Herb & Spice Guide:

• Herbs
• Spices

Herbs

Basil

Available as - dried crushed leaves and stems.
Color - light green
Flavor - pleasant, mild, sweet, distinctive

Use - All tomato dishes, peas, squash, string beans, potatoes, spinach; French and Russian dressing or sprinkle over salads; bean soup, pea soup, beef soup, Manhattan clam chowder; broiled lamb chops, venison, beef, lamb and veal stews, veal roasts; shrimp, shrimp Creole, boiled and steamed lobster; spaghetti sauce; scrambled eggs; soufflés.

Bay Leaves

Available as - dried whole leaves.
Color - light green
Flavor - very mild, sweet, distinctive

Use - Pickled beets, beets, boiled carrots, boiled artichokes, boiled potatoes vegetable soup, fish chowders; lamb, beef, veal, venison, poultry, fish -stews; boiled or steamed shrimp and lobster; chicken casserole, boiled chicken; pickled meats; brine for smoked meats; pot roast; boiled pork; meat gravies; marinades.

Mint

Whole Color - green
Flavor - distinctive, sweet aroma
Flaked Color - green
Flavor - same as above

Use - Jelly, ice cream, custard, fruit salad, fruit compote; frostings; split pea soup; lamb and veal roast sauces; cottage cheese salad; white potatoes, cabbage, carrots, celery, snap beans; tea; mint sauce.

Oregano

Whole Color - green
Flavor - distinctive, strong
Ground Color - olive green
Flavor - same as above

Use - Pizza pie, spaghetti sauce, meat sauce; Swiss steak, beef stew, broiled and roast lamb, pork and veal, poultry; gravies; stuffed fish; cheese spreads; beef soup, bean soup, tomato soup; butter sauce for shell fish; cream and tomato sauces; vegetable juice cocktail; onions, peas, white potatoes, spinach, string beans.

Parsley Flakes

Color - green
Flavor - distinctive, mild

Use - Soups; salads; coleslaw; meat, stews, fish, poultry; sauces; all vegetables; omelets; potatoes.

Rosemary

Whole Color - green (looks like a pine needle)
Flavor - distinctive, delicate, sweetish

Use - Roast and broiled lamb, beef, pork, veal, game,poultry; salmon; deviled eggs; cheese sauces; sautéed mushrooms; boiled potatoes, green peas, squash; creamed seafood; chicken soup, split pea soup.

Sage

Whole Color - olive green
Flavor - distinctive, positive

Use - All pork dishes; meat, fish and poultry stuffing;brown sauces; cheese spreads; consommé, cream soups,fish chowders; salad greens, French dressing; Brussels sprouts, onions, lima beans, peas, tomatoes.

Tarragon

Available as - Whole and Ground
Color - green
Flavor - distinctive, fresh, pleasant

Use - Marinades for meat, butter sauce for steaks; poultry; salads; omelets; fish and shellfish; vegetable juice cocktail; chicken soup, consommé, fish chowder, tomato soup; vinegar; broccoli, asparagus, beans, cabbage, cauliflower.

Thyme

Whole Color - gray-green
Flavor - distinctive, pleasantly penetrating
Ground Color - light olive green
Flavor - slightly stronger than Tarragon

Use - Fresh tomatoes, tomato spice, salads; poultry stuffing, croquettes, fricassees; fish chowders, gumbo, vegetable soup; shirred eggs; all meats; seafood sauces; artichokes, beans, beets, carrots, mushrooms, onions, potatoes.

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• Herbs
• Spices

Spices

Anise: Seed Whole and Ground

Color - brown with tan stripes
Flavor - delightful sweet licorice aroma and taste

Use - Coffee cake, sweet breads, rolls, cookies; fruit compote, stewed apples, preserved fruits, all fruit pie fillings; licorice candies, sweet pickles; beef and veal stew; cottage cheese.

Cinnamon

Available as - Whole, Ground

Whole
Color - light brown
Flavor - distinctive, sweet, spicy

Ground
Color - light brown
Flavor - similar to above, sweeter and slightly stronger

Use - Buns, coffee cake, muffins, spice cake, molasses cookies, butter cookies, cinnamon toast; custards, tapioca, chocolate pudding, rice pudding; fruit pies, broiled grapefruit, apples in any form, stewed fruits, pickled fruits; heated spiced beverages, hot cocoa and chocolate drinks; sweet gherkins; sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash.

