Thanksgiving

I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner this year.  It was also my first turkey.  I didn't know what I was doing, but I did my research online, and the results of the dinner were a big hit.

For the turkey, I had always heard that brining it with spices was the way to go.  So I started with Martha Stewart's brining recipe because I figured I could trust her.  I studied other brining recipes and discovered that many of them used juices to replace some of the water, so I did that as well.  I substituted orange and cranberry juices for some of the water along with some apple cider.  Since the recipe called for juniper berries, I added some Tasmanian pepper berries because they have a smell that is reminiscent of juniper.  I added some voatsiperifery, Ashanti pepper and cubeb to the black pepper.  Voatsipifery goes well with white meats, so it seemed a safe bet.  Since I was adding fruit juices, I added some of my dried Indian fruits: aamla, kokum, amchur and anardana.  Along with the bay leaves, I added some boldo leaves, because they can be used in a similar fashion.  Since fennel was on the list, I added radhuni, ajwain, and black cumin just because I had them.  And then I added some grains of paradise because I like them. 

The result was the most flavorful turkey I had ever had.  It was a big hit with everyone.

For the mashed potatoes, I added garlic and parsley.  For the pepper, I used black pepper as well as both kinds of long pepper which I crushed in a mortar and pestle.  I also added some alligator pepper and korarima as well.  I liked the potatoes very much, but they were not as popular.  Some thought them to have too much of a burn, but that is what I liked about them.

Tasmanian pepper

I've been experimenting with a little-known spice called Tasmanian pepper.  As the name suggests, it comes from Tasmanian as well as other parts of Australia.  The spice is unrelated to black pepper or chilis and is part of an obscure family of plants found only in the Southern Hemisphere.  The genus Tasmannia, from which includes Tasmanian pepper, has other species whose berriess and leaves can be used as spices.

The berries are spherical and larger than black pepper berries.  They are softer and very deep purple in color.  The smell is piney and something like juniper berries, so it's not surprising the berries are said to go well with gin.

It's difficult to describe the taste of Tasmanian pepper berries.  It's more of an experience, lasting about a minute in which the taste goes from sweet to a chili-like burn at the end.

All my readings said the spice goes well with fish, especially salmon.  So I followed a recipe in which the berries were cooked in oil, and then the oil was drizzled over the fish.  The berries-in-oil method imparted a much milder taste, but the combination was delicious.  The second time, I followd the recipe, but also ground up one berry to sprinkle over the fish for a more pungent experience.  Both methods worked well.

I also found a peppercorn steak recipe which is similar to other peppersteak-in-cream sauce recipes I've had before.  This recipe substituted Tasmanian pepper for black pepper.  I've found other websites that say that Tasmanian pepper goes well with red meat.  So I followed this recipe exactly, but I was very unhappy with the final results.  I have yet to taste a successful combination of red meat and Tasmanian pepper.

Savory Spice Shop

I stopped into the Savory Spice Shop in Sellwood yesterday.  I picked up some Aleppo pepper, chipotle pepper, and lovage.  I think they're the only shop in town that sells lovage.  Savory has the largest selection of spices in town.  It's been open less than a month, and the owners are passionate and truly dedicated to being the best source for spices in town.  The staff is friendly and helpful.

Grains of Selim

I've been curious about grains of Selim, also called kili pepper or hwentea.  It's an African spice that looks like a small, dried pea pod, but it's not related to the pea and bean family at all.  The pods are about an inch and a half long.

Photo from Wikipedia

It's scientific name is Xylopia aethiopica, and it's in the Annonaceae family.  The only other species in that family with which I am familiar are ylang-ylang and the pawpaw, a fruit that I've seen only rarely in the Southern US.

Grains of Selim are used by breaking the pod in half and putting it in stews, especially beef stew, and cooking for a long time.  The pod itself is removed after cooking and not eaten.  Sometimes, the pod is ground up and put into stews.  I've tasted the spice before cooking, and it's not a pleasant taste.  It's very bitter.

So a while back, I made some beef stew.  It started out very watery, so I slow cooked it for more than 24 hours.  I forgot to remove the Selim pod, and I accidentally got one in my mouth.  I was surprised to find it delicious.  Now I understand why it's popular in Africa.  After cooking for a long time in stew, the flavor is very strong and pleasant.  Now that I understand, I'll be using this spice in all my stews.

Ganthoda

I bought some ganthoda at an Indian grocery.  The package said it was the root of Piper longum, long pepper.  The smell is reminiscent of potatoes.  Does anyone know what to do with this?

Beans

Fixed beans and rice last night.  The beans were seasoned with a ham hock, epazote, asafoetida, cilantro, hoja santa, chili powder, and black cumin.

