The Perfect Pantry - Spices, Herbs, Condiments

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

The Perfect Pantry By Lydia Walshin

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

A • Allspice • Allspice, and garlicky skewers • Arrowroot B • Bay Leaves

Page 1 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

C • Cardamom pods • Cardamom, Ground • Celery Seed • Chili Powder • Chinese Five-Spice Powder • Cinnamon • Cinnamon, cranberry rice pudding • Cloves • Cocoa Powder • Coriander • Cream Of Tartar • Cumin • Curry Powder

< RETURN TO TOP >

Page 2 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

D • Dill Weed E • Epazote F • Fenugreek G • Galangal • Garlic: Granulated garlic (and a rub) • Garam Masala • Ginger, Powdered H • Harissa • Herbes de Provence • Hot sauce

< RETURN TO TOP >

Page 3 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

M • Mustard, Colman’s N • Nutmeg O • Oregano • Oregano: Mexican oregano, smoky-spicy salad dressing

< RETURN TO TOP >

Page 4 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

P • Paprika • Pickling Spice • Pimentón • Pepper: Black • Pepper: Cayenne pepper • Pepper: Ground Chile pepper, white chili • Pepper: Red, white and blue • Pepper: Red pepper flakes • Peppercorns • Peppercorns: Szechuan peppercorns • Peppercorns: Szechuan peppercorns, salty prawns • Piment d'Espelette

< RETURN TO TOP >

Page 5 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

S • Saffron • Salt: Kosher Salt • Salt: Sea Salt • Salt: Sea Salt, Flavored, tips and spears • Salt, Seasoned • Seasoning: Old Bay seasoning • Star anise, iced tea T • Tarragon, cheesy omelet • Thyme • Turmeric

< RETURN TO TOP >

Page 6 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Mexican oregano, smoky-spicy salad dressing

Twigs and leaves. At this time of year, just a few days past peak foliage season in New England, I'm surrounded by twigs and leaves, shed by the maple, oak, pine, cherry, sassafras and birch trees on our land. When I pulled this bag of Mexican oregano out of the freezer last week, I realized I've got twigs and leaves in The Perfect Pantry, too. Foliage it might be, but oregano it is not. Mexican oregano, also called Mexican wild sage or Tex-Mex oregano, actually is a member of the lemon verbena family, not related to the more familiar Mediterranean oregano, stronger and sweeter but with a similar lemon-licorice aroma. I first sought out this herb when I started reading Diana Kennedy's and Rick Bayless' cookbooks; their recipes, both traditional and contemporary, often called for Mexican oregano, and I knew nothing about it.

Page 7 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Native to the American Southwest and Mexico, where I've seen the fresh herb for sale in street markets all around the country, Mexican oregano is found in dried form in most other parts of the world. It will keep in a tightly sealed jar at room temperature, or in the freezer, for six months or more. If you don't have a Latino market near you, order online from Penzeys, Mexgrocer or Gourmet Sleuth. Mexican oregano adds authentic flavor to many bean dishes, soups and stews, and pairs well with beef, chorizo, onions, squash, cumin, garlic, lime and tomato.

Page 8 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

SMOKY CHIPOTLE-BALSAMIC DRESSING Dress up any sturdy salad -- romaine lettuce, steak, grilled veggies or chicken -- with this richly flavored dressing, adapted very slightly from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless. Makes 1-1/4 cups.

3/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (this is where you use the vinegar from Trader Joe's, not your oldest, best balsamic) 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo 1 tsp adobo sauce (from the can) 1 tsp Mexican oregano, crushed lightly in a mortar Sea salt, to taste Combine the oil, vinegar, chipotles, adobo sauce, oregano and one teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary; the dressing should be highly seasoned. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; store in the refrigerator, and shake the jar immediately before use.

Page 9 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Cinnamon, cranberry rice pudding My friend Peter, a chef who trained with Madeleine Kamman before veering off course to become a banker for a couple of decades, decided to celebrate his 50th birthday by walking across Spain. He met a Brazilian woman along the way, and they fell in love. Now, a few years later, they have purchased a lovely inn and restaurant in the mountains of Minas Gerais, and Peter is finally back in the kitchen, cooking recipes from his New England heritage, with Brazilian flair and local ingredients. This week, I'm revisiting some favorite posts on The Perfect Pantry, featuring recipes that might adapt well to the produce and food products of Brazil. Usufruir totalmente (which, I hope, means "enjoy completely")!

Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus — he who reportedly fiddled while Rome burned — clearly had issues. Who could blame him? His mother, the ambitious and manipulative Agrippina, married the emperor Claudius and, to ensure the continuation of her own position of power, she schemed to have her

Page 10 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

son become the next emperor. To that end, Agrippina managed to get Nero betrothed to Claudius' daughter, Octavia. Whom he divorced soon after, at mom's urging. And then had killed. And then, to demonstrate the depth of his supposed grief, he burned a year's supply of very expensive cinnamon on her funeral pyre. Maybe that's why cinnamon is called a warm spice. (Groan.....) Cinnamon comes from a small evergreen tree, cinnamomum zelanicum, and the spice is the inner bark of the tree, harvested in the rainy season between May and October. Native to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices, its discovery dating to the 13th Century, and was so prized that it was traded as currency. In order to corner the market, Portuguese settlers occupied Ceylon until the Dutch drove them out in 1636. The Dutch began to cultivate cinnamon, which up to that time had been harvested in the wild, and kept prices high by burning excess supplies. They maintained a monopoly until the British East India Company took control in 1796, though competitive trade had begun two decades earlier, when plants were taken by traders to Java, India, and the Seychelles. Often confused with cassia, which is darker in color and stronger in flavor, cinnamon comes in quills (what we call cinnamon sticks), one piece of bark rolled inside another. Most of what we buy in ground form in this country is actually cassia, either from China or Vietnam. In The Perfect Pantry, I have cinnamon sticks from Indonesia, and cassia ground cinnamon from China. It's just a matter of personal taste. Buy your cinnamon from a good spice vendor like Penzeys, and you'll have a choice of cassia or cinnamon, in different pungencies, from different countries of origin. In cooking, cinnamon plays both sides of the field. Well known in sweet dishes, it's also fundamental to the savory cuisines of Morocco, India, and Thailand. Without cinnamon, we'd have no apple pie, no five-spice powder, no gingerbread, no Mexican coffee, no mulled wine — and no warm and gooey cinnamon buns.

Page 11 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

CRANBERRY RICE PUDDING Good for breakfast or dessert, this sweet dish, inspired by a Mexican rice pudding in James McNair’s Rice Cookbook, serves 4-5. 3/4 cup Arborio rice 1 2-inch cinnamon stick Zest of 1/2 lime or lemon, removed in one piece 1-1/2 cups water Pinch of salt 1 pint whole milk 1 cup evaporated milk 5/8 cup sugar 1/4 cup dried cranberries (or dried blueberries) 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces Ground cinnamon Combine cinnamon sticks and lime zest with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and add the rice and salt. Stir once. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed. Add the milk, sugar and cranberries, and stir well. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, just until the mixture begins to thicken, 20 minutes or longer if you want a thicker pudding. Remove from heat and discard the lime zest. Stir 2-3 Tbsp of the hot pudding into the beaten egg yolks. Stir the egg mixture and the vanilla back into the pudding. Preheat the broiler, and turn the pudding into a shallow flame-proof dish. Dot with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place under the broiler just until the top begins to brown lightly, 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Page 12 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Tarragon, cheesy omelet

Ted's aunt Trixie, who lived to be just a few months shy of 100, had in her garden a plant that everyone called "The Old Man." I assumed it had something to do with its age -- not as old as Trixie, but it had been there for at least 25 years. Turns out that "Old Man" is one of the common nicknames for Southernwood, which is a variety of Artemisia Wormwood, dubbed "Old Woman", is another.

Page 13 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Tarragon is an Artemisia, too. Native to Siberia and Western Asia, tarragon was brought to Europe by the Arabs who conquered parts of Spain in the 8th Century AD. The best tarragon for culinary uses is French tarragon (or, as it's called in Germany, German tarragon). When you buy a plant for your garden, be sure the tag specifies which variety it is, or you'll end up with an impostor like I did -- most probably a Russian tarragon, which has a much taller growing habit and much, much less flavor and aroma. The flavor of my garden tarragon is so disappointing that I'm actually using dried tarragon until I replace my impostor with a real French tarragon next spring. The leaves taste of anise or licorice, with a sweet undertone. It's quite aromatic -- a bit strong, even -- but after long cooking, the aroma mellows. When you buy fresh tarragon, keep the sprigs in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To dry, hang the stems upside down in a dark place (in the basement or barn), where air can circulate around them. Fragrant French tarragon pairs best with fish, chicken, potatoes, tomatoes and eggs; it makes amazing infused vinegar and brightens up compound butters and mustards, too. Trés bon!

TARRAGON OMELETTA Lately I've been making these egg concoctions that are quasi-omelet, quasi-frittata. It's just eggs, cheese, and random herbs from the garden, perfect for dinner with our "house" salad: greens, tomato, nectarine, cucumber, and black olives, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Serves 4.

10 large eggs, well beaten 3/4 cup shredded cheese (gruyere, cheddar, fontina, or your favorite mix) 3 Tbsp minced fresh herbs (tarragon, parsley, thyme, basil, or a mix) OR 4 tsp dried herbs Large pinch of sea salt Large pinch of fresh ground black pepper 2 Tbsp olive oil

Page 14 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, herbs, salt and pepper, and beat lightly with a whisk to combine. Heat a large frying pan over lowest heat; add the oil, then pour in the egg mixture. Cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Lift the lid, and with a spatula lift the edges of the omelet and let some of the uncooked egg from the top run underneath. Replace the lid and continue cooking over low heat for another 3 minutes. Again, lift the edges and let the uncooked egg on top run underneath. Cover, and continue cooking until the egg is set, another 5 minutes or more. If you prefer to have the top browned, either flip the omelet and cook for 1 minute, or place under the broiler until the top is lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Page 15 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Star anise, iced tea

To celebrate Ted's sixtieth birthday, I sent quart-size mason jars to friends and family, and asked each person to fill his or her jar with sixty something for Ted. A few weeks later, the jars (more than thirty of them) started arriving in the mail, no two filled with the same thing. Marbles ("to replace the ones you're losing"). Miniature soccer balls. Beach shells. A list of the Oscar-winning movies for each year of his life. Sixty photos of Ted through the years. Caramels (didn't last long). Bolts and screws ("replacement parts"). Toy soldiers. Mosaic tiles. Palindromes. My own jar held sixty unbroken, unblemished, perfect star anise. For the man who keeps the spice in my life. Star anise, one of the fundamental components of Chinese five-spice powder, is the fruit of an evergreen magnolia tree, native to China; it's also cultivated in India, Japan and the Page 16 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Philippines. The tree fruits in its sixth year, and can continue to bear fruit for up to a century. Fruit is picked unripe, and dried in the sun. The Chinese names for star anise -ba jiao in Mandarin, bat gok in Cantonese -- both mean "eight corners", a reference to the eight canoe-shaped carpels on each fruit. (Sometimes you find a pod with six carpels, or twelve. I think of them as lucky, like a four-leaf clover.) Star anise has a sweet and pungent and fennel-like flavor; when you taste it, your tongue might tingle a bit. It's a powerful spice, so use little bits at a time. If a recipe calls for ground star anise, do it yourself, grinding just as much as you need. As with most spices, once you grind it, the potency begins to degrade immediately. In my Asian market, star anise is sold in bags ($4 per pound, more or less), so you can see exactly what you're getting. The pod itself is more flavorful and aromatic than the seeds, so don't worry too much if you open the bag and find many seeds that have been set free from their pods. It's the pods you're after. Star anise is fundamental to the style of Chinese cuisine known as "red cooking", where meat (often chicken, duck or pork) or vegetables are turned a deep red-brown color by being braised in a soy-sauce flavored broth. You'll often find a star anise in pho, the famous Vietnamese soup, and in some Indian dishes as well. In Western cooking, you'll use star anise in recipes for cake and in the poaching liquid for fruit. By the way, if you do a search online for star anise, you'll get as many results for healing, spirituality, and wicca as you do for culinary uses, though I did find a recipe for unicorn milk. Seems that, in addition to adding authenticity to your cooking, star anise also enhances your psychic powers, and brings good luck.

Page 17 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

THAI ICED TEA WITH STAR ANISE Who could resist this refreshing drink? The recipe is adapted from Aliza Green's Field Guide to Herbs & Spices. Serves 6. 1 star anise 1 tsp orange blossom water 1 vanilla bean Pinch each of ground clove and ground cinnamon 1/2 cup Chinese black tea leaves 1 cup sugar Few drops red food coloring (optional) Half-and-half or sweetened condensed milk Bring 1/2 gallon of cold water to a boil in a saucepan. Add star anise, orange blossom water, vanilla bean, clove, cinnamon, and black tea. Boil for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and food coloring (optional, but traditional). Cover, and steep until the tea is tepid. Fill tall glasses at least halfway with crushed ice. Strain the tea and pour over the ice. Top each glass with half-and-half or sweetened condensed milk.

Page 18 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Ground Chile pepper, white chili

Were you among the 30,000 people in Hatch, New Mexico, at noon on September 1, when the Chile Queen and her Red and Green Chile Princesses were crowned at the kickoff of the world's most famous Chile festival? Did you watch the Chile-eating contests and inhale the aroma of fresh green chilies being roasted in the field? Did you purchase some ristras, taste the burritos and sopapillas, ogle the best-of-show Chile pods? Me neither. Thanks to friends who travel frequently to Taos, however, I am well supplied with several varieties of New Mexico dried ground Chile pepper, and my pantry would be naked without it. (Left to right in the photo above: red and green flakes, ground red, ancho.)

Page 19 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Big Jim, Sandia, Anaheim and Espanola are the most popular New Mexico Chile varieties; all rank as fairly mild on the Scoville scale, at 500-2,500 Scoville units. (A bell pepper is 0 Scoville units, a habanero 300,000 or more.) In my pantry, I also have hot ground Chile from Vietnam, and wickedly hot cayenne, from California, plus mild and hot variations of what we call pizza peppah here in Rhode Island. Chili powder (with an "i") and ground Chile pepper (with an "e") are two different products. With an "e", it's pure pepper. With an "i", it's a blend, often containing one or more varieties of ground Chile pepper, plus cumin, garlic and Mexican oregano. And, even more confusing, many recipes for chili call for some type of Chile. According to New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute, where in addition to scholarly research and practical advice, you can also find an online seed catalog, one teaspoon of dried red Chile powder provides an adult's daily requirement of Vitamin A, and one fresh green Chile pod has as much Vitamin C as six oranges. In fact, chilies are so popular that, for more than 20 years, they've even had their own magazine. Now, how many foods can make that claim?

Page 20 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

WHITE CHILI Adapted from Weekend! A Menu Cookbook for Relaxed Entertaining, by Edith Stovel and Pamela Wakefield, this is a great recipe for those who don’t eat beef but still want some meat in their chili. Serves 8.

3 19-oz cans cannellini beans, drained, rinsed and drained again 14 oz homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock (I use Swanson 99%) 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 lb ground turkey breast or ground chicken breast 2 large garlic cloves, minced 2 cups chopped onion 1 4-oz can chopped green chilies 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried Chile powder or ancho Chile powder, or more to taste 1/3 tsp cinnamon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce, to taste 1/2 cup each: thinly sliced green onions, grated cheddar cheese, minced red onion (for garnish) In a large heavy pot, combine beans with the chicken stock and heat over low heat while you prepare the remaining components of the chili. In another frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the ground turkey and sauté, stirring frequently, until the turkey is lightly browned. Add the onions and garlic, and continue cooking until the onions are soft. Add chilies, cumin, oregano, Chile powder and cinnamon, and stir to combine. Stir the turkey mixture into the beans, and add hot pepper sauce to taste. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat (don’t allow the chili to boil) for 10-15 minutes. Garnish as desired and serve hot.

Page 21 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Szechuan peppercorns, salty prawns While working on a new recipe index, I've been revisiting some posts from the early days of The Perfect Pantry. Here's one of my favorites, about my search for an elusive pantry ingredient. Welcome to Oldies Week, Day Three.

Page 22 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

File this under "explorations in an ethnic market where you don't speak the language and can't read the package labels and you've wandered up and down the aisles and looked and looked and know what you want is somewhere in the store but you cannot find it." So you ask everyone in the market, which by the way is in Boston's Chinatown, "Do you have szechuan peppercorns?" Blank stares. You try different pronunciations — seshwan, setch-wan, setch-u-on. Pep-per-corn. Pep-pah (the Boston dialect). Nobody speaks English. Nobody understands your pantomime. Fair enough. After all, you are the only one there who doesn't speak the language. Frustrated but determined, you ask your husband Ted to bring his Chinese friend Margaret to the market to search for these peppercorns. A few days later on their lunch break, they go — but they come home empty-handed, too. Which, frankly, makes you feel a teensy bit better. This is a true story, by the way. It happened in 1998. Turns out that, back in 1968, the US Food and Drug Administration had banned the importation of szechuan peppercorns, because they might carry a citrus canker that could endanger the foliage of citrus trees. My old Chinese cookbooks didn't respect the ban; on the contrary, they happily featured this key ingredient — a mainstay of five-spice powder — in my favorite spicy recipes (Ma Po Tofu, Kung Pao Chi Ting), without regard to whether I actually could purchase it in the US. In 2005, the import ban was lifted. Yes, szechuan peppercorns are back. By law they must be heat-treated to 160°F or higher temperature before entering the US. Though the heat-treating may inhibit (ever so slightly) the peppercorns' full flavor, there's still no taste quite like the pungent, smoky, fizzy-mint tickle on your tongue.

Page 23 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Szechuan (also spelled Sichuan or Szechwan) pepper is not a pepper at all; it's the berry of a deciduous prickly ash shrub. In some older cookbooks, it's called fagaro. The flavor resides in the shell, or husk; the small black seed inside usually is discarded, as it imparts a gritty texture when cooked. Most recipes call for grinding or crushing the shells, both to release flavor and to enable the spice to blend more easily with others. I still have trouble finding szechuan peppercorns in some Asian markets, though the larger grocers in Boston, like 88 Supermarket, do stock them. So do Penzeys and Gourmet Sleuth, online — and in English, for non-Chinese speakers like me. By the way, Ted and Margaret did discover one thing on their peppercorn prowl all those years ago. In Chinatown, szechuan peppercorns are called...simply...pepper. Now I know.

Page 24 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

SALT AND PEPPER PRAWNS A classic recipe. Serves 4-6. 1 lb large shrimp (21-25 or 16-20 size), shelled, deveined, rinsed and patted dry 6 Tbsp peanut oil 2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 dried Chile peppers, left whole but seeds removed 1-1/2 Tbsp Szechuan peppercorns 1-1/2 Tbsp sea salt In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp of the oil with the shrimp, and set aside. In another small bowl, lightly pound the peppercorns, and mix with the salt. Set aside. Heat a wok or large frying pan. When the pan is hot, add remaining oil. Stir-fry the shrimp for 1 minute, and remove shrimp from the pan. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp oil. Bring the wok oil back to heat, and add the Chile, garlic and scallions. Stir quickly, and add the shrimp. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper mixture, and stir-fry for another minute. (Do not overcook the shrimp, or they will taste like rubber!) Serve hot or at room temperature.

Page 25 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Allspice, and garlicky skewers While working on a new recipe index, I've been revisiting some posts from the early days of The Perfect Pantry. Here's one of my favorites -- my very first ingredient post -- and the story of how I became a food writer. Welcome to Oldies Week, Day One.

Page 26 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Do you think it's easy deciding where to start? I was this close to logic and predictability, beginning at the beginning with the quintessential pantry items: salt and pepper. And then, this morning, the universe sent me a sign. Two signs, actually. First: While Ted was watching the World Cup soccer matches on TV, I entered all of the pantry items willy-nilly into a database on my computer, and kicked out an alphabetized list of more than 200 items that are always in my fridge, freezer, spice rack and cupboards.

