So, as a break from the always enjoyable pastime of Grey Lady bashing, how about a little food respite.
One thing that has struck me as we’ve stayed home is that though my spouse and I don’t eat out much relative to the published figures for American households, in normal (sic!) times we do pretty regularly get hits of flavors and culinary styles that we don’t cook at home.
There’s a tapas place near us with outdoor seating in warm weather, and pretty often we’ll go there for a cocktail and just one tapas plate before heading home to cook (old folks mini-dates). A saffron and dried cod-fritter, perhaps, something we’d just wouldn’t get in our own kitchen. There’s a great ramen place in walking distance too, along with a new udon shop we like, a good pizzeria, a pretty potent Sichuan place, and so on, plus the fancy spots we save for occasions: my go-to birthday dinner for the last couple of years has been the tasting menu at S.R.V., a really fine Venetian restaurant a couple of miles from us.
Digression: damn, I’m hungry now…
Back to it.
Obviously, we aren’t wandering the culinary globe these days, or at least not beyond what we can recreate for ourselves at home. We’re good cooks–my wife was a pro for several years, working in some high end places. We enjoy playing with different culinary traditions–thanks to Fuchsia Dunlop I cook reasonable facsimiles of some of our Chinese favorites; we’ve got a good handle on some South Asian stuff (again, maybe Angl0-Indian-ish, but still, to our liking), and lots of other stuff.
But we’re necessarily narrower, and we have a repertory that, no matter how much we try to push out into new flavor and technique territory, is still necessarily way more constrained than what we’ve grown used to being able to grab. (Hell–there’s a Belgian french fry place down near Quincy Market that my son loves and that makes a damn fine fry. Not getting that at home.
So all that as prelude (TL:DR etc) I’ve found myself eyeballing condiments and spices as the fastest, simplest way to break out of the creeping boredom that can, I’m guessing, hit the best of home cooks when confined to nothing but.
So here’s the challenge for the comment thread. What simple, cheap, easy (any combo of those is good) ways have you all found to put a little spin on your stuff?
For us I’d say the single most important trick has been the use of Sichuan peppercorns, not just, or even primarily in Chinese recipes. They’re cheap, available by mail order and they add a lovely jolt to something as simple as broccoli. We use them either as they come, coarsely crushed, or roasted in an iron skilled for thirty seconds or so. (Whole peppercorns work too). They’re not so much hot as numbing–which is how they’re described when they’re at home, and they offer just a bit of surprise as we eat almost anything.
Other stuff: for a condiment, I love one from my childhood, Pickapeppa Sauce. It can enhance just about any savory. I have memories from 50 years ago of meatloaf with a glaze of that on top. Damn…
Sorry–wandered into memory for a moment there.
Anyway–here’s a thread to write about the flavors you love, those you miss, and what, if anything, you’re doing to amuse yourself while we dine in isolation…
Over to y’all.
Image: Abraham Bloemaert, The Feast of the Gods at the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis, 1638.
jeffreyw
WaterGirl
That sounds so lovely, Tom.
frosty
Bacon! (on brussel sprouts, broccoli, any frozen vegetables, actually.
UncleEbeneezer
Red Boat Fish sauce/fish salt (makes a delicious pork chop marinate)
All the Asian basics (soy, sesame oil, rice vinegar, hoisin etc.)
Shrimp paste (to make Nasi Goreng- Indonesian fried rice)
Kampot pepper (best black pepper I’ve ever tasted and makes a delicious dipping sauce with lime juice)
Chinese 5-Spice
Japanese 7-spice
Vietnamese Yellow Curry Powder
Gochujang/aru (Korean red chili paste/peppers)
Hatch Red Chili Powder (for making Pollo Adobado)
And we’ve been using this Thai-inspired hot sauce, on just about everything.
One of our fave Pho Ga restaurants also has this incredible Lime/chopped ginger mix that we have been itching to make.
WaterGirl
@ Tom up top: I might just have to order this:
GeriUpNorth
Sweet chili sauce. I traveled in Laos 10+ years ago, and one of the street foods there was lettuce, tomato and cream cheese on a baguette with sweet chili sauce. I’ve had a bottle of it in my fridge ever since.
Emma
I forget where I got the idea from, but Marmite turns out to be a pretty good substitute for soy sauce. I have a really old jar where the Marmite has turned so viscous that you can’t spread it thin enough for the traditional Marmite on buttered toast, but it added a nice umami and salty kick to the gyudon I made! I also used to eat Marmite in porridge, I should try that again.
This one is even less well-known to American audiences, but one of my favorite condiments is a dark, sweet soy sauce called hak yau. I think I can find it at Asian stores in the US now, but I used to lug these bottles back from Singapore. Eating the rice in Hainanese chicken rice with hak yau and chili sauce mixed in is the best.
trollhattan
If I could magic-wand a meal right now, make mine cioppino. Accompanied with a young Sierra foothills zinfandel. How about fresh peach gelato drizzled with espresso for dessert?
Now I hate myself.
Oh yeah, my go-to herbs are basil and tarragon.
Emma
@UncleEbeneezer: I would devour everything on your list ? one of my culinary goals during lockdown is to make nuoc cham (the fish sauce dipping sauce) to go with my Vietnamese pork chops.
WesInCleveland
I’m making hot pepper relish as I have a big bag of peppers about to go bad. Simple recipe vinegar, sugar, garlic, onion, salt and of course chopped peppers.
NYCMT
We did takeout from the Peruvian place next to the 112th Precinct and I luxuriated in the green sauce, which I want to make more of.
I’ve made thai chili garlic sauce, and I have a Hellmani-style mayo recipe that I wonder about, if I can get my hands on that much olive oil.
Or eggs.
