Easy Peasy Spices

Spice really is the variety of life and also offers new spins on classic and traditional dishes.Blending different ones increases the variety and makes any lunch, dinner and even barbecue exciting.The best part is that you can use common ,available and affordable ones to create unique and exotic flavors. Mark Bittman wrote about this in his online column in The New York Dining section online.These are so easy to make and the only complicated step is toasting them in either a regular or toaster oven.They,represent the Middle East,China,the Caribbean,India, and even France. One ,za'aatar is becoming the mix of choice (as mentioned the other day in the Dining section and this blog). It's a mix of dried sumac berries, toasted cumin, and sesame seeds along with dried thyme and oregano.Dried sumac,unlike it's" American cousin is nonpoisonous and can be bought in Greek or Arab groceries.It has a tart, sour lemon taste but works well when mixed with other herbs.It can be used on kabobs and even lamb chops too. You can also use it in pilafs and on eggplant too.Another exotic blend is Ras El Hanous from North Africa. It is a mix of coriander and cumin seeds ,toasted and then added to cinnamon, Ginger, turmeric and pepper. Again, it is best on lamb but you can also add to rice or bulgur.For subtle spicing, try the Indian Garam Masala which is cardamon pods, cinnamon stick ground with whole cloves and nutmeg pieces. Cumin and fennel seeds arevalso added to . Caribbean spices or jerk are the most popular, most known and the most versatile for a fiery jerk rub.Its sweetness comes from ground allspice berries along with nutmeg.Thyme balances out the flavor.The fire and heat comes from equal pinches of cayenne and paprika along with Ginger, garlic and sugar tone it down somewhat.Jerk is wonderful on any meat from tilapia to beef to even goat.The French have quatre epices or four spices.This is a mix of black and white peppercorns, allspice berries and cloves.More spices are also thrown in.These are cloves,z Ginger and nutmeg.On the other side of the globe is China and Japan.Seaweed is added to the nori seaweed.These are sheets of seaweed that have been crumbled with salt and cayenne pepper.Remember for any of these blends you can use an old coffee grinder or for purists, buy a good mortar and pestle.Also keep in mind that ground spices are intense, use them in pinches when you start blending. Spice blends add zing and zest to any dish,whether it be just chicken breasts or pilaf.Make a fun blend to bring the flavors of the world to your table.Let their colors and tastes enliven any dish.