Page 27 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Top of the list? Allspice. Hmmm. Second: We'd vowed to "eat down" our pantry and leftovers this weekend, so I needed to forage. In the freezer I discovered a deeply-buried package of Empire kosher chicken breasts (another pantry staple). On the counter sat a couple of lemons that were a day away from relegation to the compost bucket. I always have garlic, and olive oil, and allspice. In my kitchen that adds up to one thing: garlic chicken on skewers. Hmmm. Until I decided to try my hand at food writing, I'm sure I'd never ever bought allspice, nor did I have a clue about how to use it. However, my desire for the recipe for the absolutely heavenly garlic-lemon-allspice chicken kabobs made by Elias "Louie" Aboujaoude at Cedar's Restaurant in Boston propelled me into a food writing career, so perhaps it is the best place to begin our pantry exploration. Within a week of moving to the South End more than 25 years ago, Ted and I settled ourselves at a window table at Cedar’s to watch our new neighborhood stroll by. For the first few months, we tasted our way up and down the menu of traditional Lebanese dishes, moving from the familiar shish kabob and falafel to kibbie bi syniyeh and kufta balls. Then we discovered the garlic chicken, listed on the menu as “#25 chicken on skewer,” and life changed forever. We began to have garlic chicken cravings, and to bring friends to the restaurant to taste the dish and help us figure out the ingredients. In my own tiny kitchen I began to experiment. Each attempt was, as they say, “close but no cigar.”

By July 1993, I’d been tasting and trying to recreate Cedar’s garlic chicken for 13 years (at two skewers per serving, that’s more than 400 skewers!). I knew the time had come to ask for the recipe, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And then it occurred to me that others also might like to learn the secret. Wouldn’t it be fun to share recipes, and stories of the lives of neighborhood cooks, in the local newspaper? So that's how I became a professional food writer. And that's why there's always fresh ground allspice in my pantry.

Page 28 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

The dried berry of the evergreen pimiento tree, allspice, native to the West Indies and Central America, was discovered by Christopher Columbus — who thought it was pepper, hence its Spanish name, pimienta. Subsequently it became known as Jamaican pepper, because most of the best quality crop grew there; the English gave it the name "allspice", because it mimics the aroma of several spices, including cloves, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. According to Herbs & Spices by Jill Norman, "allspice is the only important spice that still comes almost exclusively from its region of origin — which also makes it the only one grown almost exclusively in the New World." Today the majority of the world allspice harvest goes to the food industry, for use in commercial ketchups and other sauces. Allspice is an essential ingredient in jerk spice blends, barbecue sauces and rubs, chutneys, and sausages. Bakers often incorporate it into spice cakes. The whole berries add important flavor to the pickling spice mix I use for my half-sours every summer.

Page 29 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

SHISH TAOUK (Garlic chicken on skewers) Serves 6-8.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2-4 cloves garlic, sliced, plus 4 cloves mashed (or from a jar) 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 cup olive oil

Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Add remaining ingredients, and mix well (with your hands). Marinate, covered or in a zip-loc bag, in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours, or overnight.

Heat grill to high. Place chicken on skewers, or on a barbecue grid, and cook over direct heat for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently. Serve with rice or in pitas, with chopped iceberg lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

Page 30 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Flavored sea salt, tips and spears

In the beginning, everything was pink. Not just pink. Barbie pink. My first big-girl bedroom. My first and only prom gown. My first contact lenses. (I was 14 years old, and when the doctor asked what color I wanted, I said, "Ooooh, I always wanted blue eyes." He pointed out that the lenses wouldn't change my brown eye color, so the sassy teenager in me replied, "Well, then, might as well make them pink." He did.) My first sea salt was pink, too, a lovely, faintly volcanic, not-at-all-Barbie, reddish-pink salt from Hawaii. Until a couple of years ago, I didn't really "get" salt. I don't mean that I didn't have salt in The Perfect Pantry; I had plenty. Iodized table salt (for baking) and kosher salt (for everyday

Page 31 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

). That Hawaiian pink salt. Black salt. French fleur de sel and Portuguese flor de sal. I pinched here and there, and used my salts sparingly for baking and on matzoh brei. Then, just when I'd gotten the hang of colored salts, I discovered flavored sea salt. Sea salt results from the evaporation of sea water; it's raked by hand, so the granules remain large and irregular. A natural product, with no additives, sea salt takes kindly to being mixed with bold flavorings. It's great in marinades and salad dressings as well as for finishing dishes, meaning the salt sits on top of the dish and slowly melts in at the end of the cooking. If pink salt is good, grey salt is better. Grey is the color of sea salt harvested in Guerande, France (fleur de sel is harvested off the surface, leaving behind the grey salt), and it's the base for the herb-and-lemon flavored Morsels salt that has taken up permanent residence in my pantry. I first discovered this in a local shop, where the cheese monger paired it with some soft cheeses. Salt and cheese -- an unexpectedly wonderful combination. Made by Rhode Island metal sculptor Peter Morse from herbs grown in his garden blended with lemon zest, this salt comes in a beautiful tin that keeps 2.5 ounces of flavored salt dry -and chic. It's easy to make your own flavored salt, too. Szechuan peppercorns, matcha, fresh thyme, smoky pimenton, lavender, orange -- use your imagination (and a food processor or blender), and raid the pantry and garden for ingredients to pair with salt. There's no limit to the flavors you can create, or to the number of sea salts you can keep on your spice rack.

Page 32 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

GRILLED SIRLOIN TIPS WITH ASPARAGUS Peter Morse, who created Morsels flavored sea salt, also creates magic in the kitchen. He graciously shared this recipe, which serves 6-8.

3 lbs sirloin tips 1 can organic lite coconut milk 1/2 cup mirin 1 Tbsp ketchup 1 tsp chili paste 1/2 cup chicken broth 1 cup water 1 cup basmati rice 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley Morsels or other flavored sea salt 1-1/2 lb asparagus, root ends trimmed 1 Tbsp olive oil In a bowl, place the sirloin tips. Combine coconut milk, mirin, ketchup, and chili paste into a festive red marinade, and pour over the meat. Let stand in the refrigerator for 45 minutes. In a saucepan, combine chicken broth and 1 cup water. Under the kitchen faucet, rinse rice in a colander until water runs clear, and add to the broth. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Stir occasionally. Let water reduce slightly below the rice level and the lower the heat to the absolutely lowest setting. Place a tight lid on the saucepan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Page 33 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

While the rice is cooking (or up to a day ahead), make a compound (blended) butter by mixing butter, parsley, and a pinch of Morsels. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Heat your grill (or grill pan, if you're cooking on the stovetop). While the grill is heating, remove sirloin tips from the refrigerator, drain excess marinade, and let the meat come to room temperature. Grill to desired doneness, and set aside to rest for a few minutes. Toss asparagus with olive oil and a sprinkle of Morsels, and grill until just tender. On a large platter, make a bed of the basmati rice, and arrange asparagus spears and sirloin tips on the rice. Top with a large dollop of compound butter and, if you wish, finish with a sprinkling of sea salt.

Page 34 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Granulated garlic (and a rub)

Granulated garlic is to fresh garlic as (blank) is to (blank). As pepper flakes are to habañeros? As decaf is to espresso? As Brad Pitt is to George Clooney? (I guess this one depends on your taste. Maybe the other way around?)

Page 35 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

The point is that granulated garlic will never have quite the zing of the fresh, but, as my family says when we're seeing the glass half full, it has other attributes. Often used in spice blends, granulated garlic provides the flavor of garlic with the added benefit of a long shelf life, ease of measurement, and no skins to add to the compost pile. It is pure dehydrated garlic, with no added preservatives, salt, or anti-caking agents. It takes nine pounds of fresh garlic to make one pound of dehydrated. To substitute in a recipe (which, honestly, you really should not do unless you are out of fresh garlic and also out of the minced garlic in a jar and you absolutely cannot live without the flavor of something resembling garlic), soak one-half teaspoon in one tablespoon of water to equal 2 cloves of fresh garlic. If you're sprinkling it rather than mixing it into a liquid, use 1/4 teaspoon for every clove of garlic. Though I love Penzeys granulated garlic, and I use it in place of powdered garlic, I must take issue with the confusing labeling; granulated garlic is to powdered garlic as granulated sugar is to confectioners sugar. It's the same product, but in a more coarse grind. It keeps for 6-12 months if stored in a container with a tight-fitting lid, and it's great to have on hand to make pico de gallo or spicy garlic chicken, or a real Creole spice mix or your own Montreal steak seasoning.

Page 36 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

DRY RUB FOR STEAK What could be easier? Rub on beef, let the meat sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes, and cook on the grill. 4 Tbsp dried porcini mushrooms 2 Tbsp granulated garlic 4 Tbsp black pepper 1 tsp kosher salt In a spice blender, grind mushrooms to a fine powder. Then, in a bowl, mix all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

Page 37 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Red, white and blue (pepper)

In a week that hosts both Canada Day and the Fourth of July, it might seem a bit surprising to celebrate something in my pantry that comes from halfway around the world. I can't help myself. Look at these adorable red and white peppers in blue-and-white crocks! Just under two inches tall, they were a gift from Laverne -- the mother of one of the original Nine cooks -- who brought them home from her recent trip to Vietnam. On the left, ground red (medium-hot) Chile pepper. On the right, whole white peppercorns.

The two peppers are used differently, in different parts of the country. In the north, where the food is flavorful but not particularly spicy, the seasoning of choice is white or black pepper. White peppercorns are, just like black peppercorns, the berries of the pepper plant Piper nigrum; the difference is that the black are unripe berries, and the white are berries that have been allowed to ripen fully on the vine. The outer shell is removed by soaking the ripe berries under water until the shells fall off, revealing the white interior.

Page 38 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

The hottest food comes from the central part of the country around Hue, the ancient imperial capital, where everyday food shows the influence of the royal cuisine, and fresh chilies are used liberally. Cayenne would be a good substitute for this ground red pepper. My pantry holds a dozen or more varieties of Chile peppers -- whole, ground, red, green, hot, mild -- and I use them somewhat interchangeably. Of course it's most fun, when I'm lucky enough to receive a gift of authentic spices, to make dishes from the same part of the world. Try beef wrapped in betel leaf or prawn fritters, both using white pepper from the north. And from central Vietnam, sample some Bun Bo Hue, the famous makes-yourhead-sweat noodle soup.

BURMESE DRY CHICKEN CURRY (Kyetha See Byan) Not from Vietnam but from a stop along the spice trail, this aromatic recipe for oven or grill can be made with bone-in or boneless chicken pieces, and makes a great picnic dish with a cabbage- or rice-based salad. Adapted from Sandeep Chatterjee's classic The Spice Trail: One Hundred Hot Dishes from India to Indonesia, the recipe serves 6. 4 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp minced garlic 3 Tbsp minced fresh ginger 2 Tbsp soft brown sugar 2 tsp ground white pepper 1 Tbsp ground coriander 1 Tbsp red Chile powder, mild or hot to taste 2 lb chicken parts, bone-in, skin-on (or 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs) Add all ingredients except the chicken to a large bowl, and whisk to combine. Add the chicken, stir to coat each piece, and marinate at room temperature for 3-4 hours (not longer!). Remove the chicken from the marinade and cook over medium heat on the grill, or under the broiler, turning occasionally, until done.

Page 39 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Celery seed

Page 40 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

If it weren't for potato salad and pickles, my celery seed would be toast. All winter, it sits on the spice rack, pushed farther and farther to the rear of the shelf. In summer, when I'm ready to make pickles and potato salad (Why only in summer? I don't know.), I retrieve the celery seed, dust off the jar, use a few teaspoons here and there, and send it back to its place. Every other year or so, I throw out the mostly-full but decidedly less-zesty spice, buy a new jar, and start the cycle again. Time to admit that maybe celery seed shouldn't be in The Perfect Pantry? Time to broaden my culinary repertoire? Time to start drinking Bloody Marys? Celery seed -- called apio in Spanish, ajmoda in Hindi, sedano in Italian and kan-tsai in Chinese -- is not actually the seed of the leafy celery stalks that garnish those Bloody Marys, though it has the same ancestry. The seed comes from Apium graveolens, a marsh plant called smallage or wild celery, grown primarily in India but also in China, France, and California. Light- to medium-brown in color, celery seeds have a more spicy taste than the familiar stalks of cultivated celery; in Herbs & Spices, an essential reference for any cook's library, Jill Norman describes the aroma and taste as having hints of nutmeg, citrus and parsley. Use sparingly, as that spicy taste can overwhelm. Be sure to purchase whole seed rather than ground; when ground, this spice quickly loses its balance, and the flavor becomes quite bitter. A common ingredient in pickling, celery seed also plays an important role in cole slaw, catfish, chicken salad, and couscous. And without celery salt -- 3 parts kosher salt mixed with 2 parts ground celery seed -- the Bloody Mary would be toast, too.

Page 41 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

REFRIGERATOR ZUCCHINI PICKLES Any minute now, the zucchini will begin pouring out of gardens, farm stands, and farmers' markets throughout the northern climate zones. Be prepared! If you've been thinking about buying a mandoline, this recipe, adapted slightly from Stocking Up by Carol Hupping, is a perfect excuse. Makes 4 pints or 2 quarts. 4 lbs small zucchini 1/2 lb small white onions 1 qt cider vinegar 1/2 cup honey 2 tsp celery seeds 2 tsp turmeric 2 tsp dry mustard 2 tsp mustard seeds Cut unpeeled zucchini into thin slices, like cucumbers. Peel onions and slice thin. Place vegetables in a large stainless steel or glass bowl. In an enamel or stainless steel saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and pour over vegetables. Let stand 1 hour. Pour vegetables and liquid into a stainless steel saucepan. Return to heat, bring to a boil, and cook 3 minutes. Pour into hot, scalded jars. Cover tightly and refrigerate.

Page 42 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Red pepper flakes

Peter Piper picked a peck of pizza pepper. Peter Piper picked a peck of pizza pepper. Peter Piper picked a peck of pizza pepper. Wait a minute....pizza pepper? Yes, pizza pepper -- that's what we call the crushed red pepper flakes that sit on the table in every pizzeria in the northeast United States. Call us crazy, but no matter what topping we choose, we like the option of bringing in some heat. When a server asks if you'd like pepper, he or she will produce not a terrifyingly large pepper mill, but a shaker jar of red pepper flakes. By the way, red pepper flakes are a popular table condiment in Hungary, Turkey, Korea, Japan, and the Mid East, too. Red pepper flakes are made by roasting Chile peppers, and then crushing them. The high percentage of seeds that remain account for the heat of the final product. The peppers used, mostly California, cayenne, or New Mexico chilies, range from 16,000 to 20,000 Scoville units. (Green bell peppers score 0 Scoville units; jalapeños 3,000-5,000; Scotch Bonnets 200,000-800,000.) In my pantry, I have both mild and hot red pepper flakes, locally grown and purchased by the bag in Chimayo, New Mexico. If you can't get to the wonderful roadside Chile stand in Chimayo, you can order both mild California pepper flakes and hotter Pakistani pepper

Page 43 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

flakes from Penzeys. The mild flakes are much lighter in color, which is one way to tell which peppers are which on the spice rack. For safety, I always label the jars. When it comes to red pepper flakes, freshness matters; stale pepper that sits around in your pantry definitely loses its kick. Store pepper in an airtight jar or in the freezer. After a year, you either need to replace the spice, or increase the quantity when you cook with it to compensate for the diminishing pungency. Red pepper flakes, nicknamed diavolochino in Italian, give their name to pasta fra diavolo, but I love to spice up everything from scrambled eggs to escarole soup. Try a few shakes of red pepper flakes in hummus, roasted cauliflower, African peanut soup, lemon and honey glazed spinach, barbecue sauce, and an unusual orange-chili pepper ricotta cheesecake.

Page 44 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

PASTA PUTTANESCA It's hard to believe that it's been a quarter of a century since the publication of the original edition of The Silver Palate Cookbook, by Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso. The recipes are still fresh and inventive, and the new 25th Anniversary Edition of the book is even better than the original. In the introduction to this recipe, the authors write: "This racy pasta sauce is named for Italian ladies of the night (the puttone). It's quick and cheap and we hope it offends no one to say so." Serves 4. 1 lb spaghetti, linguine, or other thin dried pasta 2 cans (2 lbs, 3 oz each) Italian plum tomatoes 1/4 cup best-quality olive oil 1 tsp dried oregano 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste 1/2 cup tiny black nicoise olives 1/4 cup drained capers 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 8 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish Salt, to taste (I use kosher salt or sea salt) Bring 4 quarts salted water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in the spaghetti. Cook until tender but still firm. Drain immediately and transfer to four heated plates. While the spaghetti is cooking, drain the tomatoes, cut them crosswise into halves, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Combine the tomatoes and olive oil in a skillet and bring to a boil. Keep the sauce at a full boil and add the oregano, pepper flakes, olives, capers, garlic, anchovies, and 1/2 cup parsley, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat slightly and continue to cook, until the sauce has thickened to your liking, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and add salt, if desired. Serve immediately over the hot pasta and garnish with the additional chopped parsley.

Page 45 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Kosher salt

Is kosher salt, the darling of chefs and cookbook authors, just another flaky food fashion? Is it saltier than table salt, better for health or baking or taste? Is all kosher salt the same? Is it even kosher? Inquiring minds want to know. Kosher salt -- which really should be called koshering salt -- is a coarse-grained salt, named for its use in the production of kosher meats. (It helps to draw blood out of meat, much like drawing water out of eggplant or zucchini.) Unlike table salt, which since the 1920s has had iodine and starch added, kosher salt (specifically Diamond Crystal brand, which is the one I keep in my pantry) is additive-free. It also differs from table salt in another important way. Table salt is granular, while kosher salt (again, I'm talking about Diamond Crystal brand) is shaped like a tiny,

Page 46 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

delicate, four-sided hollow pyramid; food scientist Shirley O. Corriher describes this in Cookwise as the difference between an ice cube and a snowflake. About 90 percent of granular salt dropped onto an inclined surface bounces off, she explains, while 95 percent of the "snowflake", or kosher salt, will stick to the surface. The kosher salt also dissolves in half the time that granular dissolves. Morton's Kosher Salt, the other major brand available in supermarkets, is actually granular salt that has been pressed flat into snowflakes; in other words, it's a completely different type of salt than Diamond Crystal, though both are labeled "kosher salt." Please stick with Diamond Crystal; you can find it at your supermarket or online for approximately $2.00 for a three-pound box. Transfer the salt to a glass jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid; it will keep forever. Kosher salt (which is kosher, as is nearly all salt) is a great all-purpose seasoning. I use it for all types of cooking and some baking, and I save my precious sea salts for finishing dishes. You'll need at least two tablespoons of kosher salt to yield the same amount of salt as one tablespoon of table (iodized) salt. There's not a single dish in my repertoire that doesn't call for a tiny bit of salt, even those dishes that are fundamentally sweets. Whether in main dishes or dessert, breakfast or breads, salsa or salad, a pinch of salt brightens the natural flavors of food. Here's a cooking tip that's taken me years to learn: Don't salt meat until just the second before you grill it. Salt draws moisture out, so if the salt gets a chance to get to work, the outside of your meat will get more brown, but the inside will be more dry as the salt draws the juices out. Best to grill first, and salt later.

Page 47 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

MOROCCAN EGGPLANT SALAD This recipe uses kosher salt two ways, to draw moisture from the eggplant, and to season the dish at the end. It's a wonderful, easy recipe for summer entertaining. Serves 4.

2 eggplants (unpeeled), ends trimmed, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds Olive oil for frying 6 whole scallions, minced 1 tomato, minced 2 huge garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup minced fresh herbs -- a mix of parsley and cilantro Juice of 1-1/2 lemons 1-2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Place eggplant slices in a colander, and toss with a generous amount of kosher salt. Set the colander over a bowl or plate, and let stand for 30 minutes, then rinse the eggplant and dry well. In a frying pan filmed with olive oil, sauté© the eggplant until cooked through but not crispy brown. Drain on paper towels. Dice eggplant and place in a bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly (with your hands -- the eggplant should break down), and set aside to marinate for several hours at room temperature.