Did I mention the meat shortage?
Best from Queens.
JaneE
Penzey’s has some spice blends that go with lots of things. Some I love, others I don’t care that much for, but they tell you what is in them to help make the choice. I love what their lamb spice blend does for a quinoa salad.
Cheryl Rofer
I made some northern New Mexico chile sauce the other day. I thought about it a couple of weeks back and didn’t have enough chile, so I bought more at the Farmers’ Market. Then I froze the sauce in muffin cups lined with plastic wrap so that I’ll have small amounts available.
Good on tamales (we have a great tamale store here), eggs and potatoes for breakfast, hamburgers, and I may try it on some fish.
John Revolta
@frosty: Bacon and avocado! mmmmm……………………..
Tom Levenson
@NYCMT: This NYT recipe is pretty good.
I don’t cook the chicken their way. If the weather’s right, I marinate a whole chicken, rubbing the stuff under the skin, and then stick it butt-down on a beer can and cook w. indirect heat on a Weber into which I’ve tossed a handful of soaked wood chips.
The revelation, though, was the feta in the green sauce.
ETA: the link would help: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018974-peruvian-roasted-chicken-with-spicy-cilantro-sauce?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgIX8oN-B6QIVC4TICh3yMgdmEAAYASAAEgKC__D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Wretched
Lots of great ideas and background on Chinese food here:
https://thewoksoflife.com/
cleek
bacon jam.
make some today, put it on your next hamburger. you will be happy.
narya
@JaneE: Seconding the Penzey’s mixes! I rarely used mixes, but grabbed the Sate, Bombay, and Vindaloo, and I’ve been enjoying them tremendously. I also scored a half dozen mixes/rubs for free (because I bought so much other stuff), and some of those are okay, too. A little heavy on the cumin. Also too! Rancho Gordo does this stardust powder (chili and lime!) that is fab on popcorn, and their chili powder is nice–made posole with it last week and it had the right amount of heat w/o all of the hydrating of peppers and blender and whatever. Also: combined lemon juice, blueberry juice ($1 million/bottle from KAF), honey, and butter, for a really nice glaze for salmon last week. Deglazed the pan w/ rosemary hard cider then threw in the above, and it was very tasty.
Origuy
I don’t do the cooking, but I had to run out and get Old Bay Seasoning a while back. I don’t remember what it was for, but you can use it on a lot of things.
There’s something I’m supposed to get Aleppo pepper for, but Penzey’s is closed at the moment.
ETA Penzey’s is shipping again!
Amir Khalid
@UncleEbeneezer:
Shrimp paste (to make Nasi Goreng- Indonesian fried rice)
Wow. I never thought I’d see an American jackal mention belacan on Balloon Juice.
JCJ
At Indian grocery stores I buy a ketchup (catsup?) like sauce from SWAD. The label states sweet and spicy which is true, although not too spicy. I also buy curry ketchup (brand is Hela) at World Market when they have it, but I went to Germany last year and just bought some there. With the curry ketchup you can make your own Currywurst.
Barbara
I continue to order out from my neighborhood bistro around twice per week. We justify it based on the fact that we are no longer spending anything on take out lunches and other meals at work.
My goal for cooking is to go through everything that seems to have gotten lost in my freezer, if it has not been too badly affected by freezer burn.
So no really adventurous flavors being utilized to stanch the boredom on my end.
p.a.
I’m getting low on my shito: West African hot sauce that is made from dried fish powder (caution! sometimes shellfish!!!), hot pepper, and salt cooked down in oil, usually palm oil, which I believe is very not good for you. Very funky, very spicy, lots of umami. Great in soups/stews. Might try making my own using bonito flakes.
JCJ
@GeriUpNorth:
Thai sweet chili sauce also goes well with many other things including fried chicken.
randy khan
This isn’t necessarily a good thing, but we’ve been making a lot of sweet things lately. My wife makes excellent banana bread and I’ve been making apple tarts – really simple once you make the dough, since the rest of the recipe is essentially slicing the apples, putting them on the dough, and sprinkling sugar and butter over the top. The only thing is that it’s not instant-gratification food because the dough has to be refrigerated for a while. I also made an almond cake right at the beginning of the lockdown and a new chocolate flourless cake (which is what the recipe called it) for Passover that my m-i-l utterly loved and used only things we had lying around the house. (But I can’t make it again without going out to buy more chocolate.)
The apple tart is a Barefoot Contessa recipe that I played with by rolling the dough into round shapes and putting it in two fluted tart pans with removable bottoms, but the actual ingredients – including the amounts – turn out to be exactly the same. I don’t bother using parchment paper, as the tart comes off the bottom of the pan fine if you use a skinny knife blade to separate it. Barefoot Contessa Apple Tart Recipe
We haven’t done much in the way of new flavors yet, though, at least on the savory side. We basically are sticking with things we know.
ixnay
(Third try. I hate trying to comment using this Kindle.) Informative note to those not from MA – Quincy is pronounced with a z sound, not an s sound. Kam Man market in Quincy ( there are others, but that is the only one I have visited) is an eye-opener. Penzeys spices are pretty good, they are just now shipping again, and the owner produces righteous anti-rightwing screeds fairly often. Hope all jackals are well.
E.
This is right up my alley. The one single super-easy spruce up to a sandwich is pickled red onions. Cut them in thin rounds, boil very briefly, throw out the water, boil again in half water, half cider vinegar, bring to a boil and throw them in a non-metallic container. They’ll last quite a while in the fridge. You can also add garlic cloves, oregano, whatever, but they’re good on their own.