Cloves

Available as - Whole, Ground

Whole
Color - dark brown
Flavor - distinctive, spicy, sweet, penetrating

Ground
Color - rich brown
Flavor - sharp, spicy, pungent

Use - Ham, boiled tongue, pork roast; pickled fruits; preserved fruits; stewed fruits; apple, mince and pumpkin pies; beets, baked beans, candied sweet potatoes, squash; hot spiced wines, hot tea; spice cake; sweet gherkins; rice pudding, chocolate pudding, tapioca; bean soup, beef soup, cream of pea soup, cream of tomato soup.

Crushed Red Pepper: Spice

Color - bright red to orange
Flavor - hot

Use - Pizzas; sausages; Italian specialties; wherever heat and spot color are desired.

Nutmeg

Ground Color - copper
Flavor - distinctive, exotic, sweet

Use - Doughnuts; eggnog, custards, puddings; whipped cream, ice cream; fried bananas, stewed fruits; spice cake, coffee cake, cookies, pumpkin pie; steamed and glazed carrots, cabbage, spinach, snap beans, squash, onions, sweet potatoes; meat loaf.

Paprika

Ground Color - red
Flavor - distinctive, very mild

Use - Poultry, ham, goulash, fish, shellfish; salad dressings; vegetables; gravies; cheese, Welsh rabbit; canapés; deviled eggs; stuffed celery, cream soups, chicken soup, chowders.

Black Pepper

Whole Color - dark brown
Flavor - distinctive, pleasant spicy bouquet with palate-tingling flavor and enduring after-taste.

Ground Color - varies from cream to black
Flavor - same as above

Use - Almost all foods, except those with sweet flavors. If you are preparing a non-sweet dish that “needs something” try a little pepper first. It is used universally to add sparkle to foods, including: Pickles; soups; poultry, meats; fish; shellfish, game; sauces, gravies, marinades; salads; eggs; cheese spreads; vegetables; spiced vinegar.

Saffron

Available as - Whole and Ground
Color - predominantly maroon
Flavor - distinctive, exotic, concentrated (not strong, yet a little goes a long way)

Use - Rice; rolls, breads, buns; fish stew; bouillabaisse chicken; chicken soup; cakes.

Turmeric

Available as - Whole and Ground
Color - orange (used mostly for its color)
Flavor - mild, slightly bitter

Use - Pickles, relishes, prepared mustards, salad dressings; creamed eggs, fish, seafood; to color rice dishes where saffron is not used.

My summer experimentation with Garlic continues! Unfortunately, due to a frustrating lack of rain (from March to September we didn’t see more than 10 consecutively rainy minutes once!) our pickings from the CSA farm where we have shares (just outside of Barrie, Ontario) has been a little meager. But one thing we have had lots of is Garlic (and Garlic Scapes)

Garlic – Italy’s National Flower

Earlier in the season we used heaps of Garlic Scapes in a number of different recipes, including Steamed Garlic Scape, Garlic Scapes Diced in a Salad, and even Garlic Scapes as a Tasty Addition to several dishes, like stew and chili!

Now, we’ve seen the end of the Garlic Scapes, but we have heaps of Garlic.

What to do?

*QQ “Fight Mouthwash … eat garlic.” ~Lloyd J. Harris, The Official Garlic Lovers Handbook

Well, tonight we decided on Roasted Garlic! I don’t know why but this was a first for me. Strangly, even loving Garlic as much as I do I’ve never tried this one out.

I’ve been meaning to for years, but suppose I wasn’t really sure HOW to Roast Garlic.

I am happy to say that it was incredibly easy.

Also, it is fortunate that my wife likes Garlic as much as I do… Because it really doesn’t help a relationship when Garlic loving is one sided!

*DYK Studies show that eating Garlic regularly provides a number of incredible health benefits; from lowering blood pressure to fending off vampires!