Page 48 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Galangal

Page 49 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

When I needed to replenish my supply of galangal a few weeks ago, Ted offered to pick some up at the local Chinese market near his office. Galanga, galangaal, galingale. Lengkuas. Lao. Kha. With so many names, it must be a fairly common ingredient, yes? Yes, in Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Laotian and Cambodian cuisines. But in China, not so much. Ted couldn't find the dried slices, but he did find a jar of powdered galangal buried on the spice shelf. When he brushed the dust off, he noticed the expiration date — August, 2003. (Thank goodness for expiration dating!) So, it was off to our favorite Asian grocery that carries products from many cultures and cuisines, where he bought not only galangal powder, but the fresh root as well. I live in a small town without an Asian grocer, so I keep galangal powder or dried galangal slices in my pantry. (You can store fresh galangal root in the freezer, though, honestly, I never remember to do that and any leftover usually turns googly on the countertop.) Galangal is a rhizome — actually, a family of roots related to ginger. There are two main varieties: greater and lesser. Greater galangal, known as laos, is native to Java and popular in Indonesian and Malaysian cooking, as well as in parts of India; it's gingery and mildly pungent. Lesser, known as kencur, is native to parts of China (though it's not used in the cooking there), India, and the rest of Southeast Asia; of the two, lesser is more, as in more spicy and peppery. Fresh or dried galangal, which tastes like a less-pungent version of powdered ginger, is an essential component in beef rendang, soup, curry — and, occasionally, something as out-of-the-box as these truffles. Purists will tell you to never-ever use dried galangal for fresh, just as you wouldn't substitute dried coriander for fresh cilantro, because they are different animals entirely. Since moving to the country, with a more limited supply of pantry products available (more than compensated by an abundance of farm-fresh produce), I've learned to never say never. In many recipes, you can substitute a combination of fresh ginger root and a bit of dried galangal to simulate the taste and texture of fresh galangal root.

Page 50 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

OPOR MANUK (Chicken Curry, Lombok style) Adapted from Maddhur Jaffrey's A Taste of the Far East. Can be made ahead and refrigerated, so it’s a great party dish. Let the cans of coconut milk sit on the counter undisturbed for 30 minutes or more, to make sure the milk and "cream" separate. Serve this curry with rice colored with a bit of turmeric or saffron, for a beautiful presentation. Serves 8-12; can be halved.

2 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped 6 fresh long hot red chilies, seeds and ribs removed, coarsely chopped, or 2 tsp cayenne 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped 12 raw cashew nuts 2 large onions (or 12-14 shallots), coarsely chopped 8-10 cloves garlic, peeled 1 tsp shrimp paste or anchovy paste 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp whole black peppercorns 8 good-sized slices of dried galangal, or 2-3 tsp galangal powder 8 whole cloves 2-inch cinnamon stick 2 14-oz cans coconut milk (do not shake the cans) 3/4 cup vegetable oil 7 lbs chicken thighs 1 Tbsp salt

Put the red pepper, chilies, ginger, cashews, shallots or onion, garlic and shrimp paste into a blender, and blend to a smooth paste, adding a tiny bit of water if needed. Leave it in the blender container.

Put the cumin seeds, peppercorns, galangal, cloves and cinnamon into the spice grinder, and grind until fine. Put this powder into the blender and whir for a few seconds to mix.

Page 51 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

(This paste may be made ahead of time and frozen; defrost thoroughly before using.)

Open the cans of coconut milk WITHOUT shaking them. Spoon off the cream at the top and set aside. Pour the remaining milk into a measuring cup; add water to make 3 cups total.

Heat oil in a wok or nonstick pan (or cook in two pans if necessary). When hot, put in the curry paste from the blender. Stir fry 6-8 minutes or until the paste is dark red and quite reduced. Add chicken pieces and salt. Stir fry for another 2-3 minutes. Now put in the thinned coconut milk and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Turn the heat off.

Spoon off most of the oil that will have risen to the top. Stir in the coconut cream and mix well. Heat through gently. Serve, garnished with additional chilies.

Page 52 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Piment d'Espelette

On the last weekend in October, thousands of people will crowd into the narrow streets of the town of Espelette, in the Basque region of southwest France, for The Celebration of Peppers, honoring the area's most famous agricultural product: piment d'Espelette. I'm partial to any food that merits an entire festival held in its name (Gilroy garlic, Hatch chilies, Crisfield crabs). I'm also partial to any food that comes from only one place on Earth.

Page 53 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Piment d'Espelette is a one-place-on-Earth, deserves-a-parade, sweet-hot pepper produced in only ten small villages in France with a total growing area of just 3,000 acres, earning it the coveted Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) designation. AOC certification is granted to certain French products, like champagne, that are unique and grown in only one well-defined geographic region. Roquefort cheese was the first AOC product, designated in 1925; piment d'Espelette received its AOC appellation in 1999. As a result, this newest addition to my pantry has made its way into the American food scene, and into gourmet markets and online shops. As essential to authentic Basque cooking as jalapeños are to Tex-Mex cuisine and anchos are to molé, piment d'Espelette is harvested in late summer, when the bright red peppers are strung like the Chile ristras of the Southwest US, and hung on the lovely white houses of the villages to dry in the sun. If you can't find the real thing, you can substitute hot paprika, mild New Mexico red Chile powder, or a combination of the two with a bit of pimentón mixed in. Piment d'Espelette is used, most famously, to both color and flavor the outside of Bayonne ham, but once you have it in your pantry, you'll love the uniquely sweet heat in a variety of recipes for steak and chips, fish and ribs, pretzels or — oui, oui — let-themeat cake.

Page 54 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

CHICKEN BASQUAISE WITH ESPELETTE PIPERADE Recipe adapted very slightly from Fieryfoods.com. Piperade is a colorful pepper sauce that is only spicy when made in the Basque region. This simple but delicious dish is often served at the Celebration of the Peppers. Serve with boiled potatoes and green beans, over rice, or with egg noodles; tastes best at room temperature. Serves 4-6. 1/2 cup olive oil 4 medium onions, chopped 3 cloves garlic, sliced 4 green bell peppers, seeds and stems removed, chopped 2 red bell peppers, seeds and stems removed, chopped 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped 3 Tbsp piment d'Espelette, or more to taste (substitute hot paprika or New Mexico red Chile powder) Pinch of thyme Salt and pepper to taste 1 chicken, cut up, or equivalent chicken parts (2 breasts, cut in half; 4 thighs; 2 legs), skin on, bone in 1/4 cup chicken stock Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large sauté pan and cook the onions and garlic for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell peppers and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and Espelette powder and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme, salt, and pepper and transfer to a bowl. Wipe out the pan and heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil. Brown the chicken in the oil until golden, turning often. Pour the pepper mixture over the chicken, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until tender, about 30-40 minutes. (If there is not enough liquid in the pan, add the chicken stock.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Page 55 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Cumin

Page 56 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Once upon a time, four Boston friends got together to create a chili for a fundraising contest. In order to set our chili apart, we considered many strategies. It wasn't enough to create a delicious recipe; we needed some buzz. Dressing up like chuck wagon chefs might be attention-getting, but we had to have an attention-getting name. A fun (funny?) name. A memorable name. And then, it came to us: Cumin Beans! We laughed and laughed. (Human beings! Human beans! Cumin beans!) In the end, though, we renamed it, and we won first place — and a single crock pot, to share among the four of us. To this day, every time I make chili, I think of Cumin Beans. It makes me giggle. More than any other spice, cumin defines the unique taste and aroma of Mexican, Southwestern US, Indian and Moroccan food. It's the seed of an herbaceous annual in the parsley family, native to only one place — the Nile River Valley in Egypt — though it's long been cultivated in India, China, North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, and the Americas. Cumin is considered a warm spice (like cinnamon, cardamom, caraway and nutmeg), fundamental to curries, masalas, panch phoron, baharat, and Cajun spice blends. Its taste can be described as earthy, sweet and yet bitter, and smoky (though it is not smoked). Use sparingly, as the flavor can overwhelm all other spices in a dish. I keep both whole seed and ground cumin on my spice rack. Many Indian recipes call for dry-roasting or toasting the whole cumin seed before grinding, to deepen the flavor and aroma; grind only as much as you need, as the ground seed loses its punch more quickly. Ground cumin should be stored in an airtight container, or in the freezer. With cumin on hand, you can go all around the world: try Indian fish curry, Moroccan carrot salad, Thai truffles, Indian-inspired vegetables, Chinese beef, Mexican chicken verde and tamales, or bread from the Southwest.

Page 57 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

During the Middle Ages, cumin was believed to keep lovers — and chickens — from wandering, and to ensure a happy life for a bride and groom who carried cumin seed in their wedding ceremony. Cumin also supposedly increased the appetite. Kind of all ties together, doesn't it? Bride, groom, appetite...chicken.

Page 58 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

HOMINY AND CACTUS SOUP A few years ago, Cathy from The #1 Cooking Group taught us this recipe, which she learned from her cousin's boyfriend, who is a chef. Nopales (also called cactus pads or cactus paddles), are fleshy oval leaves of the nopal cactus. They range in color from pale to dark green and have a delicate, slightly tart green-bean flavor. Though fresh nopales are available year-round in Mexican markets and some supermarkets, they’re at their most tender and juicy in the spring. Look for small, firm, pale-green nopales with no sign of wrinkling. Before use, the thorns must be removed (try a vegetable peeler). The flesh is generally cut into small pieces or strips, simmered in water until tender, and used in a variety of dishes from scrambled eggs to salads. Hoplites (nopales that are diced or cut into strips) are available canned or in jars (pickled or packed in water). Makes enough to feed a small town (12-16 servings).

12 chicken breast halves, trimmed 3 limes Olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 1 jalapeno pepper 3 poblano pepper 3 large yellow onions 6 ripe fresh tomatoes 4 15-oz cans hominy (2 yellow, 2 white) 2 large nopales (prickly pear cactus leaves) Ground coriander Ground sage Ground cumin Chili powder 3 qts chicken broth Cilantro (garnish)

Page 59 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Ripe avocado (garnish) White corn tortillas (garnish)

Heat the grill.

Wash chicken breasts and trim. Marinate in olive oil, finely chopped zest of 1 lime, salt and pepper. Trim spikes and ragged edges off cactus leaves and brush with olive oil. Grill chicken and cactus. Cut into medium dice and set aside. On the grill, blacken the jalapeno and poblanos. Peel, and remove seeds. Medium dice the poblano, and mince the jalapeno (wear gloves!) Slice onions very thin. Saute slowly olive oil in a frying pan over low heat, until the onions caramelize (about 10-15 minutes). Core and seed the tomatoes; cut into medium dice. Drain and rinse hominy, and set aside. PREPARE GARNISHES: • Wash and pick off the leaves of cilantro. • Thinly slice the tortilla, and fry in small amount of vegetable oil. Drain on paper towels, and salt. • Medium dice avocado and squeeze juice of one lime (use the zested one) over to keep avocado from discoloring.

TO MAKE THE SOUP: In a large stock pot, place (in this order): hominy, caramelized onions, poblano and jalapeno; chicken, cactus, chicken broth to cover (plus a little more); coriander, sage, cumin and chili powder to taste; and the juice of two limes. Cook over medium heat until just before the boil. Add tomatoes. Bring just to a boil, and turn off heat. Serve with garnish of cilantro, tortilla strips, and avocado.

Page 60 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Herbes de Provence

Page 61 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

"Herbs from the sunny province of France can change your cooking." So says the tag on this little pot of herbes de Provence, a classic blend of thyme, basil, savory, fennel seed and lavender flowers. Herbes de Provence combines the vigorous, resinous herbs that grow on hillsides in the summer in the south of France. As with garam masala, there are many formulations that can include, in addition to the herbs in my pot, tarragon, dried orange zest, celery seeds, white pepper, dried mint, oregano, rosemary, chervil and bay leaf. In The New York Times Food Encyclopedia, Craig Claiborne wrote: [In the early 1970s] I first noticed packages of dried herbs bearing the name herbes de Provence at Fauchon's on the Place Madeleine in Paris. Within recent years, of course, numerous food specialty shops in Manhattan and across America have been selling what is labeled "herbes de Provence," and I'm sure the packagers and purveyors have made a good deal of money by using that lure. Whether any of this has been to the greater glory of the American kitchen, I cannot say. I suspect one would do better by adding one's own "herbes de Provence" depending on the recipe. Whether you buy it in the cute ceramic crock, or make your own, you'll want to use it in an elegant chateaubriand, delicious butternut squash soup, a sauce for pork tenderloin, an earthy pomme de terre or — surprise! — Kim chi de Provence. If you do want to mix your own, here's a traditional recipe. And once you have this justly-famous spice blend on hand, herbes de Provence surely will change your cooking, just as the tag promises.

Page 62 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

MEDITERRANEAN RED SNAPPER Every year, Sequim, a small town on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, hosts a lavender festival (July 20-22, 2007, if you're planning ahead). A few years ago, my friend Candy brought home from the festival a small paperback cookbook, Northwest Provence: Cooking with Lavender, by Cynthia Pinsky. The package of culinary lavender that came with the book is long gone, but herbes de Provence make a perfect substitute in many of the recipes. Serves 4-6. 1-1/2 lb red snapper filet (or other flaky white fish) 1 rib celery, sliced thin 1 medium onion, sliced into thin rings 16 oz chopped canned tomato 12 each Kalamata and green olives, pitted and chopped 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 tsp herbes de Provence 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes Olive oil for drizzling Juice of 1/2 lemon Preheat oven to 350°F. Layer the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish with onion and celery. Top with fish filet. Pour the wine over the fish and sprinkle on the tomatoes, olives, herbes de Provence and red pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, pour on the lemon juice, and bake, uncovered, 15 minutes more. Serve over rice.

Page 63 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Cream of tartar

Do you have any potassium bitartrate on your spice rack? Any potassium hydrogen tartrate? Any potassium 2,3,4-trihydroxy-4-oxo-butanoate? No? Go fish! Or, go to the supermarket and get some: all three are cream of tartar, by any other name. While potassium bitartrate sounds like rocket fuel, and cream of tartar sounds like a version of tartar sauce, neither is true. There's no cream in cream of tartar, either (like that other famous "fraud", the egg cream — no egg, no cream).

Page 64 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Cream of tartar is an acid produced naturally as a byproduct of the fermentation of wine. The crude form, known as beeswing, is collected from the sediment inside wine barrels, and purified to produce the powder that's most commonly used in baking to stabilize egg whites and help them "mount" (increase in volume). Cream of tartar has an almost unlimited shelf life. You'll find it in many recipes calling for beaten egg whites: souffles, ice cream, cupcakes, floats, and cookies. And, best of all, it's the secret ingredient in play dough.

POPPY SEED TORTE A rich dessert, adapted slightly from Teens Cook Dessert, by Megan and Jill Carle with Judi Carle. Serves 12. CRUST 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup ground walnuts FILLING 5 large eggs 2 cups whole or 2% milk 1-1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup poppy seeds 1/4 tsp salt 2 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot 1-1/2 Tbsp (2 packets) powdered gelatin 1/2 cup water 1/2 tsp cream of tartar TOPPING 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar Preheat oven to 350°F. In an ungreased 9x13-inch pan, stir together the crust ingredients and pat firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Page 65 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

To prepare the filling: Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a large saucepan and the whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the milk and 1 cup of sugar to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved. Add the poppy seeds, salt, and cornstarch and cook, stirring constantly, 7-8 minutes or until it just begins to bubble and thicken. (Do not allow the mixture to boil, or the eggs will curdle.) Remove the pan from heat. Combine the gelatin and water and let stand for 5 minutes, or until the gelatin is dissolved. Stir the gelatin into the warm egg yolk mixture. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat for 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the custard. Carefully pour the filling over the crust and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. To prepare the topping: Place the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high speed for 3 minutes, or until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until combined. Spread the whipped cream over the filling, and refrigerate the torte until ready to serve.

Page 66 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Epazote

What herb, popular in Mexican cooking and named for a smelly animal, grows wild in New York City's Central Park? Si, si, it's epazote (pronounced eh-pah-ZOH-tay), a flavorful, leafy green herb native to central and southern Mexico. The name comes from Nahuatl, an Aztec language: epatl means skunk, and tzotl, sweat. It's also called skunkweed, pig weed or wormseed. Okay, I realize that this isn't sounding too appealing, so let me tell you a bit more about why epazote is in The Perfect Pantry, and why I'm going to try growing it in my garden this summer.

Page 67 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

First, epazote is the essential companion herb to black beans. Once you've tried cooking beans with epazote, you'll never want them any other way. It's also a wonderful addition to mole verde (a green mole made of tomatillos and green chilies) and split pea soup. Second, in addition to enhancing the flavor of beans, epazote is an anti-flatulent, reducing what Julia Child used to call the rooty-toot-toot. My local Latino grocery store carries fresh epazote in the produce department; it often looks wilted and sad, like cilantro, but it's perfectly fine for cooking (treat it like parsley — trim off the stem ends, refresh in cold water, and store in the refrigerator, wrapped in a paper towel inside a plastic bag). I don't always get to the specialty market, so I keep dried epazote on my spice rack. The small jar from Penzeys sells for $2.19, and lasts for months. Fresh or dried, epazote is a bit on the strong side; it can overwhelm more delicate flavors and, again like cilantro, is a love-it-or-hate-it taste. Interestingly, I'm not a cilantro person but I love epazote, which to me tastes a bit like citrus and mint (I've also heard the taste described as petroleum or turpentine). In large doses, far more than you'd ever use for cooking, epazote is poisonous; if you're pregnant, use sparingly or not at all. For beans that really taste like Mexico, try adding this ancient herb, whether you grow it or buy it — or forage for it in Central Park.

Page 68 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

FRIJOLES DE LA OLLA (Home-cooked beans) Black beans and epazote go hand-in-hand. If you can find fresh epazote in your market, use a large sprig or two instead of the dried herb. This recipe makes 7 cups, which can be turned into rice and beans, or a wonderful burrito filling, by adding your favorite spices (cumin, chili powder, etc.). To make a great black bean soup, puree the cooked beans, flavor with cumin to taste, and add some chicken or vegetable stock. Cooked beans can be frozen. 1 lb black beans 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (or bacon drippings) 1 medium onion, cut into large dice 2 Tbsp dried epazote, or 2 sprigs fresh 1-2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste Check through the beans and remove any stones. Place in a large bowl, cover by at least two inches with cold water, and let soak overnight. To cook, drain the beans and add them to a large stock pot with oil, onion and epazote. Add 2-1/2 quarts of water (you can substitute part vegetable or chicken stock, if you wish), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook, partially covered, until the beans are tender, 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours, depending on the freshness of the beans. Skim off foam as necessary during the early part of the cooking process. Add water if the mixture becomes too thick. When the beans are tender, add 1 tsp salt and simmer for a few minutes. Then, add more salt to taste. If using fresh epazote, remove the sprig before serving.

Page 69 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Old Bay seasoning

As the crow flies, it is 430 miles from my house to Crisfield, Maryland, epicenter of the Chesapeake Bay crab world. In 2007, Crisfield will host the 16th annual Soft Shell Spring Fair (May), the 31st annual Crab and Clam Bake (July), and the 60th annual National Hard Crab Derby (September). In fact, nearly every weekend from May through October, there's a crab festival (with or without jazz, with or without oysters, with or without crab racing) somewhere along the bay coast. Nothing says "regional American cooking" more than Old Bay seasoning, born of the Bay area in the 1940s, popular from the Chesapeake to the Gulf Coast in crab and shrimp boils. Developed by a German immigrant, Gustav Burn, it's now marketed by McCormick & Company, but the formula hasn't changed a bit.