Second trick: toasted walnuts. Oven at whatever, say 350, spread them on a tray, wait till you can smell them, pull them out, smash them a little, sprinkle on a simple ham sandwich with those pickled onions and you will notice a 100 percent improvement. We serve a great many such sandwiches at the bakery.
NotMax
A mini-dollop of anchovy paste added to some dishes or sauces can serve to enhance and brighten all the other flavors. Doesn’t impart a fishy taste at all.
A pinch of ground coriander in thick soups (split pea, potato) provides an undertone of the exotic.
To mix it up as a change from plain long grain rice, will occasionally cook it in chicken broth which been allowed to simmer for a bit with turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper and chili powder stirred in.
Caraway seeds go great in New England clam chowder.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
In the news that is being missed
Apparent meteor impact in Nigeria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuAzd0yPLfo
randy khan
@Barbara:
Us, too! We’re steadily working our way through the pantry as well.
ixnay
I see others have noted Penzeys. Kam Man is still awesome.
LuciaMia
Got this Magic Spice blend from Food52 site tho Im sure there’s variations around. Its great on many things; chicken, pork, ribs, eggs, vegs like sliced cucumbers and corn.
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons smoked paprika (you can use regular sweet paprika if you don’t like the taste of smoked)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon celery seed, crushed in the palm of your hand
Emma
@Amir Khalid: that reminds me, I would die for some hae bee hiam chicken wings now. I feel bad about eating any type of seafood, what with the state of our oceans, but hae bee hiam, other belacan variations, and XO sauce have to be on their own God-tier of condiments.
NotMax
Can count the number or restaurant type places nearby the domicile on one hand and not use all the digits. The only one of those which has anything even vaguely edible is Pizza Hut (that is bad but not awful). Used to be a better selection but the places with good food either never lasted long or moved to new digs in a location more populous
JoyceH
I’ll put Caesar dressing on pretty much anything, particularly cooked vegetables and chicken dishes.
Nicole
Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime, sprinkled liberally on sautéed kale, or broccoli, or spinach, or whatever other dark green veggie we cook up (I soften the kale in vegetable broth before sautéing).
I tell you, though, what I desperately, desperately miss is plain old takeout Chinese food. There are a couple of places near us that are still doing delivery, but they’re fancier, and while I’m sure they’re excellent, I miss the cheap (and extremely delicious) kind. There were several places in our neighborhood, but they all closed shortly after the PAUSE order went into effect in NYC and they are much missed.
JohnMCinNc
In our restaurant we use a variety of condiments to liven things up, one of our most favorite is a sweet soy sauce called ABC Kecap Manis. Our other favorites include Dried Porcini Mushrooms, Garlic Chili Paste (also called sambal), Mae Ploy Brand Sweet Chili Sauce, Hot Cherry Peppers (and the juice!), Anchovy Paste and, because it’s a local product, Texas Pete Powder.
cope
Off the shelf and somewhat pedestrian: Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Seasonings come in a variety of combinations. I just used some on my steamed broccoli with lunch today.
Home made: my own pickled jalapeños. I’ve even started saving the liquid to splash over dishes in need of a jolt. I just got a bag of fresh jalapeños yesterday to make the next batch.
oatler.
@NotMax: You got that right, for someone like me who lives in a shitsack AZ town where Uber and Grubhub are myths.
NotMax
Couple more.
Nutmeg added to cooked spinach is yummy.
If sauteing sliced mushrooms in butter, when they are done throw in a splash of Jack Daniels and let that boil off. Really ups the taste profile. Only reason I keep a bottle of the stuff around.
Sure Lurkalot
@GeriUpNorth: I bought this condiment a couple of weeks ago. This looks good…thanks!
OT: Has TaMara been online lately? I so hope that she is recovering.
Cheryl from Maryland
Pickapeppa is essential in our house, as well as their other sauces — Hot Mango (great on Aidell’s chicken teriyaki meatballs with a side of pineapple) and Hot Pepper.
Remoulade Sauce — you can make it on your own, but Lousiana Fish Fry sauce has a good version which we like with either the above meatballs or crab salad.
Horseradish sauce — essential for roast beef sandwiches with pickled red pepper slices and jack cheese.
Grace brand Scotch Bonnet hot sauce — for when Tabasco isn’t enough.
Sun brand curry spice — for sauteed shrimp served with avocado slices, scallions, and fresh greens. Greens are dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette – I love the mixture of balsamic with the curry and avocado.
Capers, Gigante beans, Italian bottled mushrooms — my husband has been told to reduce his consumption of tomatoes, so I saute these with some fresh spinach in olive oil as a “sauce” for ravioli or similar.
Wapiti
@Emma: My wife has a vegetarian cookbook by Rose Elliot – who I think is English. It has yeast extract (so Marmite/Vegemite) in some dishes where I expect soy sauce.
Froley
As others have noted, Penzey’s is great, partially because they’re so unabashedly liberal (check out their emails to customers), but also because their spices are so good. Their pepper is my favorite pepper, Sandwich Sprinkle is fantastic, Frozen Pizza Seasoning is so good, and so on and so on.
I make what I call the King of Condiments — mix Kewpie mayo (Japanese brand) with sriracha sauce. I put it on everything.
Charluckles
I started a huge fight fight with my wife the other day by putting mayonnaise on grilled whitefish.
Barbara
@Charluckles: One of my Brazilian au pairs used to eat mayonnaise on pizza. I really couldn’t even watch her when she did that. I don’t like mayonnaise. It’s a childhood aversion I never really overcame, although I can tolerate it in things like tuna salad.
Steeplejack
Synchonicity: One of the byblows of the quarantine is that I finally tried the Popeyes chicken sandwich. Just ate one a little while ago, after taking my friend to her job at Trader Joe’s. I had my first one last week, when she wanted to stop there on the way home from work one night.