How To Roast Garlic

1. Pre-heat your oven to about 400°F.
2. Peel the outside skin off your Garlic bulbs, leaving the skin on the individual cloves inside. It’s okay if some of the skin comes off the individual cloves but leave all the cloves attached!
3. Nip off the top 10% of each clove with a sharp knife. I throw the tops into a salad usually.
4. Pack the whole bulb into Tin Foil, but leave it open because you’re not quite done yet!
5. Drizzle a good oil over the top of your Garlic Cloves. You should use a couple of teaspoons worth but basically just coat your Garlic Bulb.
6. Sprinkle on some Basil.
7. Seal tinfoil.
8. Put Garlic in oven for 30-35 minutes.
9. Allow to cool enough to handle with your fingers.
10. Enjoy!

(click image to enlarge)

You don’t NEED the oil, the garlic turns out great even without it, but the oil caramelizes, with adds a wonderful element to this simple appetizer.

*QQ “Do not eat garlic or onions; for their smell will reveal that you are a peasant.” ~Cervantes, Don Quixote (1614)

Also, if you’re worried about eating that much garlic at one sitting, don’t be! After roasting for 30 minute, a Garlic Bulb loses most of it’s intensity and you’re left with an incredible mellow earthy (almost nutty) flavor.

I loved eating the garlic , but I’ve been told you can spread it across bread for a nice Garlic Bread treat too and I intend trying this out next.

If you have a differnt method of Roasting Garlic, or another good idea of what to do with the finished result (e.g. Garlic Bread Spread) please share! I have a ton of Garlic left and would love to learn more ways of How to Roast Garlic!

Scallops are expensive, so they should be treated with some class. But then, I suppose that every creature that gives his life for our table should be treated with class.

— Jeff Smith (The Frugal Gourmet)

Did you know the word Scallops is derived from the old french word for shell? Scallops, a close relative to mussels, oysters, and clams, have been a staple diet item in many cultures for thousands of years, and even appear in literature in the west as early as the 13th century!!!

Today, thanks to people’s love of Cooking Scallops, it’s developed into a huge industry worth millions of dollars every year divided by three main markets:

1. Bay Scallops – The sweetest of the three!
2. Calico Scallops – Generally tougher than the other two types
3. Sea Scallops – The most commonly available (at least here in Canada)

My sister, a fitness coach and body builder introduced me to scallops a number of years ago. She included them in her diet because they are so high in protein (88 percent!) and low in both fat and carbs.

Checkout my famous Prosciutto-wrapped BBQ Cooked Scallops. I’ll be adding more recipies for cooking scallops over the coming weeks, so check back often!

The summer is heating up and, going into a nice weekend my thoughts are on my BBQ so I thought I’d share a few hints that will come in handy if you plan on Grilling up some Beef this weekend:

• Choose choice or prime cuts for the BBQ. The more abundant marbling adds tons of flavour after sizzling on a grill

• Always marinate less tender cuts of beef before grilling. In order to properly tenderize, your marinade must contain an acidic ingredient.  Good additions to a tenderizing marinade include fruit or vegetable juice, yogurt, wine or a vinegar

• For a really tender and juicy steak, let your meat sit at room temperature for 30 – 45 minutes and then salt it just before grilling

• If you are the kind of BBQ chef who likes to deliver a side of beef with perfect grilling lines charred into your meat, try lightly brushing your next steak with an extra-virgin olive oil just before placing it on the BBQ

We steamed up a bowlful of Garlic Scapes for dinner last night (for $2.50 we picked up an entire grocery bag stuffed with them at the Orillia Farmers’ Market) and were very happy with the results.

I’ve never had Garlic Scapes before to my knowledge and this was a really simple-to-prepare treat.

I wasn’t sure if you could eat the flower bulb or not so decided to cook the scape in its entirety. After washing about 1/4 of the grocery bag (approximately 7-10 Scapes per person) I stuffed them into our vegetable steamer and set the timer for 30 minutes (about the same as I would cook asparagus).

Once the timer was up, I sampled one and found the top to be relatively non-edible (from the bulb to the pointy tip) as it was still very ‘woody’. Removing them though was easy; simply grasp the bulb in one hand and gently tug the tip which should pop right off.

I tossed all the Scapes in a bowl with butter and liberally sprinkled Ricotta cheese.

The result was a pleasant and unique side veggie dish.

It looks like Garlic Scapes are fairly hardy and should last in your fridge (or even in a cool dry location) for quite awhile as I’ve had a few Scapes sitting in the bottom of my fridge since my first CSA farm visit and they haven’t wilted in the least.

I mention this because, as much as I enjoyed our Garlic Scape dish, I think I’d prefer to use them as embellishment to other veggies more often than as a primary vegetable dish.