Page 70 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Old Bay contains celery salt, mustard, red pepper, black pepper, bay leaves, cloves, allspice, ginger, mace, cardamom, cinnamon and paprika. Of course it's great in crab dip and crab cakes, but it also gives a flavor boost to meatloaf, gumbo, steak fries, rice, and bloody maries. As is true for all spice blends, you can make your own, but you'll miss seeing the famous yellow, blue and red tin on your spice rack.

Page 71 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

FLORIDA CRAB CAKES Chef Eve Ornstedt adapted a recipe from Miami Spice, by Steven Raichlen, for a Nine cooks class last year, and I've adapted Eve's recipe. Of course, these crab cakes taste just as good outside Florida! We tried them with turkey bacon, but I didn't like the off-taste, so please use the real thing. Makes 4 large or 8 small crab cakes. 1 lb lump crab meat 2 strips of bacon, finely chopped 2 Tbsp minced shallots 1 rib celery, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 cup minced parsley 3-4 Tbsp fine cracker or bread crumbs (low salt) 1-1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning Salt and black pepper, to taste Pinch of cayenne 1 egg, beaten 1-2 Tbsp heavy cream 2 Tbsp melted butter plus 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Check through crabmeat, removing any bits of shell (and any extra moisture, while being careful not to break it up too much). Fry bacon in a frying pan until lightly browned. Add shallots, celery and garlic and cook until soft but not brown, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool. Stir in crab, herbs, cracker crumbs, Old Bay, salt, pepper and cayenne. Fold in the egg and enough cream to obtain a moist but firm consistency. If it is too wet, add a few more crumbs. Wet your hands with water and form the crab mixture into 4 large or 8 small cakes, and place on a plate. Wrap the plate wax paper and refrigerate for 30+ minutes.

Page 72 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Just before serving, heat the butter and oil in a nonstick pan. Pan-fry the cakes until crusty and golden, about 3 minutes per side (longer for larger cakes). OR, cook under the broiler for 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and serve with tartar sauce.

Page 73 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Chinese five-spice powder

Page 74 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Can you name: The five W's? (who, what, where, when, why) The five senses? (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste) The five elements? (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) The five flavors? (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, salty) The five spices in Chinese five-spice powder? Er....uh.....um.... Stumped? Star anise, clove, fennel, cinnamon (or cassia), and Szechuan pepper comprise the only common spice blend in Chinese cookery. India has its masalas; the Mid East and Africa give us berbere and baharat, harissa and ras el hanout. From France comes the incomparable quatre-epices. And America offers barbecue dry rubs of infinite variation, and crab boil. In China, there's really only five-spice. Which is sometimes seven-spice, with the addition of cardamom, dried ginger, or licorice root. Most popular in the cooking of southern China (and also Vietnam), five-spice powder may have originated as an attempt to create a "wonder drug" that brought all of the five elements into harmony, balancing yin and yang. Each of the spices contributes an important flavor to the mix, though the dominant taste and aroma may be the star anise, with a licorice-like taste and a slightly bitter undertone. Cinnamon, fennel and cloves provide sweetness, but also a pungency. Szechuan peppercorns contribute a spicy, peppery taste that mellows to sour and salty. Five-spice pairs well with meats such as lamb, pork and beef, which have strong flavor of their own, and with tofu, which has no flavor of its own. Generally, this spice blend will overpower vegetables, unless it's combined with other seasonings, but how about fivespice cookies?

Page 75 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

A little goes a long way, so unless you are working up a storm, I'd suggest buying this spice blend in small quantities (or buy a larger, more economical amount and share with friends). Penzeys sells a one-ounce jar for $2.59. You can make your own five-spice, of course. All you need is a small skillet and a spice grinder (a.k.a. coffee grinder dedicated to spices) or mortar and pestle. Adjust the proportions and taste, until your yin and yang approve.

Page 76 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

VEGETABLE MEDLEY WITH FIVE-SPICE DIP The dip, inspired by a recipe in Vegetarian Appetizers by Paulette Mitchell, would be equally good with grilled or roasted vegetables (how about roasted sweet potato spears?). Serves 4. 1/2 lb soft tofu, drained under a weight for 30 minutes 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice 2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 tsp minced fresh mint 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste Ground white pepper, to taste 1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced thin 1/2 large green bell pepper, sliced thin 1/2 fennel bulb, trimmed, sliced thin 1 large carrot, cut in half across, then julienned A few large button mushrooms, brushed clean and stems trimmed Place first seven ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste, and set aside. Arrange vegetables on a platter, and serve with the dip.

Page 77 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Arrowroot

Page 78 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Life is full of important questions. Why did the chicken cross the road? What's up, doc? Who's on first? Why, for as long as I can remember, have I been using arrowroot instead of cornstarch to thicken the sauces in my Chinese cooking? During my hippie-food days when all sorts of roots were fashionable, I'm sure I read somewhere that arrowroot was a healthier alternative. Honestly, though, until I sat down to write about it, I couldn't have told you whether it is a root, and whether it's the root of an arrow or a root shaped like an arrow. And yet, there it is, always on my spice rack. Arrowroot is, in fact, a powder made from the ground root of a Marantha arundinacea, a plant indigenous to the West Indies. The starch is extracted from rhizomes that have been growing for 6-12 months. My favorite explanation of how arrowroot got its name is that the Arawak Indians (who called it aru aru, meaning "food of food") used the starch to draw out the toxins from wounds made by poison arrows. Considered easier on the stomach than other forms of starch, arrowroot contains calcium and carbohydrates (less than in cornstarch) as well as other nutrients, making it an effective digestive and nutrition aid. In fact, in my supermarket, arrowroot biscuit packaging now features happy, smiling babies on the box. Here in the kitchen there are several advantages to using arrowroot. First, it's a more powerful thickening agent than wheat flour. Substitute two teaspoons of arrowroot for one tablespoon of all-purpose flour. Half a tablespoon of cornstarch will give the same thickening power. I usually substitute one-for-one in recipes calling for cornstarch. Second, arrowroot is flavorless and becomes clear when cooked. Unlike cornstarch, it doesn't taste like chalk when undercooked, and it doesn't dull the appearance of sauces, fruit gels or ice cream. Third, arrowroot mixtures thicken at a lower temperature than mixtures made with flour or cornstarch, making it ideal for delicate sauces. Like cornstarch, arrowroot should be mixed thoroughly with a cold liquid before being added to hot mixtures. Penzeys sells arrowroot, which can be difficult to find in the supermarket but is readily available in health food stores. Try it instead of cornstarch in stir-fries, stews, gravies and sauces, as well as in baked egg rolls, rhubarb crumble, and double-chocolate ice cream.

Page 79 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

CURRIED CHICKEN WONTONS Without the invention of store-bought dumpling wrappers, these would be impossibly complicated to make. But they're really very quick to assemble and cook, and they can be frozen weeks ahead of time. Just pop them into a hot oven for 10-12 minutes to crisp. Makes approximately 40 wontons.

1 lb ground chicken (or turkey, or beef, or chopped shrimp) 2 slices minced ginger root 2 green onions, minced 4 tsp curry powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 Tbsp arrowroot 1 Tbsp oyster-flavored sauce Black pepper to taste Peanut oil — 1 whole bottle 1 package dumpling wrappers (square or round)

In a nonstick frying pan, brown chicken in 1 Tbsp peanut oil. Add onions, ginger, curry powder, salt and pepper. Blend arrowroot into oyster sauce and stir into chicken mixture. Mix well, and set aside to cool.

Heat remaining oil in wok. Fill a dumpling wrapper (These can be either rectangular or triangular, or half-moon shaped if you're using round wonton skins.) with 1 tsp chicken mixture, placed in the center; paint the edges of the wrappers with water, fold wrapper in half, and press to seal. Fry 4-5 at a time for two minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and serve with plum sauce or hoisin for dipping.

Page 80 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Cardamom pods

If I had a dollar for every item in The Perfect Pantry that's reputed to be an aphrodisiac, I'd be able to take my husband out for a swanky night on the town. Add cardamom pods to the list of "love" spices. Native to south India, cultivated now in Guatemala, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Tanzania, cardamom is one of the world's most ancient, and most expensive, spices. A member of the ginger family, cardamom has been used in India for more than 2,000 years. It reached Constantinople (Istanbul) via the spice trail; to this day, Turkish coffee is often poured over a cardamom pod inserted in the spout of the coffee pot. From there, the Vikings brought cardamom to Scandinavia, where it is still a popular flavoring in baked goods.

Page 81 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Cardamom pods are harvested in the Fall, when they are nearly ripe. They're left to dry in the sun for 3-4 days. Inside each pod are 15-20 tiny, brown or black, sticky seeds; the stickier the seed, the fresher the pod. With its somewhat lemony and smoky flavor, cardamom is a key ingredient in many curry powders and masala spice blends. The whole pods, lightly crushed, are used to flavor rice, slow-braised meat dishes, and lentils. The pods will keep for a year or more in an airtight container, though they'll slowly fade in both color (see photo above — these really are green pods, but I've had them for quite a while) and aroma. I keep whole pods and Penzeys' ground cardamom in my pantry, because you never know when you'll need an aphrodisiac.

Page 82 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

PRAWN FRIED RICE Years ago I learned this recipe from Nagina Kalam, who was living in Boston for a year while her husband completed post-doctoral work. She met a group of young moms at the local playground, and they enlisted her to teach a series of Indian cooking classes. This main dish recipe serves 6, as part of a traditional Indian meal featuring turdal (yellow lentils) and saag paneer (spinach with cheese).

2 lbs prawns (large shrimp, 26-30 size), peeled and deveined 1 tsp turmeric 1-1/2 tsp paprika 1-1/2 tsp kosher salt 3 tsp GGC (ginger-garlic-cilantro) paste* 7 cups water 1 tsp salt 1 Tbsp butter 3 cups basmati rice 6 Tbsp corn oil 2 whole cardamom pods, slit lengthwise 1 stick cinnamon 3 large cloves garlic, chopped 6 bay leaves 1 onion, sliced thin 2 tsp garam masala 1/2 tsp paprika 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1 jalapeño Chile, sliced

*To make GGC paste: Combine 4 whole heads garlic, peeled and minced; 1 “hand” (whole piece) ginger, peeled and grated; and 1 bunch cilantro, minced, in a blender, and

Page 83 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

process until the mixture forms a paste. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Wash the prawns, and mix with your hands in a large bowl with turmeric, 1-1/2 tsp paprika, 1-1/2 tsp salt, and GGC paste. Set aside to marinate. In a large pot, combine 7 cups water with 1 tsp salt and butter. Bring to the boil, and add the rice. When the water returns to the boil, cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes, or until all the water has evaporated. In the meantime, make the masala: in a frying pan, heat 5 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat, and add cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Stir, and add garlic, bay leaves, onions, garam masala, 1/2 tsp paprika and yogurt. Continue to cook 4-5 minutes, and stir in half of the marinated shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes until shrimp are done, and combine mixture with the rice. Garnish with jalapeño. In a separate frying pan, heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil, and sauté remaining shrimp until golden. Serve as a garnish over the rice.

Page 84 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Page 85 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Paprika

Page 86 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Sometimes, what's in The Perfect Pantry isn't exactly perfect. The nearest market, five miles away in our village, has come a long way in the few years I've been living in this rural part of Rhode Island. I can always pick up brie and green tea and Nutella, along with organic dairy products and mango nectar, daikon and dried figs. On the day I ran out of my favorite Szeged Hungarian paprika, in the telltale red-andwhite tin, my little market was out of stock. So, I drove another five miles down the road, to the larger supermarket. Once again, there was not a single tin of paprika on the shelf. And so, off I went again, five more miles down the road (by this time I was three towns from home, and wondering if the fates were conspiring against me), to another supermarket. No tins there, either, but I did find this organic paprika. Rapidly calculating the cost of gas I'd have to add to the price of the spice, I bought it, hoping it would be worth the 25-mile road trip. It's good. Good enough, but not as robust as the stuff in the tin. Paprika is a red powder, made not from a particular plant, but from grinding together a variety of dried Capsicum peppers ranging from sweet bell peppers to mild chilies. The best of these peppers grow in the Szeged and Kalocsa regions of Hungary, where paprika is graded into six major classifications: kulonleges (delicate and sweet); edesnemes (darker red, more robust, not bitter); delicatess (slightly hot and fruity); feledes (semisweet); rozsa (hotter, made from the whole fruit); and eros (more pungent, hot, and bitter). Sprinkled on top of dishes like deviled eggs and potato salad, paprika adds color but no flavor. To release the flavor, marry paprika with heat, as in goulash, paprikás, or rice dishes. Paprika is essential to many spice blends, including Moroccan chermoula, and is widely used in Indian cooking for both color and flavor. It's a key ingredient in my husband Ted's favorite beef stew, too. Find your own favorite, or keep more than one type in your pantry. Buy Szeged paprika in a tin at your local grocery store (you already know that my local store is out of stock!). Penzeys sells Kulonleges sweet and half-sharp, along with California sweet. A 1.1-ounce jar is $1.99-2.09, making this a very affordable way to taste and compare.

Page 87 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

WHITEFISH HUNGARIAN STYLE On a recent visit to Eagle Trading Company, an incomparable used cookbook store near Fall River, Massachusetts, I discovered Cooking with Love and Paprika, by Hollywood director Joseph Pasternak. Here's what he wrote to introduce this recipe: "While I was making the movie Anchors Aweigh, I knew that, when Friday night rolled around, I could usually expect a particular dinner guest. Gene Kelly would knock at the door, and say, grinning, 'Any baked fish?' Sometimes Frank Sinatra would come along, but I couldn't feed Sinatra much, except French onion soup or maybe some leftover lasagne! Frankie just didn't like to eat, but Gene did, and this is the dish he enjoyed so much." You can see why! I've adapted this recipe slightly. Serves 6-8. 3-4 lbs whitefish, thick filets (halibut, cod loin, etc.) Kosher salt and ground black pepper Olive oil 4 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold or red-skinned new potatoes), boiled and sliced 2 green peppers, cut in half, seeds removed, blanched, and sliced 3-4 tomatoes, sliced 1 tsp flour 1 tsp paprika 4-6 slices bacon, fried and crumbled 1 pint sour cream 2 Tbsp butter Preheat oven to 400°F. Season fish with salt and pepper. Lightly coat a baking dish with olive oil. Layer in the potatoes, then the green pepper, and then half of the tomatoes. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and arrange fish on top. Sprinkle with flour and paprika. Cover with the crisp bacon bits and the remaining tomato slices. Pour the sour cream over the top, and bake for 15 minutes. Dot with butter, and continue baking for 5 minutes more, or until the fish is cooked.

Page 88 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Fenugreek

I love spring cleaning. In my house, spring cleaning gets underway not in April or May, but when there's a snowstorm, the kind that strands me at the end of our uphill driveway while I wait for extrication by the plow guy. This winter, we've seen only a few random snowflakes, but a recent heavy rain triggered the urge to get the cleanout started. My favorite thing about spring cleaning is that I find stuff. Hidden stuff. Long-lost stuff. Forgotten stuff. Last week, I found: The Food of India, a lovely cookbook that still bears its Costco sale sticker (I lose all selfcontrol in the under-$10 cookbook aisle). It was on the bottom of a pile of books on the floor next to my bed, along with Bill Buford's Heat, some books about art, and a trashy legal thriller or two. A jar of fenugreek seeds, misplaced three layers deep in the back of the spice rack behind the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Page 89 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Though fenugreek is popular in the cuisines of Ethiopia and Egypt, Turkey, Armenia and Yemen, it's curry — and curiosity — that brought fenugreek to my pantry. Indian cooking is not my forte; I'm much more comfortable poking around in the cuisines of other parts of Asia. So I'm learning, and starting to stock my Indian pantry. Fenugreek seeds, which look a bit like kibble, come from a plant in the bean family, native to western Asia and southeastern Europe. A key ingredient in Indian pickles and chutneys, fenugreek's aroma is actually what we think of as the aroma of hot curry and vindaloo blends; a poor-quality curry will smell harsh if it contains too much fenugreek. An essential ingredient of panch phoron, the Indian five-spice powder, as well as Ethiopian berbere, fenugreek pairs well with fish, legumes, potatoes and tomatoes. Dryroasting the seeds just slightly gives them a nutty, somewhat maple-sugar taste; in fact, fenugreek is used in the commercial production of artificial maple syrup. You can steep the seeds in hot water to make a tea, or grind roasted seeds and infuse as a coffee substitute. In ancient times, fenugreek was heralded as both an aphrodisiac and a cure for baldness. In the modern kitchen, it's a cure for blandness.

Page 90 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

SAAG PANEER Paneer (cheese) is easy to make at home, and even easier to buy in an Indian market. Or, you can substitute extra-firm tofu in this recipe from The Food of India, by Priya Wickramasinghe and Carol Selva Rajah. Serves 4. 1 lb spinach leaves or baby spinach 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 Tbsp canola oil 1 red onion, thinly sliced 5 garlic cloves, chopped 7 oz canned chopped tomatoes 3/4 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated 1 tsp garam masala 8 oz paneer (or extra-firm tofu), cubed Blanch the spinach leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes, then refresh in cold water, drain, and very finely chop. Place a small frying pan over low heat and dry-roast the cumin until aromatic. Remove, dry-roast the coriander, then the fenugreek. Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan over low heat, and fry the onion, garlic, cumin, coriander and fenugreek until grown and aromatic. Stir in the tomato, ginger and garam masala, and bring to the boil. Add spinach and cook until the liquid has reduced. Fold in the paneer (or tofu), trying to keep it in whole pieces. Stir gently until heated through. Season with salt, to taste.

Page 91 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Bay Leaves

Page 92 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

If it weren't for Apollo, and his frustrated libido, there would be no bay leaves in The Perfect Pantry. According to mythology, Cupid, taunted by Apollo for childish behavior, exacted revenge by drawing from his quiver two arrows — a golden one for love, and a leaden one to repel love. He aimed the golden arrow at Apollo, and the other at the nymph Daphne, beautiful daughter of the river god Peneus. Struck by Cupid's dart, Apollo lusted after Daphne, who, thanks to Cupid's trickery, couldn't stand the sight of any man and so made her father promise never to force her to marry. Apollo's desire drove him to pursue the nymph; he chased her, running faster and faster, threatening to overtake. And just when she was within his grasp, she called on her father: "Help me, Peneus! Open the earth to enclose me, or change my form, which has brought me into this danger." Immediately, her body became stiff and encased in bark, her hair turned to leaves, her feet to roots. Peneus had kept his word, and changed her into a bay laurel tree. Apollo — distraught, bewitched, and besotted — decreed that the leaves of the bay laurel would remain forever green. He wove leaves into a crown and wore it always; thus, a crown of bay leaves became a symbol of honor. And in honor of Apollo, laurel wreaths were presented to the victors at the first Olympics in 776 B.C., and they are given to marathon winners to this day.

Page 93 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Poor Apollo, but lucky us. Most common in the pantry, and found in every kitchen pantry in every region of the world, dried Mediterranean bay leaves, from the Laurus nobilis tree, have a sweet and rich aroma, with very slight overtones of nutmeg and camphor. The leaves actually mellow as they dry; fresh leaves taste more bitter, and should be used sparingly. The California bay leaf grows on a related tree, Umbellularia californica; the longer, slender leaves are most often used fresh. More potent than the Mediterranean leaves, they also contain umbellulone, which, according to the Field Guide to Herbs & Spices, can cause convulsive sneezing, headaches, and sinus irritation when inhaled deeply. Bay leaves yield their flavor slowly, which explains their popularity in soups, stews, pickling brines, and marinades. A fundamental component of bouquet garni, bay leaves pair well with beef, poultry, fish, lamb, lentils, tomatoes, and beans. It's a personal preference, but I find the fresh California leaves too pungent; I'm partial to the smoother flavor of Turkish leaves for all uses. To string them on shish kabob skewers, soften dried leaves by soaking in warm water for 20-30 minutes. Dried bay leaves will keep for a year if stored in an airtight container away from heat. I buy large bags from Penzeys, and divide them among friends.