I was skeptical about the hype, but I have to say it’s a dang good sandwich. Puts Chick-fil-A in the shade. And Popeyes has great red beans and rice as a side, so there’s that. If one chooses to wallow in the fast-food demimonde, one could do worse. Much worse.
On the general topic, I have been trying to support some of my favorite restaurants by getting takeout every now and then, more than I used to in the before times. And my home habits have changed a bit as I incorporate items from Trader Joe’s, a place I usually don’t shop much. But my friend is happy to get me stuff, which is very convenient. I pay her, of course, but piggybacking on the employee discount makes me feel like I’m getting away with something on the black market. Score! And it reduces the number of my trips to the “regular” grocery store.
LarryB
@UncleEbeneezer: Red Boat Fish sauce/fish salt (makes a delicious pork chop marinate)
+1,000,000.
Example: 30 second in-bowl salad dressing:
rice vinegar
soy sauce
red boat (use less than the above)
black pepper
salt (not much, as other ing. contain salt)
Steeplejack
@UncleEbeneezer:
Good recommendations. Especially second the rec on Red Boat fish sauce. Can’t remember which recipe I saw that mentioned that, but I finally found some and really like it.
Shana
@randy khan: Having to move everything around in our kitchen and freezer for Passover (we kept the old fridge when we remodeled the kitchen a few years ago but only turn it on for Passover and maybe Thanksgiving) we found a bunch of things we’d forgotten we had and have been cooking through a lot of it now that we know what’s there.
We also joined a CSA at the beginning of the quarantine and get a bag of stuff every Thursday. I find out almost a week ahead what I’ll be getting and have actually enjoyed finding what to do with it. Last week’s swiss chard and beet greens went into a batch of italian wedding soup along with the last of the carrots and celery from a few weeks ago. Right now I’m using this week’s eggplant and tomatoes to make a chunky eggplant sauce for pasta for dinner tonight.
Still not sure what I’m going to do with the beets, both red and striped. I love pickled beets but tend to think of that as something you make with canned sliced beets and these seem to call for something nicer. I suppose I’ll just bake them and use one at a time on salads.
A cousin stayed with us recently in the before time and was raving about this condiment that was everywhere in Costa Rica called Lizano salsa. She sent us a bottle when she got home and I’ve been using it when I make the Costa Rican black beans and rice dish and boy is she right. It’s delicious.
NotMax
@Steeplejack
I like TJ’s house brand of spicy brown mustard. Mail 3 or 4 bottles back here during my NY sojourns. Used to be able to stick it in the luggage for the return trip until it was reclassified by the TSA as a liquid so now is a security theater no-no.
NYCMT
@Tom Levenson: feta in green sauce sounds amazing on a roasted vegetable misto terra.
I do an herb-loaded Argentine-style chimichurri sauce when I have the steaks handy.
I simmered some bukharian meatballs in a parsley-dill-tomato sweet and sour sauce last week, and I might make that again for the frozen cod I scored on Monday.
And I am now reminded of the spicy tomato sauce Natti Levy used to make his Yemeni stewed fish – the dish called Samak.
I could go for that.
Betty Cracker
A friend sent us a big old jar of homemade chow-chow a while back, which is good on so many things. (I’m not talking dog preserves here; chow-chow is a relish made of onions, cabbage, peppers and what-not.) It’s wonderful on sandwiches, sausages, etc. I recently added it to tuna salad, and it was terrific!
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
Filfel chuma – I make my own using a recipe in Janna Gur’s Jewish Soul Food cookbook, but there are plenty of recipes online. Great on anything savory – veggies, meat, fish – or stirred into soup or stew. ETA: and a critical ingredient in shakshuka, which is a great straight-out-of-the-pantry meal if you have eggs.
Zhug – Trader Joe’s carries it and it’s pretty easy to make at home, too.
Penzey’s Cajun and “33rd and Galena” seasoning blends.
Cholula, the One True Hot Sauce.
Steeplejack
@narya:
Is that possible?!
NotMax
@Shana
Roasted beet hummus.
Shana
@UncleEbeneezer: So is Red Boat fish sauce just like regular asian fish sauce but a better brand? Or is it something different?
R-Jud
I need to make pesto this weekend. There’s the classic one (basil, garlic, pecorino, pine nuts), and there’s the one I make to coat cold rice noodles or meat for stir-fry (cilantro, Thai basil, cashews, sesame oil, lime juice).
There’s also a really good local hot sauce maker whose stuff is always in my cabinet. The Boca Del Diablo and Nagatropolis are both a must for taco night.
Emma
@Wapiti: I’ve never tried yeast extract per se, probably because I only see it used in boring vegan recipes, but since Marmite and Vegemite are fermented yeast, I’m thinking it adds another dimension to the dish’s flavor. Let me know if there is a dish in that cookbook that sounds good though, lol. I’m just very annoyed at how vegetarian and vegan dishes in the US revolve around salads and quinoa/amaranth/etc. bowls.
Gemina13
I keep a lot of garlic – bulbs, minced in jars, powdered, and granulated – on hand.
Also, Tiger Sauce, Nando’s Peri-Peri, Soy Vey Teriyaki, Kikkoman’s Soy and Ponzu sauces, Lee Kum Chili Chow sauce, Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce, and Cholula’s Chile & Lime.
I also have Aleppo pepper, horseradish, ground mustard, turmeric, and about 10 jars of Penzeys’ pepper blends in my cabinet.
Now to finish eating all the salmon that’s been in our chest freezer since 2016 (vacuum-sealed, but it still has to go).
Shana
@NotMax: Interesting. I’m kind of a hummus purist but may try that.