The epazote, hoja santa and cilantro are common seasonings for beans in Mexico.  The asafoetida is often used with lentils in India, so I assumed it would work as well.

I also added fenugreek.  It's not a spice I'm very familiar with, but it's in the bean/pea family, so I thought it might be a good match for that reason.  I'm going to study fenugreek some more later.  Also, I've read that fenugreek leaves can be used for seasoning, but I've never seen them for sale anywhere.

Long pepper

All my reference sources state that there are two species in the Piper genus called long pepper:  Piper longum (Indian long pepper) and Piper retrofractum (Indonesian long pepper).  I've never come across any description of the difference.  I've read that they are used interchangeably.   

I've bought long pepper seven times now.  Twice, the pepper spikes were smaller and darker.  The other batches were a lighter brown and about a third larger.  I bought some at Stone Cottage, and it was of the smaller, darker variety.  The kind sold at The Meadow is of the larger, lighter kind.

Does anyone know if these are separate species?  Does anyone have a references detailing the difference?

Culantro

I tasted an herb I had never had before.  It's culantro.  I bought the it at the Hong Phat market, but I've also seen it at Uwajimaya in Beaverton. It was labeled with its Vietnamese name, ngò gai.  It's scientific name is Eryngium foetidum, and it's in the Apiaceae family (celery) along with the other spices of cumin, cilantro, coriander, dill and fennel.  

The leaves were about about five to six inches long and an inch wide.  I liked the taste and gave some to others who described it as "delicate", "delicious", "buttery", "floral", "would be good as a salad green".  The taste seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't identify what it reminded me of.  I did get a buttery taste, which seemed odd coming from a leaf.

I put the surplus leaves in the dehydrator to preserve them. 

Lolot

Here's a photo of lolot, a leaf vegetable that is in the Piper genus along with black pepper, long pepper and voatsiperifery.  It has a mild pepper flavor and can be used in salads or stews.  It goes well with beef.

Alligator pepper 2

 

I opened up an alligator pepper seed pod.  The pod was about two inches in length and covered in a loose, thin woody covering.  I was able to loosen it with a nutcracker and then peel it away with my fingers.  Inside, the seeds are all held together in a fibrous mass in a thin covering that looks like alligator skin, which is where the name comes from. 

The seed mass was broken up into two hemispheres.  I pulled it apart into its two halves.  The seeds were arranged in an inner core and an outer ring of seeds.  I vigorously rubbed the mass between my fingers; the seeds separated from the lighter-colored fibers and fell out.

The seeds are two millimeters in size and not round but with flat surfaces.  The shape is nearly the same as grains of paradise and korarima seeds.  The color of the seeds is a dark reddish brown, somewhere between the chocolate brown of the korarima and the redder brown on the grains of paradise.  The taste of the seeds is a bit stronger than those of grains of paradise, with a long-lasting burn.

The best spice reference I have is World Spice Plants: Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy by Johannes Seidemann.  According to this and my other references, "alligator pepper" is used to describe Aframomum exscapum and Aframomum melegueta, which is most commonly called grains of paradise.  I use "alligator pepper" only for Aframomum exscapum.  I can't be certain that what I bought is true alligator pepper, but I believe so because of the slightly difference appearance and stronger taste.

Slow-cooked chicken

I put a whole chicken in the slow cooker on Monday night.  I got creative with the seasonings.  I used voatsiperifery, grains of paradise, Szechuan pepper, pink pepper, parsley, black cumin, caraway, marjoram, keora water, lime juice, aamla, orange peel, anardana (pomegranate seeds), charoli, mahlab, lolot leaves, and boldo leaves.  The chicken cooked overnight and part of the next day.

The result was a tender and flavorful meat which was a big hit with everyone.

Ginger family tree

Here are all the spices in the ginger family.

Vadouvan

Vadouvan is a spice mixture developed centuries ago by French colonists in India making use of the local spices.  It's had a resurgence in the last couple of years.  I bought some at Williams-Sonoma on NW 23rd Avenue. 

The main ingredients are onion, shallot, curry tree leaves, cumin, turmeric, and other Indian spices.  Here are a couple of recipes for making the mixture.

* Gourmet magazine
* Fat-free Vegan Kitchen

I've located only two sources in town:  Williams-Sonoma and the new Savory spice shop in Sellwood.  Savory said it's a special order though.  I'll probably buy their as well, to see which one I like better.

I put the vadouvan in macaroni and cheese.  It's considered to be a good match.  There are dozens of recipes on the web, but I just put it in the stuff I usually make.  It blended well with a subtle taste change.  I also made Gourmet's Vadouvan and Orange Shrimp with good results.  My readings indicated that vadouvan goes well with potatoes and cauliflower.  I like it because all the recipes I've found are simple, and it seems I can add it to dishes without its drastically changing the flavor.  It just adds an extra complexity.

Shopping at Hong Phat Vietnamese market

Saturday, I picked up culantro (ngò gai, in Vietnamese).  It's an herb in the same family as cilantro, cumin, and dill.  I also bought lolot (lá lốt, in Vietnamese), a leaf vegetable in the same genus as black pepper.  It has a slight peppery taste.  Its scientific name is Piper lolot.

I've been focusing on the Piper genus after discovering voatsiperifery.   Similar to lolot is hoja santa (Piper auritum), also called Mexican pepperleaf.  It can be bought at any Mexican grocery.  It adds a peppery taste.  I've used it in soups, stews and on meats.   I'll try the same thing with lolot. 

The other spices in the Piper genus I've experimented with are voatsiperifery, long pepper, Ashanti pepper, and cubeb.  I'll write more on these later.

Also in the Piper genus are betel and kava kava, both used mainly as drugs.  I recently picked up some betel leaves at Lily Market in Portland.  Betel is chewed like tobacco.  I can find no reference to betel as a culinary ingredient.  The leaves had a strong peppery taste and smell; I can imagine that it could be used in cooking.

Alligator pepper

Here are the seed pods of the alligator pepper I bought in Seattle.  I have some recipes for them, but the recipes call for other African spices I don't have.  I'll crack them open when I figure out what I'm going to do with them.

Alligator pepper seed pods

Alligator pepper isn't a true pepper that's related to black pepper.  It's most closely related to the cardamoms.  It's in the same genus as grains of paradise and Ethiopian cardamom (also known as korarima).  And these spices are in the same family as green and black cardamom.  All of these have their seeds in pods.  Green cardamom can be bought in pods, as the seeds alone, or as ground seeds.  Black cardamom is usually sold in the pods.  I use a nutcracker to get the seeds out, much as I would do with a walnut.

I've seen the term "alligator pepper" refer to grains of paradise, but I've also read that it should not be used to refer to Aframomum melegueta, which is the scientific name for grains of paradise.

Korarima on the left and grains of paradise on the right.

In the above photo, I compare Ethiopian cardamom with grains of paradise.  The seeds of both species are similar in size and shape.  The only difference in appearance in the color.  Grains of paradise are reddish brown, while korarima seeds are a chocolate brown.  Grains of paradise have a sharper, more peppery taste, while korarima seeds are milder with some of the cooling sensation found in green cardamom.  I've used ground korarima in bread with very good results. 

I purchased the korarima at Merkato Ethiopian Music and Food on MLK Boulevard here in Portland.

African spices in Seattle

Today, I stopped by the West African Market in the Columbia City neighborhood of Seattle.

I picked up alligator pepper (a close relative of grains of paradise), sumbala, ogbono seeds, and egusi seeds.

Nina brand alligator pepper

Voatsiperifery

I want my first blog posting to be about voatsiperifery.  It's a recently discovered spice and all but impossible to get in the United States.  The spice is the dried berries of a plant that is a close relative of black pepper, and the taste of it is unmistakably similar.  Yet, it's significantly distinct to be of interest by itself.  It's described as being mild black pepper but with a woodier, more citrus and flowery taste.  The berries are similar in color and texture to black pepper, but their shape is more ovoid (football) and the stems are usually still attached.  Below is a photo I had done by a commercial photographer.

Close up of voatsiperifery berries

The spice goes well with white meats, seafood and fois gras.  I put the berries in a pepper mill and used it as I would use black pepper.  I've experimented and discovered that it's a perfect match for chicken soup.  I've found it worked well in tuna salad, on chicken, salmon steaks, and sea bass.  I have yet to try it on pork or lobster, but I've read that those are a good fit too.

Voatsiperifery bought at Izrael in Paris

Voatsiperifery is also called poivre sauvage (French for "wild pepper") or Madagascan wild pepper, because it had yet to be grown commercially.   Voatsiperifery berries, like black pepper, are hand-picked from woody vines that grow on trees.  The species name is Piper borbonense.  The vines grow mainly on Madagascar and the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean.

Voatsiperifery bought in Madagascar

In 2005, the spice was brought to the attention Gérard Vives, a French chef, who made it his mission to introduce this taste to the rest of the world.  I picked up voatsiperifery at Izrael, l'epicerie du Monde in Paris.  Another good spice shop in Paris is l'epicerie de bruno.    As of yet, none of the stores in Europe that sell this spice will ship to the United States.  I've been sharing this information with the local spice shops here in Portland.    I've arranged a source in Madagascar and will consider importing it if there is interest from others.

If anybody out there is reading this and has some more recipes, I'm sure I'd like to hear from you.