Page 94 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

BAY LEAF CRUSTED PORK ROAST This recipe, from Everyday Food magazine (December 2006), uses bay leaves as an actual ingredient rather than a toss-into-the-pot seasoning. A coating like this would work well on a turkey roulade, too. Serves 8.

8 garlic cloves, peeled 8 dried bay leaves Coarse salt and ground pepper 4 medium onions, peeled (root ends left intact), each cut into 8 wedges 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 pork rib roast with 8 ribs (4 1/2 to 5 pounds), backbone removed, ribs Frenched (*see note, below) 2 cups fresh parsley leaves 1 cup Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 375°F. Using a chef's knife, finely chop garlic and bay leaves together. Gather into a pile; sprinkle with 2 tsp coarse salt and 1/2 tsp ground pepper. Using the flat side of the knife blade, mash mixture into a paste. Set aside.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss onions with 2 Tbsp oil; season with salt and pepper. Push onions to the edges of baking sheet. Place pork in center of sheet, fatty side up; rub top with remaining oil, and press on garlic mixture, coating evenly.

Roast, dabbing occasionally with pan juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of meat (avoiding bones) registers 140°F (temperature will rise 10 to 15 degrees as roast rests), 65 to 75 minutes. (If browning too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil.) Transfer roast and onions to serving platter; let rest, loosely covered with foil, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend parsley and mustard until smooth; season with salt

Page 95 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

and pepper.

Cut roast into chops, and serve with mustard sauce. *Note: Ask the butcher to leave some fat on top of the pork to keep it moist during roasting, and, for easier carving afterward, to remove the chine bone (or backbone). For an elegant presentation, have the butcher "French" the rib bones, which means to scrape off the gristle and fat.

Page 96 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Peppercorns

With apologies to Sesame Street (go ahead and sing along — you know the tune): Three of these things belong together, Three of these things are kind of the same. Can you guess which peppercorn is not a pepper, Even though it has the same name? If you guessed pink, you're a star! Black, white and green peppercorns are all fruit of the same plant (Piper nigrum), picked at different stages and processed in different ways. Pink peppercorns are the fruit of Schinus terebinthifolius, cultivated only since the 1980s. Black peppercorns are full-sized, nearly ripe berries that are sun-dried. An enzyme contained in the pericarp (the outer layer) oxidizes, and turns them black. White peppercorns are the inner seed, with the pericarp soaked or rubbed off. Green

Page 97 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

peppercorns, full-sized but not yet ripe, are kept green (or unoxidized) by brining, or boiling and oven drying, or freeze-drying; this keeps the enzyme from oxidizing. When comparing and selecting which peppercorn to use in cooking, consider two factors: aroma, and pungency. Black pepper has both, and plenty of it; white pepper, though pungent, has little aroma. Green peppercorns have a light aroma and pungency. And within each type of peppercorn, the quality of the flavor will vary, depending on where the pepper was grown, and the level of essential oil and piperine (an alkaloid) present. Indian Malabar, considered the best quality black peppercorn, has a fruity aroma and clean bite. Tellicherry has the largest berries. Sarawak pepper from Malaysia has a milder aroma, but is hot and biting. Muntok, from Indonesia, is said to be the best white peppercorn. Pepper loses its pungency and aroma fairly quickly when ground, so buy whole peppercorns and a good pepper mill. Stored in an airtight container (or in the freezer), peppercorns will keep for a year. In my pantry, I also do keep coarse-ground black pepper from Penzeys; a small amount goes in a jar on the spice rack, and the rest goes in the freezer. I use an eight-ounce bag every couple of months. Neither sweet nor savory, pepper features in the cuisines of nearly every country and region. It's often used to bring out the flavor of other spices; try a little bit of black pepper in sorbet, and you'll really taste the fruit. Whole dishes like steak au poivre pay tribute to black peppercorns, and a few tossed into stew or soup stock (be sure to strain the stock after cooking) adds depth of flavor. Pepper dresses up vegetables, fish, chicken, venison, and sweets. Unlike salt, which is essential to the body's survival, pepper is not a biological requirement, but it is a culinary necessity. Can you imagine cooking without it?

Page 98 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

GRANDMA'S BEEF BRISKET The original version of this recipe called for Manischewitz kosher wine, but it's too sweet for me. If you have time (and self-control), make this at least one day ahead, and store in an airtight container in the braising liquid to keep the meat moist. By the way, when I first published this recipe in the Nine cooks newsletter, my friend Fran challenged me to a brisket cook-off, my grandmother's recipe against hers. I'm pretty sure this recipe is a winner, especially if you like your brisket in sandwiches, with spicy mustard or horseradish sauce. Serves 8. 4-5 lb beef brisket, well trimmed of visible fat Seasoned salt 2 Tbsp olive oil 3-4 enormous yellow onions, thickly sliced 1 bay leaf 12-15 black peppercorns 1 bottle dry red wine, or more

Rub meat all over with seasoned salt, and brown in an extremely hot frying pan (do not add any oil or fat to pan). AT THE SAME TIME, in a large pot or casserole sauté the sliced onions in 2 Tbsp olive oil on low heat, until the onions are limp, but not brown, 15 minutes. Add to the onions the meat, bay leaf, peppercorns, wine, and enough water to just cover the meat. Cover and simmer for 3-1/2 to 4 hours, until meat almost falls apart. Serve with latkes for a traditional Chanukah meal, or with garlic mashed potatoes.

Page 99 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Cinnamon

Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus — he who reportedly fiddled while Rome burned — clearly had issues. Who could blame him? His mother, the ambitious and manipulative Agrippina, married the emperor Claudius and, to ensure the continuation of her own position of power, she schemed to have her son become the next emperor. To that end, Agrippina managed to get Nero betrothed to Claudius' daughter, Octavia. Whom he divorced soon after, at mom's urging. And then had killed.

Page 100 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

And then, to demonstrate the depth of his supposed grief, he burned a year's supply of very expensive cinnamon on her funeral pyre. Maybe that's why cinnamon is called a warm spice. (Groan.....) Cinnamon comes from a small evergreen tree, cinnamomum zelanicum, and the spice is the inner bark of the tree, harvested in the rainy season between May and October. Native to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices, its discovery dating to the 13th Century, and was so prized that it was traded as currency. In order to corner the market, Portuguese settlers occupied Ceylon until the Dutch drove them out in 1636. The Dutch began to cultivate cinnamon, which up to that time had been harvested in the wild, and kept prices high by burning excess supplies. They maintained a monopoly until the British East India Company took control in 1796, though competitive trade had begun two decades earlier, when plants were taken by traders to Java, India, and the Seychelles. Often confused with cassia, which is darker in color and stronger in flavor, cinnamon comes in quills (what we call cinnamon sticks), one piece of bark rolled inside another. Most of what we buy in ground form in this country is actually cassia, either from China or Vietnam. In The Perfect Pantry, I have cinnamon sticks from Indonesia, and cassia ground cinnamon from China. It's just a matter of personal taste. Buy your cinnamon from a good spice vendor like Penzeys, and you'll have a choice of cassia or cinnamon, in different pungencies, from different countries of origin. In cooking, cinnamon plays both sides of the field. Well known in sweet dishes, it's also fundamental to the savory cuisines of Morocco, India, and Thailand. Without cinnamon, we'd have no apple pie, no five-spice powder, no gingerbread, no Mexican coffee, no mulled wine — and no warm and gooey cinnamon buns.

Page 101 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

CRANBERRY RICE PUDDING Good for breakfast or dessert, this sweet dish, inspired by a Mexican rice pudding in James McNair’s Rice Cookbook, serves 4-5. 3/4 cup Arborio rice 1 2-inch cinnamon stick Zest of 1/2 lime or lemon, removed in one piece 1-1/2 cups water Pinch of salt 1 pint whole milk 1 cup evaporated milk 5/8 cup sugar 1/4 cup dried cranberries (or dried blueberries) 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces Ground cinnamon Combine cinnamon sticks and lime zest with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and add the rice and salt. Stir once. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed. Add the milk, sugar and cranberries, and stir well. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, just until the mixture begins to thicken, 20 minutes or longer if you want a thicker pudding. Remove from heat and discard the lime zest. Stir 2-3 Tbsp of the hot pudding into the beaten egg yolks. Stir the egg mixture and the vanilla back into the pudding. Preheat the broiler, and turn the pudding into a shallow flame-proof dish. Dot with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place under the broiler just until the top begins to brown lightly, 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Page 102 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Powdered ginger

Ginger Rogers (remember Top Hat?).

Page 103 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Ginger Baker (remember Cream?). Ginger Grant (remember her???). Trader Joe's triple-ginger cookies. What do they all have to do with powdered ginger? Well, in their own way each is or was a little bit over-the-top, like the zing my cooking gets from good quality powdered ginger, a staple ingredient in the cuisines of Asia, North Africa, Europe, the West Indies and Caribbean — and a staple in The Perfect Pantry. Depending on the country (and climate) of origin, powdered ginger can be pale or vibrant, mild or pungent, lemony or peppery. The main producing countries are Jamaica, India, China, Nigeria and, more recently, Australia. Penzeys powdered ginger has warm, lemon overtones, and plenty of bite. I like the balance. Ginger to be dried is harvested 9-10 months after planting, when it is fibrous and more sharp-tasting. After the rhizomes are sun-dried, the skin is scraped off, and sometimes the pieces are boiled or bleached. Stored in an airtight container, dried pieces or powdered ginger will keep for six months on your spice rack, or up to a year in the freezer. Powdered ginger is a must in curry and masala blends, five-spice powder, and quatre épices. It pairs well with carrots, pumpkin, squash and sweet potato — all things you might find on your Thanksgiving table — and imparts warmth and depth to baked goods like Guinness ginger cake, ginger pumpkin muffins, coconut cupcakes, and chocolate-nut pumpkin bread. Powdered ginger tastes very different than fresh, and one should never be substituted for the other. In English pubs, bartenders used to set out small containers of powdered ginger, for people to sprinkle into their beer — the origin of ginger ale. In order to gee up (encourage) a lazy horse, English farmers apply a pinch of ginger to the animal’s backside. I'm not sure how that works, exactly....

Page 104 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

SPICY PEANUT NOODLES The owners of Moka, a restaurant in Boston's Back Bay in the 1990s, shared this recipe with readers of my newspaper column. It's great hot or cold. Serves 6 as an appetizer or light lunch. 2 cups peanut butter 1 cup rice wine vinegar 1/2 cup orange juice 2 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp five-spice powder 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1-1/2 tsp chili powder 1 lb cooked angel-hair pasta Optional garnishes: shredded carrots, scallions, red peppers, cucumbers In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except pasta, and mix well. Add pasta, toss, and garnish as colorfully as you wish.

Page 105 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Cayenne pepper Turn Up the Heat Week comes to an end.

Page 106 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Twenty or so years ago, the City of Boston, in a brief spate of urban beautification that would have made Lady Bird Johnson proud, bestowed upon us a Norway maple sapling to fill the empty tree hole in the brick sidewalk in front of our house. We loved that little tree. So did every dog in the neighborhood. To discourage the small gifts those dogs left us (in the days before pooper-scoopering was mandatory), we sprinkled cayenne pepper around the tree hole. It worked! Every so often we'd hear a little sneeze...and we'd watch a very surprised puppy move along, perhaps to find a kinder and gentler tree hole. The cayenne Chile is a bright red pepper that ranges from two to five inches long and about half an inch in diameter. The majority of cayenne chilies are used to make the ground cayenne pepper we buy in the grocery store, though what's labeled "cayenne" often is a blend of several different types of chilies. The word cayenne comes from kian, a pepper grown by the Tupi Indians in what is now French Guiana, and was named after either the Cayenne River or the capital of the country, Cayenne. When should you use cayenne? When you want the same heat intensity as hot sauce, without the vinegar. Tabasco and cayenne peppers have the same Scoville Unit rating, 30,000-50,000 units. So, fresh ground cayenne provides the same zip as Tabasco-based hot sauces. Many recipes include a pinch of cayenne pepper, or even a whole pepper, here and there. Cayenne can anchor dry rubs and marinades for meat, poultry or chicken; it can even spice up dessert! Buy your cayenne from a reliable source that has frequent turnover, so you'll be sure to get very fresh pepper. Like most dried herbs and spices, ground cayenne may lose potency after long exposure to light or heat. According to Penzeys, there is some evidence that eating hot pepper increases metabolism, reducing the calories retained from a meal by about 10 percent. There is also evidence that eating hot pepper increases the appetite. Hmmm....

Page 107 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

DORO WAT (Chicken in Red Pepper Sauce) In Ethiopian cuisine this is a dish for company or a special occasion. Traditionally a whole chicken is cut into 12 equal parts — a testament to the skill of the cook! This recipe, given to me years ago by Misrak Assefa of Addis Red Sea restaurant in Boston, serves 4. 2-1/2 to 3 lb chicken, cut into 12 serving pieces (or same amount of chicken breasts and thighs, boneless or bone-in) 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tsp salt 1 onion, diced 1/3 cup spiced butter* 1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, minced 1 Tbsp chopped garlic 1/4 tsp ground cardamom 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 cup berbere (chili pepper), hot chili powder or cayenne 2 Tbsp paprika 1/4 cup dry white or red wine 3/4 cup water 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled freshly ground pepper Pat the chicken dry and rub the pieces with lemon juice and salt. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In an ungreased, heavy non-reactive casserole, cook the onion over moderate heat 5

Page 108 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

minutes until soft and dry. Shake the pan and stir constantly to prevent burning; if necessary reduce the heat or lift the pan occasionally from the stove. Stir in the spiced butter and, when it begins to sputter, add the garlic, ginger, cardamom and nutmeg, stirring well after each addition. Add the cayenne and paprika, and stir over low heat 2-3 minutes. Pour in wine and water and, still stirring, bring to the boil over a high heat. Cook uncovered, 5 minutes or until the liquid in the pan has reduced to the consistency of heavy cream. Pat the chicken dry and drop it into the simmering sauce, turning the pieces until they are coated on all sides. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Add black pepper to taste. With the tines of a fork, pierce 1/4-inch deep holes over the entire surface of each egg. Add to the sauce and turn gently to coat. Serve hot (may be made a day ahead; refrigerate and reheat) with injera bread or boiled rice. *To make spiced butter: Melt 1 lb organic butter in a pan with 1 tsp each cardamom, garlic, minced gingerroot and allspice. Store in a container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Page 109 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Hot sauce Turn Up the Heat Week, Day Three.

For as long as I can remember, I've had a bottle of Tabasco hot sauce in my pantry. For many years, it was the same bottle. Not the twelve-ounce bottle you see here. I used to buy the little two-ounce supermarket standard, and those two ounces would sit on the shelf for a few years, until the sauce turned brown and gunky. I'd throw it out, and buy another little bottle, and start the cycle all over again. No matter what a recipe called for, I never used more than a drop at a time. Sometimes I just left out the hot sauce altogether. I was afraid of the heat. Then Ted and my cousin Martin and I visited New Orleans, and followed our noses to the McIlhenny headquarters on Avery Island, where the unmistakable aroma of peppers and vinegar seeped in through the car's vents long before we actually arrived at the Tabasco factory building. Page 110 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

I got hooked. Yes, friends, today I am a hot sauce junkie. I'm convinced everything tastes better with a little bit of heat — sometimes with a lot of heat. My hot sauce of choice is still Tabasco (I go through a twelve-ouncer every month), though each of the sauces in my pantry adds a slightly different flavor and heat intensity to my cooking. The process of making hot sauce from peppers, vinegar and salt is simple. The hot peppers are picked as soon as they ripen to the perfect shade of bright red. The same day the peppers are picked, they're mashed, mixed with a small amount of salt, placed in wooden barrels, and allowed to ferment and age. When that process is completed, the mash is strained and diluted with vinegar. Rhode Island Red Hot Sauce incorporates all of the flavors of Rhode Island's famed Italian cooking: tomatoes, carrots, onion. The homemade hot sauce from the Turquoise Mining Museum in Cerrillos, New Mexico, was a real find; made with the same ingredients as Tabasco, it has a deeper, more-pepper-less-vinegar quality. Tabasco (a trademarked name referring not to the type of sauce, but to the region in Mexico where the peppers are said to originate) is the easiest to find and the standard against which all other hot sauces are measured. I'm a purist, but if you prefer chipotle, sweet-hot, or jalapeño flavored hot sauce, go for it. And don't forget to combine; I often temper the vinegar of Tabasco with the thickness of Rhode Island Red. If you're serious about hot sauce, it may be time to start your own life list. Mine: Tabasco, Rhode Island Red, Dave's Insanity, Hotter Than Hell, Schnitzius, Cholula, Lake Chapala, Melinda's XXXX, Inner Beauty, Pain is Good, Mo Hotta.... and some too-hotto-handle homemade stuff from our home stay host in Trinidad. What's on your hot sauce life list?

Page 111 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

LENTILS AND BROWN RICE Another weekend "pantry dump" that became a favorite. It's a great recipe for using up leftovers. Serves 6. 1 cup lentils 1 cup brown rice 6 cups liquid (water, or a mix of chicken stock and water) 1 bay leaf 2 tsp dried oregano 8 oz tomato sauce 1 large onion, sliced 2 carrots, sliced 1/3 cup smoky barbeque sauce, or more to taste 1 Tbsp hot sauce, or more to taste 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms, any kind optional: 1 cup chopped chicken breast, or 3/4 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, or 1 cup leftover shredded chicken breast, or 1 cup roasted vegetables, or 1/2 cup sliced cooked sausage

In a stockpot, bring lentils, rice and liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add tomato sauce, bay leaf, oregano, onions, carrots and Grandma McBride's and cook, covered for 15 minutes. Add chicken, shrimp or sausage, and mushrooms. Continue cooking 20 minutes or until everything is tender, and the finished dish is quite thick. If you need more liquid to keep it from sticking to the pot, add water a Tbsp at a time.

Page 112 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Harissa Longer days, colder nights. Time for some pantry items that warm up my cooking. Turn Up the Heat Week, Day One.

The Chile peppers on the can gave it away. Before I even knew what harissa was, I knew it was hot. Head-sweating, hair-tingling, tongue-numbing, nose-dripping hot. And I love hot. Harissa, one of the fundamental condiments of Tunisian and Algerian cuisine, is a blazing hot pepper paste that usually includes Chile peppers, coriander, cumin, caraway and garlic. It somewhat resembles Indonesian sambal oelek, which makes a good Page 113 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

substitute. Especially popular in North Africa, where it's used as both spice and condiment, harissa — like ketchup, which seems to go with all things American — kicks up couscous, fish, lamb stews, chicken, and bean dishes. If you can't find harissa in your market, buy it online, or make your own. (Here's a Jordanian version to make at home.) Be sure to stick to small quantities; a little goes a long way, and you'll want to use it before it loses potency. With your own stash, try a couple of Tunisian recipes like chicken chorba or bean and chickpea stew. Or mix a teaspoon of harissa in two cups of Greek yogurt or crème fraiche to make a lively dipping sauce for vegetables.

BRAISED FISH, TUNISIAN STYLE The spicy harissa really compliments the bland flavor of the white fish. Serves 4. 1-1/2 lb cod, scrod, haddock or other thick white fish fillets, cut into four serving pieces 1 Tbsp harissa 2 tsp olive oil 1 large onion, sliced into rings 4 roasted tomato halves (with thyme and garlic), or sun-dried tomatoes in oil + 2 cloves sliced garlic 1 cup clam juice or white wine Juice of half a lemon, or more to taste Black pepper, to taste 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish Preheat oven to 375°F. Rub the fish all over with harissa, and set aside for 20 minutes. In a large ovenproof frying pan, heat the oil, and add the onion. Sauté briefly over medium heat until onions are just translucent. Add tomato, clam juice and lemon juice, and cook 3-4 minutes until the flavors combine. Remove from heat, and nestle the fish into the sauce, spooning a bit over the top of the fish. Cover with aluminum foil, and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until fish is just cooked through (do not overcook). Remove pan from the oven and let sit, covered, for 2-3 minutes. Season with black pepper to taste, and top with parsley.

Page 114 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Oregano

In the 1960s, I was in high school, and I was cool. I had long hair, bell-bottom pants, love beads. I listened to Phil Ochs, played guitar, marched for civil rights and against the Vietnam War. I edited the school newspaper, where I published Lawrence Ferlinghetti poems and artsy photos of trees. On Saturdays, I worked at a "real" job on the city's big-time newspaper, where I learned to write obituaries and a consumer help column ("My clothes dryer exploded and the store where I bought it won't take it back. Can you help?"). And I smoked oregano. Once. A friend gave it to me as a joke, and we decided to try it. (I admit that I tried the other stuff, too, and yes, I inhaled.)

Page 115 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

If I'd been a cook, instead of a trying-to-be-hip high school kid, I would have put that oregano to much better use. Common oregano (o. vulgare), a member of the mint family, is native to the Mediterranean region, which explains its popularity in Italian and Greek cuisine. Often confused with marjoram (o. majorana), oregano is a hardy perennial that thrives in my New England herb garden. It's grown for its leaves, which are peppery and strong-tasting. Of the many varieties of oregano, the ones I use most often in my cooking are common oregano, and Mexican (which I'll post about at another time, as it's from an entirely different botanical family). I recently added golden oregano, which has a milder flavor, to the herb garden. Local middle eastern markets sell Turkish oregano (sometimes called black, because of its dark colored leaves), which is even more peppery than the common variety. Oregano pairs well with most vegetables: beans, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and squash. Include a tiny bit in a mélange of herbs — basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, lemon thyme — tossed with hot pasta, garlic and olive oil, for a simple lunch or dinner. According to folklore, oregano can encourage good luck and repel snakes (these things seem to be related), and was said to possess black magic powers. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

POSOLE A wonderful New Mexican recipe, from Beverly Shafer, that calls for common oregano, even though the dish originates in the Southwest. You can make this with beef or with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, too. Serves 8.

2-3 Tbsp olive oil 1-1/2 lb pork loin, cut into large cubes 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, chopped coarsely Water or chicken stock (8 cups or more, depending on the size of your stock pot)

Page 116 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

3 bay leaves 1 Tbsp oregano 3 tsp dried red pepper flakes (for fiery hot), or less, to taste Salt and pepper to taste 2 29-oz cans hominy, rinsed and drained

In a large stockpot, heat the oil. Lightly dredge the pork in flour. Add the garlic and onion to the pot, and sauté 1-2 minutes until brown. Add the pork, and continue stirring until brown, 4-5 minutes. Add twice the amount of water or stock as you have meat in the pot. Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Add bay leaves, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the hominy, and continue to cook 45 minutes to 1 hour; the hominy should be “al dente.”

Page 117 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Coriander, Morocco Ground

Page 118 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Once upon a time... (Our granddaughter Sabina knows that all good stories begin this way.) Once upon a time, the Sultan Schahriah, who had caught his sultana cheating on him, resolved to marry a different woman every day — and to have her beheaded on the following morning, so no wife could ever get the chance to be unfaithful to him again. (Sound familiar? It's the premise of The Thousand and One Arabian Nights.) Scheherazade, daughter of the Grand Vizier, begged to become his next wife, so she could put a stop to this nonsense. To forestall her own death and the death of any other unlucky bride, she crafted a story-within-a-story so intriguing that, night after night, the Sultan spared her life. In one tale, she told of a merchant, childless for forty years, who was "cured" by a love potion containing coriander. And though this story was very old (the tales were first published in Arabic in 850 AD, from stories handed down through generations before that), Scheherazade might have gotten the idea from the Chinese, who for thousands of years had used coriander as an aphrodisiac. Coriander — both the leaf and the seed have the same name; cilantro is the Spanish name for the fresh herb — may have been named after koris, the Greek word for "bedbug", as it was said they both emitted a similar odor. Maybe not, according to some scholars, but I'm one of those people who doesn't like the taste or aroma of fresh coriander (it smells like bedbugs to me), so I like this theory. Native to western Asia and the Mediterranean, coriander is cultivated in eastern Europe, India, the US and Central America, and it features in the cuisines of all of those regions. After the seeds are thoroughly dried, they're often roasted before being ground with other spices to form the basis of curry powders, masalas, harissa, ras el hanout, advieh, baharat, and dukka. Coriander combines well with fruits of this season (quince, pear, apples), and with potatoes. Considered one of the "sweet" spices, it finds a home in the kitchen pantries of Mexico, France, Cyprus, Russia, North Africa, the West Indies, Iran and India, where it's cooked into dishes so intriguing that Scheherazade's Sultan would, I'm sure, have loved them.

Page 119 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

PEANUT DIP An easy and unusual appetizer, great with pita chips or crackers. 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 1/4 cup minced onion (or less, to taste) 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 large cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp ground coriander 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced In a food processor fitted with metal blade, or in a blender, combine all ingredients and blend for one minute or until well mixed. Serve at room temperature.

Page 120 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Saffron Fall foliage colors, day three.

I'm just mad about Saffron Saffron's mad about me I'm just mad about Saffron She's just mad about me

They call me mellow yellow (Quite rightly) They call me mellow yellow (Quite rightly) They call me mellow yellow... Ah, 1969. The best of Donovan. (Listen here.) While the song goes on to talk about electrical bananas, and the mellow yellow he was singing about wasn't really the saffron that's in my pantry, I still hum a few bars whenever I reach for saffron on my spice rack. Saffron are the stigmas from the crocus sativus flower; there are only three stigmas per flower. Why is saffron the world's most expensive spice? 1 acre yields ten pounds of saffron

Page 121 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

70,000 crocus flowers yield one pound of saffron 13,125 threads make one ounce 20 medium threads equal one pinch My saffron hails from Spain; good quality saffron is also grown in Iran, the Kashmir, Greece and Italy. Coupe, the top grade, is a rich deep color, with long, smooth threads. Mancha, the next-best grade and more widely available, is more orange-red in color. Look for threads that are uniformly deep red, not mellow yellow. And don't buy powdered saffron; it may be adulterated with turmeric. Saffron smells a bit musky and floral. When the threads are infused in liquid, they give off a characteristic golden color: the shade of Buddhist monks' robes, or Christo's gates in Central Park. Added early in the cooking process, saffron imparts more color; when you add saffron later, you'll notice more flavor. Special dishes of many cuisines feature saffron. There's bouillabaisse, of course, and zarzuela, classic risotto Milanese, paella, biryani, Swedish saffron buns....even saffron kulfi. It's expensive ($50 per ounce, or more), but a little goes a very long way, and if kept in the dark and away from heat, saffron will last for a couple of years.

LYDIA'S PIE-ELLA One summer when my friend Joyce was visiting, I invented this dish for her as a not-toospicy alternative to paella, though with the same rich quality. It's been a house specialty ever since. Serves 4. 1 large pinch saffron threads 2 Tbsp olive oil 3 hot smoked sausages (I use Beef Hot Links from the supermarket, but you can use turkey or chicken sausages; anything smoked will work, but hot and spicy is better!), cut on a diagonal into large chunks 1/2 – 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into large chunks 1 medium red onion, cut in quarters 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into large chunks 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks

Page 122 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

1 cup dry white wine 2 cups chicken stock (low sodium store-bought, or homemade) 1 cup Arborio rice 12 – 18 pitted black jumbo olives (use canned olives, because you don’t want a strong flavor) 15 – 18 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (21-25 size or 26-30 size. A few more or less won’t matter.) Black pepper to taste

Soak the saffron in 1 cup hot water for 15 minutes. Then, put on an apron — the first steps in this cooking are messy. In a 3-quart straight-sided sauté pan, or 4- or 6-quart stockpot, heat the olive oil. Add sausage chunks, and brown all over. Remove from pan. Add chicken, brown all over and remove from pan. The pan will be black and gunky, but don’t worry — this will all dissolve into the finished dish. Add onion, green and red peppers, and sauté quickly until the onion is just translucent, about 2 minutes. Return the sausage to the pan, add the saffron water with saffron, wine and 1-1/2 cups of the stock. When the liquid boils, turn down to low. Add the rice, stir once, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken back into the pan, along with the olives. Now, don’t stir for a while. Go away, drink some wine, make a salad. Continue to simmer, uncovered, until the rice is nearly cooked, about 10 minutes or more. There should still be liquid in the rice, but not much. Add the shrimp, making sure to stuff them down into the rice. Season with lots of black pepper. From this point, you may have to stir every now and then to keep the rice from sticking, and if it is cooking too fast, add the remaining chicken stock. Continue cooking until the shrimp are done, approximately 5 minutes or so. Serve hot.

Page 123 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Curry powder Three days of yellow, gold and red, in honor of the changing leaves here in New England. Fall foliage colors, day one.

Before The Age of Aquarius, there was The Age of Rumaki. That was my age — the late 1950s — when culinarily adventurous suburbanites hosted bridge parties and served exotic treats like rumaki and deviled eggs and Chex mix. My slightly adventurous, but culinarily-challenged, mother made all of those delicacies, for which she kept a tin of curry powder at the ready in her pantry. I have the identical tin on my spice rack. A blend of many individual spices, curry powder comes in infinite varieties, because in Indian kitchens each family creates its own basic spice mixtures, or masalas, fresh every day. Masala means spice blend; curry powder is a masala. (A person who blends the spices is called a masalchi.) The composition of the curry powder also varies by region, with hotter curries generally found in the southern part of India. Commercial curries, too, are as individual as the vendor, and can contain up to twenty spices, herbs and seeds. I actually have nine curry powders in my pantry. Eight of them

Page 124 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

came in a lovely set from Penzeys — a wonderful introduction to curries from all of the geographic regions of the Indian subcontinent, including the fiery hot vindaloo. The sweet, hot, and Madras (hot) curry powders get the most workout in my kitchen. Look closely and you'll see the difference in the ingredients (I've Americanized the spellings, for consistency): Sun Brand Madras Curry: Coriander seeds, turmeric, chilies, salt, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black pepper, garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cinnamon, cloves, anise, mustard. Penzeys Sweet Curry: Turmeric, Moroccan coriander, cumin, ginger, fenugreek, nutmeg, fennel, cinnamon, white pepper, cardamom, cloves, Telicherry black pepper, cayenne red pepper. Penzeys Hot Curry (Cochin-style): Turmeric, cayenne pepper, coriander, ginger, cumin, fenugreek, white pepper, cinnamon, fennel, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, Telicherry black pepper. Is my palate subtle enough to require so many curry powders? Of course not, but I'm learning by tasting, and I highly recommend this method. Curry powder degrades quickly, and will keep no more than a couple of months in an airtight, light-tight container. I buy in larger quantities and store the extra in the freezer for up to six months.

Page 125 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

CURRIED SQUASH, APPLE AND PEAR SOUP A wonderful, comforting, sweet autumn soup. Can be doubled. Serves 4-6.

1 onion, peeled, cut into large chunks 3 Tbsp olive oil 2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into large chunks 1 apple, cored, quartered (do not peel) 1 pear, cored, quartered (do not peel) 1 Tbsp curry powder, sweet or hot, or more to taste (optional) 1/2 cup apple cider Juice of 1/2 lime or lemon Few squirts of honey, to taste A blast of hot sauce (a few drops, to taste) Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot, sauté onions in olive oil until just translucent (about 1 minute). Add squash, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, until a few pieces start to brown on the outside (it’s okay if some sticks to the bottom of the pan, as long as it doesn’t burn).

Add apple, pear and curry powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring to cook the curry. Add cider, and then fill with water just to the level of the stuff in the pot (You can also use chicken broth in place of part of the water.). Continue to cook at a low boil, covered, until squash is tender. Remove from heat and puree, either with the immersion blender right in the pot, or in a food processor. Return smooth soup to the pot, and add remaining ingredients. Continue to cook over low heat for a few minutes, until flavors combine. Adjust seasonings to taste; you may want more lime, more honey, or more hot sauce – or more of each.

Page 126 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Dill weed

I have laryngitis. Total, whispering, can't-even-croak-like-a-frog laryngitis. Page 127 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

It's all that's left of a brutal head cold. My nose has stopped running, my appetite has returned, and now I want soup — something rich and hearty, but not dairy (it might curdle from all of the citrus I'm pouring down my sore throat). I also have potatoes. I have leeks. I have chicken stock. And, though the dill in my herb garden has gone to seed, I have some lovely green dried dill weed on my spice rack. Native to Central Asia, dill is a member of the parsley family. The fronds, which have a sweet taste, are popular in the cuisines of Scandinavia, Russia, Germany, Iran, and other Mediterranean countries. One of the only herbs used in the cooking of Baltic countries, dill very likely migrated north via medieval monks, who grew it for its medicinal properties. Without dill, there would be no gravlax, no borscht, and no dill pickles. Dill marries well with fish, beets, beans, rice, potatoes, zucchini, carrots and yogurt. A related, less fragrant species of dill grows in India, where it's used to flavor lentil and bean dishes. If you're following an Indian recipe, you might need to reduce the amount of dill by 30-50%. The Romans believed dill was an effective stimulant for gladiators. Maybe it's just what I need to get back on my feet.

Page 128 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

LEEK AND RED POTATO SOUP You can enrich this soup with a bit of cream at the end, but you really don't need it. Serves 6-8. 3-4 large leeks 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 ribs celery, chopped 2 quarts chicken stock (homemade or unsalted canned) 6 large or 12-14 small red-skinned new potatoes, unpeeled, cut into chunks Enough water to just cover (if needed) Dill weed and black pepper to taste Sea salt, to taste Garlic croutons, for garnish

Wash and slice leeks, and sauté in a stockpot with celery in 2 Tbsp olive oil until limp but not brown. Add remaining ingredients except dill, pepper and croutons, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and cook until potatoes are tender. Puree entire potful with an immersion blender, or in a food processor (in batches, if necessary) and return to stockpot. Season generously with dill and black pepper, and salt if you really need it. Add more stock or water if the soup is too thick. Serve hot with garlic croutons. If you're going to serve this cold, remember that you will need a bit of extra seasoning and salt.

Page 129 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Pimentón

In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He made it to Florida But didn't find any gold. So, he journeyed again With new ships and men, And this time — Eureka! He discovered paprika. (And I've discovered a previously-hidden talent for crafting really bad poetry.) Lucky for us, he brought that paprika (also known as pepper) back to Spain, where he presented it to his patrons, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, at a monastery in the Page 130 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Extremadura. The monks planted the seeds, and today the descendants of those original peppers are cultivated throughout that region of southwest Spain, in the alluvial soils along the river in La Vera. Each Fall, entire families go out into the fields to harvest the small, round peppers. The peppers are placed in special drying houses where they are smoked over oak wood for 10-15 days, hand-turned every few hours, to create Pimentón de la Vera, a regional specialty that was granted a Denominacíon de Origen (D.O.) in recognition of its unique quality. Like Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or real balsamic vinegar, each tin of pimentón comes with a mark of authenticity. Wait a minute....isn't paprika from Hungary? Yes, but it's not pimentón. Legend tells us that when King Carlos abdicated the throne of Spain in 1555 and retired to the Yuste monastery, he tasted pimentón, loved it, and recommended it to his sister, Queen Mary of Hungary. So, if you believe the legend, the two paprikas really are related. Like cumin but a bit sweeter, pimentón imparts a slightly smoky flavor to any dish. The defining flavoring in chorizo, the lusty Spanish sausage, pimentón adds amazing depth to stews, chili, soups, and roasted potatoes. Pimentón comes in three varieties: sweet (dulce), bittersweet (agridulce), and hot (picante). Try them all. Though at first I added pimentón to my pantry for paella, I've taken to sprinkling a bit here and there with beans, rice, eggs and fish, too, for a subtle and mysterious flavor boost. Olé!

Page 131 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

PAELLA A LA VALENCIANA There's no better source for paella recipes than Penelope Casas' Paella, which is where this recipe originated. I've adapted the ingredients a bit, but I follow her method faithfully, and my paella comes out perfect every time. Serves 6-8.

2 cups chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium canned 3 sprigs fresh rosemary Kosher or sea salt 1/4 tsp crumbled thread saffron 3 lb chicken pieces, bone-in, a combination of thighs, drumsticks, and breast (cut into chunks) 8 Tbsp olive oil 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped 1 medium onion, finely chopped 8 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 lb green beans (preferably broad, flat beans, but round ones are fine), ends snapped off and cut in half crosswise 1/2 lb snap peas or snow peas, strings removed I box frozen artichoke hearts (already quartered) 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped 2 Tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley 1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika (mild or hot, to taste) 3 cups imported Spanish bomba or Valencia rice, or Arborio 1 roasted red pepper (good quality from a jar), sliced lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips Heat the broth, rosemary, salt, saffron, and 4 cups water in a covered pot over the lowest heat for 20 minutes. Remove the rosemary.

Sprinkle chicken pieces all over with salt.

Page 132 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Keep the broth hot over the lowest heat. Preheat the oven to 400°F for gas, 450°F for electric.

Heat the oil over fairly high heat in a paella pan measuring 17-18 inches at its widest point (or in a shallow casserole of similar size), over 2 burners if necessary. Sauté the chicken over high heat until brown (it should not be fully cooked), about 5 minutes, turning once. (Be careful -- this will splatter.) Add the green pepper, onion and garlic, and cook until slightly softened, keeping the heat high. Stir in the green beans, snap peas, and artichokes, and cook on high for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and parsley, cook 1 minute, then mix in the paprika.

Stir in the rice and coat well with the pan mixture. Pour in the hot broth and bring to a boil. Taste for salt and continue to boil about 5 minutes, stirring and rotating the pan occasionally, until the rice is no longer soupy but enough liquid remains to continue cooking the rice, about 5 minutes.

Arrange the red pepper strips over the rice in a "wagon wheel" pattern, and transfer pan to the oven. Cook, uncovered, until the rice is almost al dente, 10-13 minutes in a gas oven, 15-20 minutes in electric.

Remove to a warm spot, cover with foil, and let sit 5-10 minutes, until the rice is cooked to taste. Return the paella to the stove over high heat and cook, without stirring, until a crust of rice forms at the bottom of the pan (be careful not to burn it). This will take 3-4 minutes.

*Note: the crust is called the socarrat — a thin layer of rice at the bottom of the pan that becomes brown and crusty and is considered the quintessence of the paella. It is scraped off after the rice is served and passed around so everyone can have a share of it!

Page 133 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Nutmeg

In his famous poem The Village Blacksmith, why didn't Henry Wadsworth Longfellow write "Under the spreading nutmeg tree?" I think I know. First, nutmeg does grow on a spreading evergreen tree — native not to New England, however, but to the Banda Islands of Indonesia (often called the Spice Islands). The Dutch, who claimed the islands in 1602, worked hard (and not very nicely) to maintain a monopoly on nutmeg, by soaking the seeds in lime to prevent them from growing. It was not smugglers, but fruit pigeons who scattered the unsoaked seeds on other islands. The Dutch sent out raiding parties to burn the trees to prevent the harvest and control the supply. The French eventually started a nutmeg plantation on Mauritius, and English traders brought nutmeg to Grenada, which is now the second-largest producer in the world.

Page 134 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Second, the seeds hang fairly low to the ground, easy to harvest by hand or with a longhandled wicker basket. So, setting up your smithy under the tree probably would guarantee that you'd get pelted with nutmegs! When the fruit is ripe, the yellowish outer skin and mace are stripped off, and the seeds dry on trays for 6-8 weeks until the nutmeg rattles in its shell. The shells are cracked open, leaving the smooth, brown nutmeg. Nutmeg tastes warm and bittersweet, and brings out the flavor in fruit cakes, egg and cheese dishes, stews, and cauliflower. I always add a small pinch to the ricotta mixture in my lasagna, and to sautéed bitter greens like spinach and chard. It's also key in the spice blends of Indian, Arab, Moroccan and Tunisian cuisines, and combines well with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, pepper, rosebuds, thyme, and mace — which is the outer coating of the nutmeg seed. Penzeys sells both East Indian and West Indian (Grenadian) nutmeg. When using ground Grenadian nutmeg, use two-thirds of what the recipe calls for, as it is very potent with a high oil content. The whole nutmegs are very large, about 80 per pound, making them easy to hold and grate by hand. Ten seconds of rubbing on a small-holed grater will yield a half teaspoon of ground nutmeg. Nutmeg may have magical powers, too. In the 16th Century, nutmeg oil was suggested as a kind of Viagra, to be dabbed you-know-where, and tucking a nutmeg into the left armpit before attending a social event was believed to attract admirers. In addition to healing properties, nutmeg is rumored to be both an aphrodisiac and a sedative. Go figure.

Page 135 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

SPICED PUNCH Here's a recipe from a little book, published in 1970, called Kids Cooking: A first cookbook for children. I found it in my cookbook library when I was searching for the honey cake recipe I'd planned to share with you. This was too charming to resist; here it is, word for word. Makes 8 four-ounce servings. Here's what you need: 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 quart apple cider or apple juice 1 teaspoon cloves 1 teaspoon nutmeg 2 cinnamon sticks 1-1/2 quart saucepan wooden spoon measuring spoons measuring cup square of cheese cloth or clean white cloth and white string Here's what you do: 1. Measure 1/4 cup lemon juice and combine with apple cider or juice in sauce pan. 2. Cut square of cheese cloth, or clean white cloth, about 5 x 5 inches. Measure and place the following on cloth: cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon sticks broken into smaller pieces. Make a bag by tying ends together with string. 3. Place saucepan over low heat, bring up to boiling point, add bag of spices, and simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Remove bag of spices. 4. Serve punch hot in gaily colored cups. (Can be served chilled.)

Page 136 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Szechuan peppercorns

Page 137 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

File this under "explorations in an ethnic market where you don't speak the language and can't read the package labels and you've wandered up and down the aisles and looked and looked and know what you want is somewhere in the store but you cannot find it." So you ask everyone in the market, which by the way is in Boston's Chinatown, "Do you have szechuan peppercorns?" Blank stares. You try different pronunciations — seshwan, setch-wan, setch-u-on. Pep-per-corn. Pep-pah (the Boston dialect). Nobody speaks English. Nobody understands your pantomime. Fair enough. After all, you are the only one there who doesn't speak the language. Frustrated but determined, you ask your husband Ted to bring his Chinese friend Margaret to the market to search for these peppercorns. A few days later on their lunch break, they go — but they come home empty-handed, too. Which, frankly, makes you feel a teensy bit better. This is a true story, by the way. It happened in 1998. Turns out that, back in 1968, the US Food and Drug Administration had banned the

Page 138 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

importation of szechuan peppercorns, because they might carry a citrus canker that could endanger the foliage of citrus trees. My old Chinese cookbooks didn't respect the ban; on the contrary, they happily featured this key ingredient — a mainstay of five-spice powder — in my favorite spicy recipes (Ma Po Tofu, Kung Pao Chi Ting), without regard to whether I actually could purchase it in the US. In 2005, the import ban was lifted. Yes, szechuan peppercorns are back. By law they must be heat-treated to 160°F or higher temperature before entering the US. Though the heat-treating may inhibit (ever so slightly) the peppercorns' full flavor, there's still no taste quite like the pungent, smoky, fizzy-mint tickle on your tongue. Szechuan (also spelled Sichuan or Szechwan) pepper is not a pepper at all; it's the berry of a deciduous prickly ash shrub. In some older cookbooks, it's called fagaro. The flavor resides in the shell, or husk; the small black seed inside usually is discarded, as it imparts a gritty texture when cooked. Most recipes call for grinding or crushing the shells, both to release flavor and to enable the spice to blend more easily with others. I still have trouble finding szechuan peppercorns in some Asian markets, though the larger grocers in Boston, like 88 Supermarket, do stock them. So do Penzeys and Gourmet Sleuth, online — and in English, for non-Chinese speakers like me. By the way, Ted and Margaret did discover one thing on their peppercorn prowl all those years ago. In Chinatown, szechuan peppercorns are called...simply...pepper. Now I know.

Page 139 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

SALT AND PEPPER PRAWNS A classic recipe. Serves 4-6. 1 lb large shrimp (21-25 or 16-20 size), shelled, deveined, rinsed and patted dry 6 Tbsp peanut oil 2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 dried Chile peppers, left whole but seeds removed 1-1/2 Tbsp Szechuan peppercorns 1-1/2 Tbsp sea salt In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp of the oil with the shrimp, and set aside. In another small bowl, lightly pound the peppercorns, and mix with the salt. Set aside. Heat a wok or large frying pan. When the pan is hot, add remaining oil. Stir-fry the shrimp for 1 minute, and remove shrimp from the pan. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp oil. Bring the wok oil back to heat, and add the Chile, garlic and scallions. Stir quickly, and add the shrimp. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper mixture, and stir-fry for another minute. (Do not overcook the shrimp, or they will taste like rubber!) Serve hot or at room temperature.

Page 140 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Cloves

Liz Claiborne, Hugo Boss, Pierre Cardin and Perry Ellis all make men's colognes with a hint of cloves. What do they know that I don't know? When I think of cloves, I don't think of men. I don't think of breath fresheners, antiseptics, aphrodisiacs, or cures for toothaches, either, though all are traditional uses for cloves.

Page 141 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Instead, I conjure up the aromas of applesauce, pumpkin pie, and the screaming-hot lamb vindaloo at the Jackson Diner in New York City. Cloves (from the Latin word clavus, meaning "nail" — a likely reference to their shape) are the unopened flower buds of a small tree native to the Moluccas, the "spice islands" now part of Indonesia. When the Dutch colonized the Moluccas, they tried to create a monopoly on cloves by destroying seedlings on nearby islands. In the late 18th Century, however, a French official smuggled some seedings to Ile-de-France (Mauritius). Today, though Indonesia is the world's largest producer*, Zanzibar and Madagascar are the largest exporters. In my pantry, I stock both ground cloves and whole ones, but I use the ground cloves more often. Whole cloves come in handy for sticking into an onion to flavor stock, or sticking into a ham for some reason or other (can you tell I'm not a ham eater?). Ground cloves are great for making your own spice blends. When buying, look for color; the powder should be dark brown. If it's lighter in color, you're probably buying more stems than buds. Cloves by themselves have a fruity, sharp, almost tongue-numbing taste, and thus are often combined with other spices as an essential member of the chorus, but not always a soloist. Without cloves, we would not have Chinese five-spice powder, garam masala, or quatre-épices. However, cloves in moderation do compliment the flavors of chocolate, ham, oranges, squashes, sweet potatoes, and beets. *By the way, more than half the world's production of cloves goes neither into food nor towards making men smell good — it goes up in smoke. In Indonesia, almost the entire harvest goes into kreteks, which are cigarettes made with two parts tobacco to one part cloves.

Page 142 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

GRANDMA'S APPLESAUCE This is the world's easiest applesauce. Use a mix of Macintosh, Winesap, Cortland and Granny Smith apples, or whatever's available. I can still picture my grandmother in her kitchen on Remsen Avenue in Brooklyn, cranking the handle on the ricer to make this sauce. I wonder what she would have made of food processors?

5 pounds apples Cinnamon, to taste Ground cloves, to taste

In a large stockpot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Slice the apples roughly, leaving the skins on (not only is the fiber healthy, but the skins make the sauce turn pink), but removing the cores. Cook the apples in batches until just about to burst. Place in a food processor fitted with a metal blade (or put through a ricer) and puree. Transfer to a large bowl, and season to taste with a generous few teaspoons of cinnamon, and a large pinch of cloves. Serve warm or cold.

Page 143 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Chili powder

Some like it hot. I like it really hot. I like it hot enough to make my scalp tingle, my sinuses drip, and my eyes water. (Do I need to mention that I'm talking about food now, not the weather?) I wasn't always like this, but a trip to New Orleans years ago started me down the pepper path, and there is no turning back.

Page 144 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Sometimes, though, unadulterated heat isn't the goal. When I want a more complex depth of flavor in Mexican and Southwestern dishes, I often reach for chili powder. Are you confused by the whole chili/Chile thing? Many people are, and product packaging doesn't really help, with the willy-nilly and often interchangeable use of Chile, chili, chillie and chilli. Chili-with-an-I powder is made from Chile-with-an-E peppers, blended with a variety of other spices including cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic, and paprika. Each vendor (or should I say blender?) combines these basic spices in different proportions. Penzeys uses ancho Chile as the base; ancho is a dried poblano pepper, not very hot, flavorful and smoky when dried. Cumin adds additional "smoke", cayenne adds a bit of heat, and oregano keeps the blend in balance. Alton Brown makes his chili powder extra-smoky by using smoked paprika. It's easy enough to make your own chili powder, and you can adjust the heat to my taste by upping the cayenne. Chili powder will keep in an airtight container on the spice rack for three months, or in the freezer for a year without an unacceptable loss of pungency. Once you've got chili powder in your pantry, it's a hop, skip and jump to your own barbecue sauce, enchiladas, and tacos. And remember, chili-with-an-I powder is an essential ingredient in chili-with-an-I meat and bean stew, too. Whew!

Page 145 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

TURKEY TACOS Quick and oh-so-easy. Serves 4; can be doubled or tripled. 2 tsp olive oil 1 lb ground turkey 1/2 medium onion, diced 1 dried habanero Chile pepper (handle with care!) 2-3 tsp chili powder (mild or hot, to taste) 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1 cup canned chopped tomatoes (we like Pomi brand) 8 burrito-size flour tortillas 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce 2 large tomatoes, diced 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar or jack cheese In a high-sided frying pan or sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the turkey, and stir to break up. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. Add onion, and cook 3-4 minutes, until onion is translucent. While the onion is cooking, place the habanero inside a Ziploc bag. Close the bag, and smash the pepper with a rolling pin or empty wine bottle. Pour the Chile pepper into the pot (try not to touch the pepper), and add the chili powder, cumin and oregano. Stir to combine, and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Stir, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add more water if necessary, a few Tbsp at a time, to keep the sauce from getting too thick before the turkey is cooked through. To assemble the tacos, heat a large frying pan or griddle. Lightly heat each tortilla on both sides in the dry pan. Place a tortilla on a serving plate. Add two Tbsp turkey filling in a line down the center, and top with shredded lettuce, tomato and cheese. Roll up and eat!

Page 146 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Turmeric

In the oldest section of Hanoi, known as the 36 Streets, each street takes its name from the dominant trade or craft of the families who settled there. There's Shoe Street, and

Page 147 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Paper Street, and a street that sells tires. There's a street for silver, and one for silk clothing, and another for tin. On Hang Quat, you'll find funeral items. To Thinh is the wood turner’s street, where I bought a pastry mold shaped like a fish. And there's Cha Ca Street, with its abundance of restaurants that serve fried fish (cha ca) coated with turmeric. The most famous of these restaurants is the century-old Cha Ca La Vong. When Ted and I were there in 1997, it was still a magical place. We climbed a rickety ladder to get to the second floor dining room, where only one dish is on the menu. Each table had a brazier in the center. We were given bowls with rice noodles, piles of fresh dill weed, herbs, and nuts. Chunks of local whitefish, coated in turmeric and flour, were fried in the brazier and served on top of the noodles and herbs. We kept cooking our chunks of fish, splattering turmeric-stained oil over everything, until we'd eaten it all. (Here's a recipe — not the recipe, as it's a well-kept secret — to make this dish at home.) According to Jill Norman's Herbs & Spices (an indispensable reference for any cook), more than 90% of the world supply of turmeric, a member of the ginger family, comes from India; Alleppey and Madras are the best grades. It's also produced in China, Haiti, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Pakistan, Peru, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. The rhizomes are sold fresh, or sun dried, peeled, graded, and ground — which is how it's most commonly found in the market. Ground turmeric imparts both flavor and color to curries and masalas, as well as to the Moroccan spice blend ras el hanout. Turmeric is one of the cheapest spices, and it stains everything it touches; for both reasons, it's a popular food coloring for cheese and margarine. Turmeric's medicinal qualities as an anti-inflammatory and a treatment for digestive disorders, liver problems, skin diseases and wounds, are well known to Ayurvedic and Chinese healers. In New England, it's a popular addition to bread and butter pickles, which have their own healing properties when eaten with hot dogs and hamburgers.

Page 148 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

PAULINE'S BREAD & BUTTER PICKLES What could be easier than pickles made in the microwave? Pauline, a Perfect Pantry reader, shared her recipe. Makes approximately 1 quart.

4 cups sliced pickling cucumbers 3/4 cup sliced onion 3/4 cup sugar 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp mustard seed 1/2 tsp celery seed 1/4 tsp ground turmeric 1/2 cup white vinegar

Mix all together in a microwave-safe glass bowl, and cover. Micro 4 minutes, stir, micro another 4 minutes. Pour pickles and brine into clean jars, and refrigerate.

Page 149 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Sea Salt

In The Salt men of Tibet, a stunningly beautiful 1997 Swiss documentary, director Ulrike Koch follows the incredible physical and spiritual three-month journey undertaken each year by nomadic tribesmen on the Himalayan plateau to harvest salt from the holy lakes of the Changtang region. For these nomads, sea salt is still the primary currency, just as it was in China and India more than 2,000 years ago.

Salt has been worth its weight in gold, literally, from the days of the Roman Empire

Page 150 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

through the European spice trading of the 16th-18th centuries, when salt traded one-toone for a pound of gold. More recently, in 1930, the British government in India imposed a salt tax, and Mahatma Gandhi and thousands of followers walked 240 miles to the sea (the famous Salt Satyagraha, or Salt March) to collect their own salt and protest the tax. Made by the evaporation of sea water, sea salt is expensive, its high price fueled by popularity, limited supply, and labor-intensive harvesting methods. For example, fleur de sel, considered the best by many professional chefs (but not by me...read on!), supposedly is formed when winds blow in just the right way over the summer sea off the coast of the village of Guerande, in Brittany. It's hand-harvested by workers who comb off only the top layer, the lightest and purest of the evaporate, in a tradition that has not changed for centuries. Sea salt is a finishing salt, added after cooking to brighten the flavor of food. Though salt is salt (containing approximately 2400 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon), sea salt has fewer crystals per teaspoon than table salt or kosher salt — and, therefore, less sodium. Super-trendy sea salt has become the new pepper, and we have the paraphernalia (dedicated salt grinders, pinch pots, salt pigs) to prove it. My pantry houses four sea salts at the moment: Fleur de Sel; Grey salt from Brittany; Hawaiian Red salt; and the winner — by a mile — of our cooking group taste test, Portuguese Flor de Sal. If I had room for only one salt, the Flor de Sal would be my choice. It's beautiful and flavorful, everything you want in a finishing salt. According to Seattle-based SaltWorks, though, I've only just dipped my toe in the (salt)water, because I haven't tried most of their 14 varieties of artisan sea salts, including Flower of Bali, hand-harvested once a year by evaporating water out of the trunks of palm trees — or Kala Namak (Indian Black Salt), with a smell similar to egg yolks (hmmmm). And there's Jurassic sea salt from Utah; Trapani, from Italy; oh, and Danish Viking-Smoked sea salt .... By the way, sea salt, diluted in water, is a recommended healing rinse for body piercings. Just thought you'd want to know.

PIZZA BIANCA

Page 151 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

This recipe was a hit with both The #1 Cooking Group and the Wednesday Lunch Group. Serves 6. 1 pound pizza dough (store-bought or homemade, white or whole wheat) 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary 1/2 tsp good quality sea salt Preheat to 450°F. Lightly flour your work surface. Roll out the dough to 1/2-inch thick, and place it on a heavy rimmed baking sheet (jelly-roll pan). Using a fork, prick the dough all over. Drizzle on the oil, then sprinkle with thyme or rosemary, and salt. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until golden, about 15 minutes. The pizza may puff up in the oven and look like bit like a lunar landscape. Don't worry; it will taste salty and wonderful.

Page 152 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Cocoa powder

Page 153 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Sometimes I uncover an item in my pantry that's a bit of mystery. I know I should have it. In fact, I'm never without it. I just don't know why. Cocoa powder is the mystery du jour. What, exactly, is cocoa powder? What makes some of it Dutch-processed? Is natural cocoa powder better, or just different? Here's what I've learned. Unsweetened cocoa powder results from the pressing of chocolate liquor to remove most of the cocoa butter. The remaining cocoa solids are processed to make a fine powder. There are two types: natural, and Dutch-processed. In 1778, the Dutch brought cacao from the Philippines to Sumatra, where they established a propagation facility that enabled major production in the region. In 1828, Conrad van Hooten, a Dutch chemist, patented a technique for pressing most of the fat from roasted and crushed cocoa beans, improving the digestibility of the resulting powder. The addition of alkaline salts neutralized the acids in the cocoa, making it more easily soluble in liquids. This "Dutch cocoa", as it came to be called, has a mild flavor, and must be used with baking powder or other acidic ingredients. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder is more intense in color and flavor; when used in a recipe that calls for baking soda (an alkali), it creates a leavening agent. Though it's always best to use the type of cocoa powder specified in a recipe, in a pinch (ha ha) you can substitute one kind of cocoa powder for another: For 3 Tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa, substitute 3 Tbsp natural cocoa powder plus 1/8 tsp baking soda. For 3 Tbsp natural cocoa, substitute 3 Tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa plus 1/8 tsp cream of tartar or 1/8 tsp lemon juice or vinegar. (At the moment, I happen to have Droste, a Dutch-processed brand, in the pantry. Other popular brands: Valrhona and Lindt. Some natural cocoa powder brands: Ghirardelli, Scharffen Berger, and good old Hershey's.) We always think of cocoa as a sweetener, but unsweetened cocoa is an ancient food that features in the cuisines of Brazil, Mexico (think molé), and other countries in the cacaogrowing bands a few degrees north and south of the Equator.

Page 154 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

COCOA-CUMIN-ALLSPICE RUB The surprise hit of the #1 Cooking Group's recent cooking session on dry rubs and wet mops. We rubbed this on venison tenderloins and cooked them on the grill. Oh, baby! Adapted from Cooks Illustrated. Makes about 1/3 cup. 1

Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

4

tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground allspice 4 tsp black peppercorns 2

tsp kosher salt

Grind all ingredients in a dedicated spice grinder (don't use your coffee mill) or mortar until no whole peppercorns remain.

Page 155 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Thyme

Of all the four food groups — parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme — my favorite is thyme. Not because wearing it in your hair is said to make a woman irresistible. Not because it's supposed to ward off nightmares and negativity, and encourage good health. Not even because Titania, Queen of the Fairies, slept in a bed of thyme, though that does sound delightfully indulgent. None of the above. I just love the taste. And, okay, the irresistible-to-men thing would be a pretty good reason to keep thyme in the pantry.

Page 156 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

A bushy evergreen native to the Mediterranean, thyme features in the cuisines of France and Spain, of course, but also in Mexico and Latin America, and in Creole and Cajun cooking. It's often used in New England clam chowder, near and dear to my heart. Thyme's woodsy aroma combines well with potatoes, onions, mushrooms, eggs, tomatoes, and beef. In my garden, I grow common English thyme, T. vulgaris, and lemon thyme, T. citriodorus. The lemon thyme is particularly lovely with chicken and fish, and in French potato salad (the kind that has no mayonnaise). I'd like to try conehead thyme (T. Capitatus), also called za'atar farsi, or Persian thyme. I've never seen the plants at any of the local herb farms, but it's the most widely used thyme in Middle East cuisine, and it's available in dried form at specialty markets. Here in the Northeast, it's tomato season, and I make huge batches of slow-roasted tomatoes with thyme and garlic. I freeze them to use in sauces and stews throughout the winter. This works with any type of ripe tomato, and it's a method more than a recipe: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and place cut side up on a rimmed sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with minced garlic and fresh thyme, coarse salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Drizzle olive oil over all. Place in the oven for an hour or more, until the tomatoes nearly collapse. Pack into containers, and fill with the accumulated tomato juices and olive oil from the pan. When I first started growing herbs, my husband Ted made a drying frame. He scrounged an old screen window, and tacked another piece of screening on it so I can sandwich the herbs between the screen panels and let them air dry. I love using my home-grown dried thyme leaf in the winter, when the herb garden is covered with snow.

Page 157 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

FRITTATA WITH BROCCOLI AND GARDEN HERBS My editor at Rhode Island Monthly is coming for lunch with a fellow food writer, and I'll make a salad with lettuce and tomatoes from Moosup River Farm, and this frittata with thyme, basil and parsley from the garden. Serves 4, which means I can have it for lunch again tomorrow. 8 eggs, at room temperature 1/4 cup milk, cream, or water 1/2 tsp black pepper 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 red onion, cut in half, sliced thin 1/3 lb broccoli florets, chopped fine 2 tsp minced fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried 2 tsp minced fresh parsley 2 tsp minced fresh basil 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and pepper, and set aside.

In an oven-proof, medium size, nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and broccoli, and sauté until both are cooked through, approx. 5 minutes. Add herbs, and stir to combine. Spread mixture evenly over the bottom of the frying pan, and pour the egg mixture over the top. Turn heat to low, and cover the pan. Cook for approx. 8 minutes, checking every now and then to make sure the eggs are not burning. (While the eggs are cooking, preheat the broiler.) From time to time, lift an edge and let the uncooked egg from the top run underneath. When the eggs are nearly set, remove the cover, turn off the heat. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top, and place under the broiler for 2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and the edges of the frittata are beginning to brown slightly. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve hot, room temperature, or cold.

Page 158 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Garam Masala

Page 159 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

What happens when a good-for-nothing handsome hunk like Mac finds himself in possession of an empty flat and access to three gorgeous air hostesses, Priti, Sweety and Puja? I have no idea, but you will, if you settle in with Garam Masala — a 2005, threehour, Bollywood movie extravaganza! Indian movies that combine song and dance, love triangles, drama, comedy, and daredevil thrills are called masala movies, because, like masalas — spice blends — they are a mixture of many things. Visit one hundred kitchens in India, and you'll find one hundred different versions of garam masala, the spice mixture at the heart of northern Indian and Pakistani cooking. One of the few spice blends used in Indian cooking, garam masala is pungent but not spicy-hot, and it's usually added at the end of the cooking to bring an extra burst of flavor to the dish. Most often made of whole spices that are toasted and then used whole or ground, garam masala varies from one cook to the next, and from one spice seller to another. Currently I have Penzeys' version of garam masala on my spice rack. Penzeys uses a "recipe" brought to them by a customer who grew up in the Punjab; it contains coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, kalonji, caraway, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Garam masala can have as few as three ingredients, or as many as a dozen or more. In every kitchen, the masala dabba, a spice box with two lids to keep the contents fresh, holds the key to the family's culinary traditions and memories — and it holds little containers for seven ingredients that combine and recombine to make the masalas and curries that are a cook's trademark. By the way, a masala dabba can hold any combination of spices in your own kitchen, even if you don't do a lot of Indian cooking. Mine occasionally has Latin flavors — cumin, chili powder, pepper, oregano, etc. — or baking spices like cinnamon, ground cloves, and cardamom. And if you're settling in for that three-hour movie, you could fill the little containers in the masala dabba with M&Ms, peanuts, or jelly beans.

Page 160 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

MINT CHUTNEY In a wonderful store in Assonet, Massachusetts, that specializes in rare and used cookbooks, I found a book humbly titled Indian Cooking, by Savitri Chowdhary, published in London in 1954. There's an abundance of mint in my herb garden at the moment, so this recipe caught my eye as I paged through the book. The author's charming measuring system leaves much to the cook's discretion. Serves 5. 6 medium-sized spring onions 1 teacupful ready-to-use mint 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 2 medium-sized minced green chilies or 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp garam masala 1 Tbsp dried pomegranate seeds (anardana) 1 dessertspoonful ground mango or 1 Tbsp lemon juice Wash the onions, throwing away only the tough green leaves. Wash the mint under running water, and mince these two things and the fresh green chilies together. Put them in a mortar, add salt, sugar and garam masala and crush for several minutes with the pestle. Take out and place aside on a plate. Sort and rinse the dried pomegranate seeds, and crush them in the mortar separately, then put the half-prepared chutney back in the mortar and crush and mix thoroughly. Lastly add the ground mango or lemon juice and mix once again. Transfer to a glass dish and serve. Mint chutney will keep for a day or two, but is tastier when freshly made.

Page 161 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Colman's Mustard

Page 162 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

My mother always kept a tin of Colman's dry mustard on her spice shelf. I never saw her cook with it, but lately I've been wondering whether she snuck it into meatloaf or marinara sauce. That's what I do. In 1814, Jeremiah Colman, a flour miller of ten years' experience, took over a mustard manufacturing business based in a water mill on the river Tas, four miles south of Norwich, England. In 1823, Jeremiah took his adopted nephew, James, into partnership in the new firm J & J Colman. In 1866 the distinctive red and yellow livery was introduced to the label, and the company was granted a Royal Warrant as manufacturers to Queen Victoria. According to Waitrose Food Illustrated, mustard seed used to be ground right at the dining table, much as black pepper is today. Colman's mustard, a blend of two varieties — white for flavor and brown for potency — was milled to obtain a powder, a fashion popularized by another mustard manufacturer, Keen & Company, which some say is the origin of the phrase "keen as mustard". Colman's bought Keen in 1903; megaconglomerate Unilever bought Colman's in 1995. Colman's calls its dry mustard the "not-so-mellow yellow", so beware; it's hot stuff. To prepare, combine equal parts of Colman’s and a liquid such as water, wine, vinegar, beer, milk or cream. Let the mixture stand for ten minutes, for the full flavor to develop. The French tarragon in my herb garden went berserk last week. It's not supposed to do all that well here in Climate Zone 5, but this year I've got tarragon on steroids — a perfect excuse to make honey and tarragon mustard, using mustard seed and Colman's Mustard.

Page 163 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

COARSE-GROUND MUSTARD WITH HONEY AND TARRAGON Mix with mayonnaise, toss with chicken and celery, and you'll have a summer salad with pizzazz. Makes 4 cups. 1 cup light or dark mustard seed 6 Tbsp dry mustard powder, lightly packed 1-1/3 cups water 1-1/2 cup rice vinegar 6 Tbsp mild-flavored honey 4 tsp salt, or less to taste 2 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves Combine mustard seed, mustard powder and water in a food processor or blender, and process to a coarse puree. Let the mixture stand uncovered, at room temperature, for at least one hour and up to four hours. Stir occasionally. Combine mustard mixture with the vinegar, honey, salt and tarragon. Process in food processor or blender to the texture that you like, coarse or creamy. Store in clean, dry jars, tightly capped in a cupboard, where it will mellow gradually. The mustard will be ready to use in a few days.

Page 164 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Ground Cardamom

Page 165 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

If it weren't for Artist Open Studios, I might never have had the "Wow, cardamom!" experience. At the studio of local stone carver Karin Sprague, people were trying their hand at carving under the watchful eye of an apprentice, exploring the barn that houses Karin's workshop, learning more about the incredible gravestones she carves and how she came to this work. And then Karin brought out a platter of chunks of bread, sweet and scented with cardamom. It was the first time I'd really tasted cardamom as the dominant flavoring in a dish. Wow, cardamom! The fruit of a large bush that grows wild in the Cardamom Hills in southern India, cardamom is cultivated in Tanzania, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Guatemala. In Herbs & Spices, Jill Norman explains that cardamom came to Europe from India via the caravan routes, and the Vikings took it from Constantinople to Scandinavia, where it's still a popular flavoring for baked goods. An essential ingredient in the spice blends of many cuisines (berbere, curry powder and garam masala, for example), cardamom enhances the flavor of apples, oranges, pears, legumes, sweet potatoes and root vegetables, coffee, roast duck or poached chicken — and spiced wine. In Arab cultures, cardamom coffee is a symbol of hospitality. Cardamom also is reputed to be an effective antidote for scorpion venom. Just thought you'd want to know.

Page 166 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

GRILLED FRUIT WITH CARDAMOM YOGURT This dessert comes together quickly and packs a huge, healthy flavor punch. If peaches and nectarines are out of season, use pears or plums. Serves 8. 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 2 cups vanilla yogurt, low-fat or no-fat (or use plain yogurt with pure vanilla extract to taste) 8 ripe peaches or nectarines, cut in half lengthwise, pits removed Juice of two lemons 1 Tbsp honey Mix the cardamom into the yogurt and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Preheat grill. Toss the fruit with the lemon juice so they won't oxidize. Paint cut side lightly with honey. Place cut side up on a hot grill for 2 minutes, then turn and place cut side down for 3-4 minutes, until fruit has nice grill marks. Serve cut side up, with a dollop of cardamom yogurt.

Page 167 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Pickling spice

Page 168 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

In New York City, where I was born, half-sour pickles and pickled green tomatoes grace every table at every delicatessen for every meal, including breakfast. My grandmother made the world's best pickled lox. A friend's grandmother made pickled eggs, and pickled beets. I never felt the urge to pickle anything until, back in the 1990s, I acquired a used copy of The Victory Garden Cookbook. The book is organized by vegetable — clever! — so I began to flip through: asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, celery. And then I arrived at cucumbers, with the most beautiful photograph of perfect little Kirby’s floating in an antique glass Planters Peanuts jar, enveloped by fresh dill weed, cloves of garlic, and pickling spice. That one photo utterly seduced me; I had to make those pickles. In the absence of a perfect crock, I discovered that a large ceramic bowl worked just as well, especially when I submerged the cucumbers under a plate weighted down with a glass jar. An unexpected bonus was the wonderful aroma of the brine as the pickles sat on my countertop for two days. Pickling spice, available in the supermarket spice aisle, was "invented" by the English to flavor chutneys, fruits and vegetables. Each spice merchant has his or her own special blend of ingredients; the spices are left whole or crushed, rather than ground as a spice paste. Penzeys' richly flavored version combines yellow and brown mustard seeds, allspice, cinnamon, crushed bay leaves, dill seed, cloves, ginger, black peppercorns, star anise, coriander, juniper berries, mace, cardamom, and crushed red peppers. You can spice up your pickling blend by adding some whole hot peppers. This recipe's for our son-in-law Nick, who loves to make these pickles when cucumbers and dill arrive at his New York farmers' market.

Page 169 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

COUNTERTOP DILL PICKLES If your cucumbers are large or you have more than 18 small ones, double this recipe. You need to have enough brine to cover the cucumbers completely. Adapted from The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash (1982). 12 pickling cukes (2-1/2 lb), or more 1 large clove garlic big hunk of fresh dill 1/4 tsp dill seed (optional) 1 generous tsp pickling spice (the blend -- has allspice, bay, etc.) 1/4 cup kosher salt 1/4 cup white vinegar 2-1/2 quarts water Clean the cukes. Smash the unpeeled garlic (no need to peel it). Place cukes, garlic, dill, dill seed and pickling spice in a large bowl. In a pot, place kosher salt, white vinegar and water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Pour hot brine over the cukes, and weight down with a plate and something to keep the cukes submerged. Leave on the counter for at least one day, and up to two days, then refrigerate.

Page 170 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Seasoned Salt

Page 171 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Seasoned Salt Little-known fact: My mother did not invent seasoned salt. I always wondered about that. Seasoned salt — specifically Lawry's brand — was the main spice in her kitchen and she put it on everything: tuna steaks, beef steaks, lamb chops, burgers, chicken breasts. Seasoned salt livened up almost every meal, and I loved it. I still do. In 1938, Lawrence L. Frank and Walter Van de Kamp co-founded the original Lawry's The Prime Rib restaurant in Beverly Hills, and created Lawry's seasoned salt to flavor their famous prime ribs of beef. For years I had Lawry's on my spice rack, until I discovered Penzeys Spices. Penzeys' seasoned salt is hand-mixed from salt, sugar, paprika, onion, turmeric, garlic, and spice extractives (including oleoresin of paprika, black pepper, celery, rosemary and thyme). Oleoresin sounds chemical, but it's not; it's simply an oily extract. Lawry's Seasoned Salt has a few more ingredients — no MSG, but it does have cornstarch, an anti-caking phosphate, and soy lecithin. Penzeys now has a seasoned sea salt called 4/S (special seasoned sea salt), made with the same ingredients as the regular, but substituting coarse sea salt and extra bold black pepper for the standard S&P. I love the fresh flavor and the fact that there's more going on than just salt; you actually can taste the pepper, onion and other spices. The words "seasoned salt" conjure up two taste memories for me: my grandmother's beef brisket (which gets rubbed in seasoned salt before browning and braising), and the lamb chops my dad used to cook on the grill. Reason enough to give this spice blend a place of honor in my kitchen.

Page 172 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

BAKED POTATO WEDGES WITH SEASONED SALT Here's a side dish that's good for picnics, or at any time of year. From Bon Appetit, June 2000. Serves 8. 8 large russet potatoes, peeled 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 1/2 cup olive oil 2 Tbsp seasoned salt Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut each potato lengthwise into 8 wedges; toss in bowl with butter, oil and seasoned salt. Arrange in single layer on 2 baking sheets. Bake until tender and golden, turning potatoes and rotating sheets halfway through baking, about 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

Page 173 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Black pepper

Page 174 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Question: Why is black pepper worth its weight in gold? "The history of the spice trade is essentially about the quest for pepper," Jill Norman answers in Herbs & Spices: The Cook's Reference. "Peppercorns and long pepper from India's Malabar coast reached Europe at least 3,000 years ago; trade routes were fiercely protected, empires were built and destroyed because of it. In 408 AD the Goths demanded pepper as part of their tribute when they laid siege to Rome; later, pepper was traded ounce for ounce for gold, and used as currency to pay rents, dowries, and taxes." Today pepper is, in volume and value, the most important spice in the world. India and Malaysia produce the best black pepper varieties: Malabar, Tellicherry, and Sarawak. From Indonesia we get Muntok, considered the highest-grade white pepper. Brazil and Vietnam also contribute to the world supply. More than any other spice in my kitchen, black pepper gets a workout every time I cook. (In the photo above, you'll see the three black peppers in my pantry: whole Tellicherry peppercorns, spicy cracked Sarawak, and coarse-ground Tellicherry). For years I bought into the "fresh ground" way of life. I tried one pepper mill after another — the pretty ones that don't grind, the ugly ones that do, and the French ones that, like all things French, manage to look impossibly beautiful while getting the job done. In the end, I chose the affordable Oxo pepper mill with a clear glass reservoir and adjustable grind (Oxo has stopped making these, though you can find some on the market with different contents). I have several — one for black pepper, one for white, one for green — so I can see easily which is which, and which needs refilling. A few years ago I discovered Penzeys coarse-ground Tellicherry pepper. I buy 8-ounce bags for less than $6.00, and keep a working supply in a lovely recycled mayo jar. With four cooking groups and countless friends and family using the pantry, that jar empties every few weeks. And, honestly, I love the look of coarse-ground pepper in my food.

Page 175 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

PEGGY'S BARBECUED BRISKET This recipe came to me from my friend Mary's sister Peg a decade ago. I think it's based on a Lee Bailey recipe, but to me it's always been Peggy's incredibly delicious, crowdpleasing, never-fail, knock-your-socks-off brisket. Serves 12, at least, and can be made ahead. 9 lbs flat-cut beef brisket, in one or two pieces, most fat removed 1 tsp minced garlic (good quality from a jar is fine) 1 tsp celery seeds 3 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp ground ginger 4 large bay leaves, crumbled 12 oz tomato paste 1 cup dark soy sauce ½ cup Worcestershire sauce 1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar 2 medium onion thinly sliced 1 bottle beer Preheat oven to 350°F. Trim brisket and rub all over with the garlic. Combine celery seeds, pepper, ginger and bay leaves, then rub into all sides of the brisket. Mix the tomato paste, soy, Worcestershire and sugar, and smear this all over the meat. Score the fat side of the brisket and place the onions on top, and place the meat in a heavy nonstick highsided roasting pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Cook for 4 hours. Open the foil to expose the onion-covered top, and cook for another hour. Remove meat to a heated plate and keep warm. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over mediumhigh heat, and degrease sauce with some beer until the sauce has reduced to a pleasant consistency. [Note: Improves if cooked a day ahead; refrigerate in the sauce, and slice cold.] Serve at room temp or reheat.

Page 176 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Allspice

Page 177 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Do you think it's easy deciding where to start? I was this close to logic and predictability, beginning at the beginning with the quintessential pantry items: salt and pepper. And then, this morning, the universe sent me a sign. Two signs, actually. First: While Ted was watching the World Cup soccer matches on TV, I entered all of the pantry items willy-nilly into a database on my computer, and kicked out an alphabetized list of more than 200 items that are always in my fridge, freezer, spice rack and cupboards. Top of the list? Allspice. Hmmm. Second: We'd vowed to "eat down" our pantry and leftovers this weekend, so i needed to forage. In the freezer I discovered a deeply-buried package of Empire kosher chicken breasts (another pantry staple). On the counter sat a couple of lemons that were a day away from relegation to the compost bucket. I always have garlic, and olive oil, and allspice. In my kitchen that adds up to one thing: garlic chicken on skewers. Hmmm. Until I decided to try my hand at food writing, I'm sure I'd never ever bought allspice, nor did I have a clue about how to use it. However, my desire for the recipe for the absolutely heavenly garlic-lemon-allspice chicken kabobs made by Elias "Louie" Aboujaoude at Cedar's Restaurant in Boston propelled me into a food writing career, so perhaps it is the best place to begin our pantry exploration. Within a week of moving to the South End more than 25 years ago, Ted and I settled ourselves at a window table at Cedar’s to watch our new neighborhood stroll by. For the first few months, we tasted our way up and down the menu of traditional Lebanese dishes, moving from the familiar shish kabob and falafel to kibbie bi syniyeh and kufta balls.

Page 178 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

Then we discovered the garlic chicken, listed on the menu as “#25 chicken on skewer,” and life changed forever. We began to have garlic chicken cravings, and to bring friends to the restaurant to taste the dish and help us figure out the ingredients. In my own tiny kitchen I began to experiment. Each attempt was, as they say, “close but no cigar.”

By July 1993, I’d been tasting and trying to recreate Cedar’s garlic chicken for 13 years (at two skewers per serving, that’s more than 400 skewers!). I knew the time had come to ask for the recipe, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And then it occurred to me that others also might like to learn the secret. Wouldn’t it be fun to share recipes, and stories of the lives of neighborhood cooks, in the local newspaper? So that's how I became a professional food writer. And that's why there's always fresh ground allspice in my pantry. The dried berry of the evergreen pimiento tree, allspice, native to the West Indies and Central America, was discovered by Christopher Columbus — who thought it was pepper, hence its Spanish name, pimienta. Subsequently it became known as Jamaican pepper, because most of the best quality crop grew there; the English gave it the name "allspice", because it mimics the aroma of several spices, including cloves, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. According to Herbs & Spices by Jill Norman, "allspice is the only important spice that still comes almost exclusively from its region of origin — which also makes it the only one grown almost exclusively in the New World." Today the majority of the world allspice harvest goes to the food industry, for use in commercial ketchups and other sauces. Allspice is an essential ingredient in jerk spice blends, barbecue sauces and rubs, chutneys, and sausages. Bakers often incorporate it into spice cakes. The whole berries add important flavor to the pickling spice mix I use for my half-sours every summer.

Page 179 of 180

Lydia Walshin

The Perfect Pantry

SHISH TAOUK (GARLIC CHICKEN ON SKEWERS) Serves 6-8.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2-4 cloves garlic, sliced, plus 4 cloves mashed (or from a jar) 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 cup olive oil

Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Add remaining ingredients, and mix well (with your hands). Marinate, covered or in a zip-loc bag, in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours, or overnight.

Heat grill to high. Place chicken on skewers, or on a barbecue grid, and cook over direct heat for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently. Serve with rice or in pitas, with chopped iceberg lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

Page 180 of 180