BTW, chocolate hummus is possibly the worst idea ever. It’s not dessert, it’s not hummus, it’s disgusting.
Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]
So I have a Portuguese spice mix that is amazing in Portuguese bean soup (A classic in Hawaiian cuisine) here it is:
2 btls. whole anise
1 btl. stick cinnamon
1 btl. whole cloves
1 btl. whole peppercorns
Put in large flat pan and toast at 300˚ for 20 min. Grind in a blender or spice grinder. Store unused portion in an airtight container.
It provides a very interesting savory/sweet note to stews
WaterGirl
@Cheryl from Maryland: Okay, Pickapeppa peeps. If I like hot & spicy, but not crazy hot, would I want to order the Pickapeppa, the Spicy Mango or the HOT Mango?
Another Scott
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Interesting.
More here.
(It happened on March 28.)
Cheers,
Scott.
The Golux
We’ve made our favorite meatloaf twice during the lockdown, one that came from a cookbook assembled by my mother-in-law’s church in Belleview, Florida – Meatloaf With Piquant Sauce. The meatloaf itself isn’t anything out of the ordinary – it’s the sauce that makes it, and it’s dead simple: ketchup, brown sugar and (the critical ingredient) freshly grated nutmeg. My wife made a double batch yesterday, so we have at least three more meals to come. Yummy!
Emma from FL
I discovered that spinach makes a hell of a pesto if you don’t have (or don’t have enough) basil.
I discovered flavored olive oils are wonderful, and that it’s not that hard to make your own, but that some of the assortments you can find on Amazon are amazing.
I discovered pomegranate molasses and ras el hanout.
Yes, I have been cooking. Why do you ask?
rikyrah
Had a basic breakfast this morning.
I really want a burrito bowl.
But, my sister just gave me two huge broccoli crowns. I think that I might do broccoli and mashed potatoes, with chicken.
NotMax
@Shana
Inquiring stomachs want to know more about this.
rikyrah
@NotMax:
Yes… please tell us more??
hueyplong
Dry rub BBQ
Lysol
Sincerely,
Steve Hasty of Murfreesboro
Barbara
@Emma from FL: I like to make pesto from broccoli. I like it better than when it is basil only. Red pepper pesto is also yummy.
I am definitely taking some notes from this thread.
Gin & Tonic
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.
“Great on Everything”
Jerome
If you want to try something different with Sichuan peppercorns, try Sichuan peppercorn ice cream. Use a tablespoon of peppercorns (ground in a mortar & pestle) for two cups of milk/cream, and add them to to the milk/cream mixture before heating it with a quarter cup of sugar. Let that cool/steep a bit before you beat it into 8 egg yolks, then heat the custard until it coats the back of a spoon When you strain the custard before chilling it, you’ll filter out the larger/crunchy peppercorn bits and just end up with that lovely flavor. Alternatively, skip the straining of the custard (I often do) and you’ll have a more intense Sichuan peppercorn experience.
For me, Spanish smoked paprika and anchovies are the miracle ingredients of the kitchen.
Gin & Tonic
Oh, and this stuff: Lao Gan Ma
HumboldtBlue
What kind of seasoning does a sub need?
The Golux
@Gemina13:
I’ve had that, and like it a lot. Now if I could only find the open bottle that I know is in our pantry somewhere, so I don’t have to break into our unopened bottle.
My hot sauce go-tos are El Yucateco Habanero sauce (green) and Chipotle Tabasco. The smoked El Yucateco is really good, too.
Steeplejack
Great recommendations and recipes in this thread. You can really punch up the same-old, same-old with a few additions.
Benw
We’re putting Sriracha chili sauce on just about everything! My 10 and 12 yo have started putting it on spaghetti
zhena gogolia
@JaneE:
Penzey’s is closed. I failed to stock up in time.
Karen S.
I like lime pickle. I love the bitter tanginess it brings to Indian dishes I like, such as butter chicken. I also add some to mayonnaise and use that as a spread for sandwiches.
I have a thing for giardiniera, both the mild and hot versions. I made a thin crust pizza last weekend with pepperoni, hot giardiniera and basil that was amazing. Giardiniera also makes pasta salad more interesting and delicious. It’s also very good with Italian beef. You can find jars of giardiniera in most grocery stores here in Chicago.
More often than not, I make my own barbecue sauce. I usually make a quick version that starts with tomato ketchup. I don’t really have a set recipe, so it’s never the same each time, which is fine with me.
Mnemosyne
Pre-mixed spices are kind of a pain for me because I have that pesky FODMAPS issue with onion and garlic, and it seems like every freakin’ one has onion powder, garlic powder, or both. I started making my own chili powder using ground chile powders I got from Penzey’s.
Smoked paprika is the uber spice as far as I’m concerned. I put it in pretty much everything savory.
ETA: I buy my ketchup online from a company called Fody Foods that makes it without onion or garlic. It tastes basically the same as regular ketchup.
Mnemosyne
@zhena gogolia:
I was on their website yesterday and they said that they’re ready to start taking orders again, though shipping will be slower than usual. Try again.
Another Scott
Cheers,
Scott.
Hope
Mango chutney – on toasted cheese sangers, tonight on chicken roti
Steeplejack
@NotMax:
I, too, like Trader Joe’s brown mustard. Reminds me that I might be due to get some more.
JPL
@Emma from FL: Arugula makes a nice pesto.