The mild garlic flavour would be a nice addition to most dishes!

Ok, glad I looked the Garlic tops up, I would have gone and cut them up into a salad (which may actually be pretty good too) but this sounds so much better!

But instead, tonight in Barrie we’ll have Garlic Scapes in butter!

Image found here

Content below is from: Boundary Garlic Farm’s site
Garlic Flowers

Hard neck varieties produce a central stalk which goes straight up and then usually makes one or two loops. The garlic top is called a scape, garlic flower or top set, and contains a bulge where bulbils will form. If you want all the plant’s energy to go into producing a large bulb, snip the scape off after it has made one or two loops. If you want to use the bulbils to propagate more garlic, leave them in place until harvest time and then dry them separately from the bulbs.

Tip

Steam or Stir Fry Garlic Flowers

The garlic tops, called flowers or garlic scapes, are a gourmet delight! Steam them whole and serve with melted butter like asparagus. Cut them into short lengths to add to a stir fry. They have a delicate garlic flavour which gives a subtly different and delicious flavour to the sauce.

Serve like asparagus! Yummy. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Meal Rating:
Time – 2
Complexity – 4
Food – 6
Overall Success – 4 out of 10

I’ll be frank right up front… this was not one of my better meals.

It wasn’t bad, but I think Sushi will take some getting used to, both learning the best recipes and the actual preparation which is quite a bit more difficult and time consuming than this deceptively simple food suggests.

I’m beginning to understand why a real sushi master apprentices for many years! (if you live in LA you could fast track!)

Ingredients:

Nori
Veggies (carrot, cucumber, avocado, bean sprouts, eggplant, be creative!)
Meat – optional (tuna, salmon, butterfish, crab, etc)
Rice Vinegar
Wasabi
Soy Sauce
A variety of Japanese Sticky Rice
Pickled Ginger (optional)

Tools:

1 Bamboo mat
1 Hot-off-the-Grinder SHARP knife (for the fish & cutting the rolls)
1 Bowl of water close at hand (the rice is STICKY!)

One thing I will say about Sushi is the time it takes to make… especially the first time you try tackling this dish. I spent close to 4 hours planning, preparing ingredients and rolling/cutting my sushi rolls! I will never again complain about wait times at AjiSai!

And before you even think about getting started preparing this meal, you’d better put a little thought about where you’re going to get your ingredients!

At the end of the day, I had to pick up my supplies from 3 different locations:

a local Grocery Store (zehrs)
a Fishmongers
an Asian Grocers

Depending on where you live you may be able to pick up everything at one location. For instance, a local grocery store (Zehrs on Bayfield st for any Barrie, Ontario readers) has a sushi bar so you can pick up pretty much everything I went to the Asian Grocers for. But the fish is a little trickier since you aren’t going to cook it. Some Grocery stores will carry sushi quality fish while others will refuse to sell you any fish at all if you even mention Sushi!

Generally I found that a lot of Grocery stores WILL sell sushi quality fish, but only on one (or two) specific days of the week (delivery days)

Instead of messing around I went straight to the best fishmonger in town, Johnny’s Fresh Fish & Seafood Market (516 Bryne Dr for Barrie readers), and picked up a fresh Atlantic Salmon Fillet and a Flash-Frozen Tuna Steak (see ingredients picture above)

The Best Roll

Advance Setup:

Cook your rice and gently fold in a little rice vinegar (to taste)
Prepare your wasabi (if you bought powdered)
Slice your fish THINLY
Chop your veggies into small sticks

After setting out everything you’re going to need, place some nori in the folds of a damp towel to make it more pliable; it doesn’t take long.

Place a sheet of nori on your bamboo mat, shiniest side down, and rub a few spoonfuls of rice across it. You won’t need very much and keep the rice away from all sides (quarter inch on the sides and a half inch or more on the top and bottom)

Rub a line of wasabi (to taste) across the rice and top with your preferred sushi vegetables, again making sure to keep away from the edges:

Now for the tricky part…

Rolling your Sushi

Figuring out how to do this well is a little tricky, but by the 5th or 6th roll I pretty much had it down to a science and started producing pretty good Sushi Rolls:

My best suggestion is to keep a lot of pressure on the roll and bamboo mat as you’re rolling. Other pointers: