I make. If you want to take your cooking to the next level, give some of these a try.

Comments

Susan said…
Glad to see you use Penzey's - I LOVE them. I gather my own sumac every year - they grow like weeds on my plot. I will have try some of your spices - I love to experiment!
CalamityJr said…
How interesting! Thanks for sharing; I'll be looking for a few of these.
TARYTERRE said…
This tutorial was fascinating. I didn't realize all the things Penzey had available.
Leanna said…
Thank goodness for Sazon Goya. David thinks I have way too many spices. I still have to go to the store for some things like pepper but I make many of my own combinations for my cooking. I have my own 5 spice powder, Italian mix, steak mix, chicken mix, Indian mix, etc. Since I grow much of my own herbs and dehydrate them, it's a great money saver.
I'll have to go hunting for Mohlab and the Sumac Berries. I've never tried those. Thanks for sharing your spices. I'm insanely jealous of the Truffle Zest and Salt. The kind they sell here is so expensive.
Anonymous said…
I didn't recognize any of these until I came to Aromat :-) We have that one here too and I like to use it often. The rest I guess can be found in the big cities here or similar ones but not here in the countryside.

Have a great day!

Christer.
Aromat Seasoning is, I believe, 100% MSG. I used to have relatives who were positively addicted to that stuff. They put it on EVERYTHING.
Teacats said…
A big vote for Penzey's Green Goddess mix! We LOVE to use it on-or-mixed into SO many dishes (pasta, salad, fish, eggs, pork) in our household!
Good heavens! I've never seen any of those spices. I don't cook enough anymore to try and find them but it's fun reading about what you use. AND of course looking at your pantry!
Joy said…
Love your collection! Interesting to see the Krakow one, and I have several from our Turkish trips as well. We have quite a few Polish shops here in London too. Have you tried adding the truffle salt to scrambled eggs? Delicious! :)