Uncle Cosmo
@randy khan: Me 3. I’m eating better than I have for years thanx to the stuff in the arctic archaeological dig of my Friseur. :^D
@Origuy: Old Bay is a staple here in Bawlmer; its world-renown role** is in steaming shellfish, specifically the savory “beautiful swimmers” of the Chesapeake Bay (Callinectes sapidus, Chesapeake blue crab). But it’s a worthy spice blend for other uses (including fried chicken and, doghelpme, potato chips). My small can lists the ingredients as
Visitors to the Chesapeake often bring back a can as a souvenir (though you can get it pretty much everywhere in the US now). Hell, every couple of trips I carry a can over to my friends in Prague – they find all sorts of interesting things to do with it, & it reminds them of where they spent significant periods on their separate ways to PhD’s…
** A friend who went to college on MD’s Eastern Shore told me that Sho’men – who steadfastly maintain on bumperstickers that “There Is No Life West Of Chesapeake Bay” – swear that Old Bay (now packaged by McCormick in Hunt Valley north of Baltimore) is a parvenu, & Wye River is the seasoning of choice for steamed crabs. I have a shaker of that too,
Steeplejack
@Betty Cracker:
Chow-chow! There’s a Saltine-American classic I haven’t thought of in a while. I think I’ve even seen it in one of the groceries here in NoVA. Have no idea which is the canonical brand.
SFBayAreaGal
Everything but the Bagel seasoning. You can find this at Trader’s Joe
Emma from FL
@Barbara: I love roasted tomato pesto. Had it for the first time in a small hilltown in Umbria. Wonderful!
Ummmm…. broccoli. Now that’s an idea.
Regine Touchon
I never was a bread baker. Anything I tried turned out brick-like. However, the discovery of this no-knead, Sullivan Street Bread has me baking it again especially in the Days of the Covid. I suggest the last baking time should be 15 minutes not 30.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread
Salty Sam
Damn Tom! I was two thirds through your post, seeing that you were asking for condiments recommendations. I immediately went to PICKAPEPPA! , only to see you mention it right after.
That is my go-to marinade. Chicken thighs coated in PICKAPEPPA and grilled over smoky hardwood are my idea of heaven on a plate. One of my ideas, anyway…
Steeplejack
@Another Scott:
That’s hilarious. When the bot accounts are packing it in, we know we’re reaching the end.
UncleEbeneezer
@Emma: Nuoc Cham is SOOOOOO good.
If you can get some Kampot Pepper, this is the most amazing dip for pork chops. We were blown away when we first tried this in Siem Reap.
MazeDancer
@JaneE:
Before Penzey’s I was such a ‘spice blend’ snob. Couldn’t imagine using some premade dried herb concoction.
Well, smack me down and pass the Revolution. That’s a blend they have that is basically delicious on anything.
And Northwoods Fire is a fabulous spice blend. And I lived in New Mexico,
Just two of the many wonders that are Penzeys.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@Uncle Cosmo:
We learned to love Old Bay when we lived near Balmer, along with learning how to eat a dozen crabs on a table with no utensils or plates, just a sheet of brown paper and a pile of crabs.
You can get it in the grocery store here in the Philly area, and it’s our favorite seasoning for boiling shrimp. Crabs are harder to find. Even in Maryland, I think it’s getting harder to find those no-frills no-plate crab places. Years ago, we were in one of those bay towns right on the Chesapeake and had to ask around to find a place.
UncleEbeneezer
@Shana: Same thing. But you can get it at Trader Joe’s, Ralphs etc., whereas others required trips to Asian supermarkets (which can be tough depending on where you live). Red Boat is the one they will have at the hipster Pho restaurants, but it’s still very good.
Fish salt is a nice thing we discovered for scenarios that are more dry-rub or where you just wanna give something a little different flavor by substituting for regular salt.
narya
@Steeplejack: Actually, yes, for me; I find that it overwhelms/overpowers any other flavor way too easily. I definitely like it, though.
fritz
Make up a batch of harissa and use it like ketchup/siracha. Really good tossed with roasted potatoes or glazed onto the top of a meatloaf. I like it in place of mustard in a basic vinaigrette too.
Mathguy
Urfa biber pepper flakes are exceptional-they seem to add a layer of complexity to any dish that other peppers do not. Also, Dulcet Moroccan mustard is something really different and wonderful on anything.
Steeplejack
Just remembered that my friend added an extra to my last order: a jar of Trader Joe’s jalapeño sauce. Will have to give it a go. Currently I am too weak to unscrew the cap, so I can’t even smell it.
FelonyGovt
Kewpie Mayo
The Pepper Plant Hot Pepper Sauce
Japanese red pickled ginger
Japanese Worcestershire sauce (I like Bulldog Brand)
Penzey’s blends esp Galena Street and Tsardust
Dog Mom
for me, it’s adding a bit of cardamom and cinnamon to my coffee. Also, a Moroccan spice blend from my local herbalist (coriander, cumin, caraway, anise, cardamom, black pepper, turmeric and paprika) – I’ve been putting it on a bunch of stuff – the most recent was a roasted cauliflower.
UncleEbeneezer
@LarryB: I was so scared of “fish sauce” when I first started eating SE Asian cuisines. My wife was like “You DO KNOW that it doesn’t taste like fish, right?”
Now I almost never make pork chops without it. I do a simple mix of fish sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and Kampot pepper.
Emma
@UncleEbeneezer: ooooh yes, that does sound good. I’ve been to Siem Reap, but shamefully, I can’t remember much of the food I ate. Must have passed my baseline test, at least, because I definitely remember disappointing meals. I won’t bother with regular black pepper, but I wonder how this pepper sauce would be with white pepper…
Fair Economist
An interesting historical note on peppercorns: the chilies that are so much a part of Sichuan cooking today were not originally part of Sichuan cooking. Chilies come from the Americans and the Chinese only got them as a part of the Columbian Exchange. The original spices were peppercorns.
