Old Spice?...Scatter It Like Grandpa’s Ashes

Did you know that spices expire?  Yes…after months on a shelf, spices will lose their flavor and become not much more than edible dust.  Put it in your meals and you’ll have…well…dusty meals. LOL  McCormick has a great web page called “How Old Are Your Spices?”  It’s worth a quick glance.  I especially liked #4…If it’s a tin, it’s at least 15 years old.  I can’t tell you how many tins I dug out of my Mom and Dad’s pantry the other day.  But my rule of late has been, “If it won’t kill them, I won’t throw it away.”  So those tins are still sitting in the pantry, albeit out of reach.

My advice, go out and buy new bottles of the spices you use on a regular basis.  If you need to, do it over time.  When you use a spice that looks old, leave it on your counter to remind you for your next shopping trip.

The absolute best way to do spices is always in seed/pod/whole form.  It takes a lot longer for these to go flavorless.  So cinnamon sticks are better than ground cinnamon, coriander seeds better than ground coriander, cumin seeds better than ground cumin, whole cloves…  Well you get the idea.

“What do I do with cinnamon sticks when I need ground cinnamon?”, you ask?  Well…you grind them…and the easiest way I‘ve found to do this is to buy a separate coffee grinder just for spices.  Throw the whole form spice in and hit the grinder button and you have the freshest ground cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, etc. you can get.  You’ll need to experiment a bit with volume…like how much stick cinnamon makes a teaspoon?  You will however, be surprised at the strong, aromatic spice that results.


So toss those old spice tins...but check eBay first.  If they're really old, they may be worth something. Ha Ha

Pilau...and how

From my favorite Kenyan chef comes this Pilau recipe.  First, let me say that unless you're East African or Indian you may not be familiar with this unique flavor.  Do the "keeper" or "non-keeper" test with your family after making this; thumbs up or down...no hurt feelings!

The great thing about pilau (or pulau) is that you can make it with almost any meat. Chicken, beef, shrimp, or even mushrooms will do just fine.  I even made it with hot dogs once to prove a point to the kids that there WAS food in the house.  I like to cut the meat into bite sized pieces and brown first.  However, you can just add the raw meat to the rice while cooking for a more stewed effect.  Do this recipe once and you'll probably not have to follow the recipe again.  Don't hesitate to experiment with raisins, dried cranberries, peppers, cilantro, etc.

Spice:
1 1/2 T ground cumin*
1T ground cardamom*
1/2 t ground cinnamon*
1/2 t ground cloves*
1/2 t ground pepper*
* This will always be better when you grind the spices yourself but ground spice can be found on the shelves.

I have a "secret ingredient" I use in mine.  And in fact a couple of you will be receiving my fresh ground pilau seasoning as a gift for following me.  In the long run I may sell the pilau spice on this site for $8.99 + shipping. If you want to buy right now click this link and send me $14.00 Don't forget to include your address in the notes.

Rice Mix:
1 1/2 C rice
3 C water
2 carrots (medium dice)
2 tomatoes (cut into bit sized pieces)
1 onion (chopped)
1 celery stalk (sliced 1/4")
Liberal amount of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in pan and add meat and brown for about 5 minutes.  Add onions then carrots then celery and cook for about 3 minutes.  Tomatoes next and also for about 3 minutes.  Then add rice until coated with oil and fry for about 2 minutes.  Add the spice mix and cook for an additional 1 minute stirring constantly.  Add water all at once and bring to a rolling boil. Then turn the pot down to a simmer, cover and leave covered for about 20 minutes.  If you're doing this with shrimp or mushrooms, add these after the rice has been simmering about 15 minutes so they only cook for 5 minutes.  When the water is absorbed, the pilau should be ready.  If it is still too boil it off stirring constantly.  Don't forget to taste and salt/pepper accordingly.  You will taste the spice but a little salt will really bring it out. 

The chef constantly reminds me to use a lot of oil.  I start with 5 or 6 tablespoons but do what you are comfortable with.

Enjoy this and if you get the thumbs up, you have another recipe for your repertoire.