UncleEbeneezer
@Emma: We were pleasantly surprised by Khmer food. Our hotel (a cool place called Palm Village that was out in the jungle outskirts of SR) had AMAZING food, as did the places we went downtown. Ironically we went to a 5-star, fancy ex-pat restaurant after our day at Angkor Wat and it was AWFUL compared to all the great street food we were having at every turn.
Kampot pepper has a different flavor than typical black pepper. That dipping sauce is not good with regular black pepper, but it works with Kampot pepper.
Sure Lurkalot
@Emma from FL: Yes! And with walnuts if you don’t have or can’t afford pine nuts.
prostratedragon
@JPL:
I may try kale soon. Ordered a 5oz bag of salad greens, got 16oz (32 kale years) of kale.
trollhattan
@prostratedragon:
Jesus, that’s a misdemeanor, at a minimum.
We joined one of those one box/week local produce subscriptions and it went swimmingly until deep into winter, when it would be kale, a couple root vegetables and then when they ran out of root vegetables, kale and dandelions. Spouse had to push me away when I came at it with Roundup.
joel hanes
Slap-Ya-Mama Use sparingly on almost anything except breakfast cereal. Not for the heat-averse.
Carl’s Old Western Barbecue Spice This, with poultry seasoning, and considerable black pepper, is what you want on roasted or barbecued chicken. Use quite a bit, and let the meat stand for a while before cooking.
El Yucateco One drop in the tuna salad; three drops on a taco. Red and green taste different. Absolutely not for the heat-averse.
L85NJGT
@prostratedragon:
Try it roasted, it has a nice crunch, and large amounts shrink in the oven.
joel hanes
@UncleEbeneezer:
Hatch Red Chili Powder
I went on a fly-in fishing trip with a guy and his wife who’d been living in Los Alamos — they brought along about half a pound of this, and she’d stir a quarter-cup into a little oil every morning to use as the table dipping sauce. Better the second day.
schrodingers_cat
These are the condiments I usually make
1. Tamarind chutney (dates, tamarind, cilantro, mint, sugar, green chilies)
2. Green coconut chutney (like a cilantro pesto with green chilies, coconut and cilantro and ginger)
3. Hot chili oil
4. Roasted tomato salsa
5. Coriander-Cumin-red pepper mix
6. Mango-cranberry chutney with mustard seeds and ginger
7. cranberry pickled in spices and oil
8. Roasted red pepper paste
============
Juju
Texas Pete is a nice all purpose pepper sauce. I can’t eat macaroni and cheese without Texas Pete. A friend gave me the gift of Pimenton al Angel smoked paprika A few years ago, and it was one of the best gifts I have ever been given. I love the stuff. When I was nine I was introduced to green chili sauce and that has been a love of mine ever since. I’m also open to just about anything except for fish and shellfish based sauces. Those will kill me. I hate hidden seafood.
Delk
Ghost Pepper Salt
prostratedragon
@trollhattan: Oh that’s funny. Makes you understand the desperation that produced the arts of canning and preserving.
@L85NJGT: I may do that. Had some on a couple of large salads, but that has barely made a dent. No way will I finish it at that rate before it goes all wilty. I did tear up some into boiled chicken and noodles last night.
Btw, from what I’ve read regarding pesto, you can use what you’ve got in the general categories of herbs/savory greens, nuts, and cheeselike things. I’m also probably going to try pumpkin seeds in place of pine nuts, depending on price.
Shana
@NotMax: I can’t link, but it’s from the WaPo’s food section. The article where the recipe is located is titled “When Eggplant meets tomato, my summer’s made” by Emily something.
prostratedragon
Oh, and all braises, stews, or sauces of red meat should be based on dark beer or stout. Well, maybe not all, but they are a natural together.
Shana
@Steeplejack: My favorite mustard is Hickory Farms Sweet Hot mustard. I try to stock up during the holidays when they have a pop up store at the mall.
Shana
@Uncle Cosmo: For years I have liberally sprinkled tilapia filets with Old Bay. My daughters don’t think they taste right without Old Bay now.
Don K
Condiments: Sambal oelek and gochujang. Hot kick with some flavor, not just heat.
Herbs: basil and rosemary. Rosemary sprinkled on a pork tenderloin that’s been rubbed with olive oil is heavenly.
General seasoning: garlic. A half-Italian-American friend once said to me garlic improves anything other than dessert, and I have to agree
Seasoning/vegetable: Poblano pepper. I sub poblano for sweet peppers in recipes like meatloaf when I want a little heat
Spanish Moss
I second the recommendation for Red Boat fish sauce! When I see it in a recipe, I know I am going to like it.
One of my favorite spice mixes is berbere. I discovered it when I made the mix for this recipe:
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chicken_drumsticks_ethiopian_style/
and now I keep it on hand and use it for lots of things. I often make rice with it, yum!
I am currently obsessed with the Ottolenghi cookbooks, which introduced me to Sumac and Za’atar.
One of my favorite sauces ever is the cilantro lime cashew cream (no dairy involved) from this avocado toast recipe:
https://withfoodandlove.com/avocado-toast/
It is also good as a dip for fresh veggies (a good way to eat a lot of it without actually eating whole spoonfuls, which is what I would really like to do!).
Don K
@trollhattan:
Kale is a crime against humanity. I’ve yet to find a preparation for kale that’s edible, and I really like most greens.
Embir
Pickled red onions – in apple cider vinegar and lime juice with spices of your choice. Insanely easy, keeps for 2-3 weeks in fridge – never lasts that long. Peps just about anything up!
Steeplejack
@Shana, @NotMax:
Here’s the article (WP link!): “When eggplant meets tomato, my summer’s made.”
The specific recipe is “Bucatini in Chunky Eggplant Sauce,” “adapted from a recipe in Rustico, by Micol Negrin (Clarkson Potter, 2002).”
Might be able to find it elsewhere by searching for the name.
Steeplejack
@Shana:
Hickory Farms! I haven’t been in one, or even heard the name, in years. My girlfriend in my early 20s worked in one while she was in college. God, that was ages ago. They did have some good stuff.
Don K
@Fair Economist:
I always get a chuckle when I reflect that so many foods considered signatures of different cuisines (tomatoes in southern Italy, potatoes in Ireland and northern Europe, chilies in Asia) weren’t present until at least the 1500s. When I make spaghetti with garlic and oil, I figure I’m making the original preparation for pasta.
NotMax
@Steeplejack
Molte grazie.
FlyingToaster
We’re eating through the freezer at the moment; waiting for Russos to re-open (sob).
Russos had to close for a couple of weeks because they were having problems with suppliers. We were going to order a box o veggies from their website, but they kinda sold out (and were a week out on what they did have available). They’re due to re-open next Thursday, AFAIK. They’d better. Whole Foods and Wegmans are not nearly as good, and I don’t feel like driving out to hellangone to maybe find better veggies.
Steeplejack
@NotMax:
Here’s a badly formatted but unencumbered copy of the recipe.
Gemina13
@The Golux: I bought some split chicken breasts and decided to marinate them in Nando’s, then roast them. After a couple of hours at 300 degrees, the meat was juicy, but the skin was a little soft. So I took them out and seared them on the stovetop, and was rewarded with crispy skin and meat that fell off the bone. Thinking of doing brick chicken the same way.
My go-to for habanero hot sauce has been Yucatan Sunshine, but I’m always willing to try something new. Twice if I like it. :)
Gemina13
@MazeDancer: I love Penzeys. My go-to blends are Ozark, Justice, and Northwoods Fire. All I need now is a either a new grill, or a cast-iron griddle, and I’m set for summer.
TEL
I get most of my spices from a local place in Oakland CA called Oaktown Spice. Some of the seasonings I’ve been experimenting with include citrus pepper, Persian lime curry rub, and umami sea salt. I also have a couple of marjoram bushes outside so fresh marjoram gets added to pretty much anything I can get away with.
Cheryl from Maryland
@WaterGirl: pickapeppa and spicy mango.
UncleEbeneezer
@Don K: I thought we (Italian Americans) loved garlic, then I discovered Korean, Cuban and Lebanese food.
JustRuss
I just improvised some teriyaki porkloin in the Instant Pot and OMG, I am in love.
TomatoQueen
Penzey’s does the classic mignonette pepper blend, Black peppercorns, white peppercorns, and coriander, which I put on Campari tomatoes with evoo, dried onion bits, tarragon, a little salt, and a pinch of sugar.
Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sauce if we’re using hot sauce, which in my house in most cases we are not, but it does have its very limited uses.
A1 steak sauce
Lea & Perrins, accept no imitations
HP sauce on burgers, for when we’re doing the British red sauce v brown sauce distinction
On crab cakes, there’s the new alternative of Old Bay’s own hot sauce, but tartar sauce for me
Traditional pesto on angel hair pasta with Grana Padano
On roasted chicken, the pieces should first be broiled with melted butter, then coated with Maille Dijon with tarragon and shallot chopped fine, baked for twenty minutes
Bacon goes with everything
Armadillo
@Tom Levenson: if you like Sichuan peppercorns, you can look for Sichuan peppercorn oil next time you are in a Chinese grocery.
Looks like it is available on Amazon too. IDK other cooking websites.
The oil has the numbing flavor. I put it on noodle soup, on wontons, and with vinegar in a dumpling dipping sauce.
grandmaBear
I like ginger syrup on oatmeal.
And yucateca habanero is my favorite hot sauce – I like the red especially on scrambled eggs.
Clarissa
Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce mixed with mayonnaise is fantastic on everything.
J R in WV
@Betty Cracker:
My family had Chow-chow my Grandma made which we used in Pinto beans — other stuff too. It was basically dill pickle relish made at the end of summer with the green tomatoes harvested from the garden just before the first hard frost.
Diced green tomatoes, chopped onion, sweet red pepper for color, and a few big flat lima beans, with ordinary pickle spice. If I were going to make some, there would definitely be some garlic cloves in there too. Now, of course, people pick green tomatoes all summer long, I see them in Kroger’s even. Back then it was all about not letting anything in a garden go to waste. B
You want hard green tomatoes, with no trace of pink, so it’s crunchy in the jar. Cornbread, Pintoes, and chow-chow. Brings back good memories of dinners at Grandma’s house. There were shelves in her cut-stone basement where rows of mason jars sat, mostly empty since she wasn’t doing her own gardening, but always a couple of shelves of Chow-Chow.
ExpatDanBKK
Two Thai sauces.
นำ้จิ้มซีฟู้ด/Nam jim talay (Seafood dipping sauce):
3-5 Thai chilies
4 cloves garlic
5-6 cilantro stems, chopped
2 Tbsp fish sauce
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsp finely chopped palm sugar
Muddle all in a motar. Adjust ingredients to taste. Wife discovered that it is also awesome with lamb chops!
นำ้จิ้มแจ่ว/Nam jim jeaw (meat dipping sauce):
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 small shallot finely sliced
1 sprig spring onion finely chopped
2 tsp palm sugar dissolved in 2 tbsp of boiling water
1 tbsp tamarind pulp from fresh or concentrate is fine
1 small lime juiced
1 tbsp dried red chilli flakes or to taste
small handful Coriander chopped finely
1 tbsp toasted rice powder (pan roast dry rice grains on the stove until browned, then crush)
Mix it all together. Best with thinly sliced medium rare beef. But anything really.