Recipes

Poudre Forte

Poudre Forte is a wonderful spice mix that was used throughout medieval Europe and is still used today by culinary recreationists. The actual components may vary, but Poudre Forte, or "strong powder," is commonly based on cinnamon, clove and black pepper, some of the most important tender of the early spice trade. We've added grains of paradise to enhance the flavor. A sweetly aromatic blend with a good bite, it can be used liberally in both sweet and savory dishes.

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Meatballs with Pumpkin & Spice Butter

With its location between the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Asia, Turkey has an amazingly rich and varied cuisine. For most of the past twenty years, Journalist Robyn Eckhardt and her photographer husband, David Hagerman, have traveled around Turkey tasting all of the country's most delicious dishes. Now they're sharing them with us in their wonderful cookbook,  Istanbul and Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey. They first start in Istanbul, which is home to one of the world's great fusion cuisines. Then they travel to some of the lesser-known provinces, which feature cuisines influenced by neighboring Georgia, Syria, Armenia and Iran. These authentic and easy to follow recipes all come from local bakers, village home cooks, farmers, fishermen and café chefs. This Meatballs with Pumpkin & Spice Butter is an example of one of the many colorful and flavorful dishes found in this cookbook. We're sure that you'll fall in love with this cookbook just as much as we have.From the author: "For this warming dish from Hakkâri, delicate lamb of beef meatballs studded with ground rice are laid atop a bed of pumpkin chunks and then steam-simmered in a light tomato sauce. Before serving, the dish is drizzled with sizzling tomato butter seasoned with purple basil and red pepper flakes, which play off the richness of the meat and the sweetness of the pumpkin. I ate this dish at the home of Sehmur and Baran Kurt, in Hakkâri.A good meatball is light and tender, attributes achieved in Turkey by hand-chopping the meat, something even I am unwilling to undertake on a regular basis. But you can achieve a similar texture by spreading ground meat on a cutting board, sprinkling the seasonings over it, and cutting everything together with a knife. (This keeps the meat from turning into a paste, as it would if you mixed the ingredients in a food processor or by squeezing and kneading with your hands.) The process takes only about 5 minutes. Combine this technique with very light handling when you form the meatballs, and they'll end up tender.You must soak the rice for 1-1/2 hours before proceeding with the rest of the recipe, during which time you can peel, see, and slice the pumpkin and complete other prep work. The meatball mixture can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. Serve the dish with a simple cooked vegetable like spinach and plain Strained Yogurt. For a dinner party, give your guests an appetite-rousing preview by placing the pot in the middle of the table before pouring over the sizzling spice butter."

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Kofte Meatballs with Marash Yogurt Sauce

These lamb meatballs made with our Kofte Spice are a crowd pleaser, and are even more marvelous with Marash Chile Flakes and warm yogurt sauce. Sound exotic? It is! But they are easy to make and the seasonings have wide appeal. Serve them over your favorite grain pilaf or roll them out at your next cocktail party for a new take on everyones favorite hors d'oeurve.

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Bulgogi Beef Stir Fry

This Bulgogi Beef Stir Fry draws inspiration from the classic Korean dish. Bulgogi, meaning "fire meat," is a grilled dish that mellows heat with sweet to please just about any palate. Traditionally served alongside a range of pickled condiments for Korean BBQ, it translates well to the wok and is delicious on a bed of rice and stir fried vegetables.

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Beef and Bean Taquitos with Avocado Sauce

'Tis the season for hosting parties. While sometimes that can be a bit stressful, the experts at Cook's Illustrated have come out with this book of 75 "only the best" appetizer recipes to reduce some of the stress. All-Time Best Appetizers Cookbook makes it easy to create a spread with everything from things that can be dipped, spread, or eaten by the handful to two-bite treats. These Beef and Bean Taquitos with Avocado Sauce are great for any get together...or for a "finger food" dinner. From the authors: "Why this recipe works - Making crunchy, golden taquitos is easy for restaurant cooks with access to a deep-fryer; our goal was to make them foolproof for home cooks, too. Adding mashed pinto beans to a seasoned ground beef filling and rolling the taquitos tightly helped the filling hold together. Sealing the edge with egg wash offered extra insurance, and frying in a mere cup of oil prevented the taquitos from unrolling as they cooked."

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Down South Goat Biryani

From My Two Souths and Chef Asha Gomez, we get this stunning recipe for Down South Goat Biryani. With her love of Deep-South cooking as well as her southern Indian roots, this recipe is sure to please all of those experimenting with biryani for the first or the tenth time. Don't worry if you can't find goat - Chef Asha says it's just as delicious with beef or chicken. If you're looking for a stand-out dish for fall entertaining, this dish is for you. From the author: "Biryani is a celebration dish. Weddings, birthdays, festivals, and other times of good cheer are the usual occasions when this iconic dish of rice with meat or vegetables graces our table, with almost the entire spice cabinet having been invited into the cooking vessel. Across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia, countless renditions of this festive dinner abound, as do the many names by which it is known. I think the following recipe is my favorite version to make at home, though it is wonderful made with beef chuck roast or chicken thighs. I love the tender goat layered between saffron-spiced rice and baked, then dressed with roasted shallots, cashews, raisins, and a confetti of cilantro. As I fluff the flavored rice, I always remove the star anise, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and bay leaves - counting the fifteen spice hulls as I go - and set them aside to use as a garnish. Alternatively, you can tie all the spices except the saffron and cumin seeds in a piece of muslin to make a bouquet garni, which makes a quick job of removing the spice hulls. Or, if no muslin is available, but them in a tea ball and hang the ball over the side of the pot."

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Curried Beef and Tendon with Turnip

We love the use of spice and combining of textures in this curry dish from fascinating Macau cookbook, The Adventures of Fat Rice by Abraham Conlon, Adrienne Lo, and Hugh Amano.From the Author: "In Macau “turnip” usually means daikon, or another large radish, so technically, there’s no turnip in the original version of this dish. At Fat Rice, we mostly follow tradition, but run with the turnip thing and garnish with crunchy raw turnips, radishes, and their greens. Don’t be scared to work with the tendons—they do require long cooking, but add great texture. Try grilling the rubbed beef; it adds a great smoky dimension."

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Chimichurri Flank Steak

2 hrs, 10 min

Our Chimichurri Spice combines a whole lot of flavors: the almost apricot flavor of aji mirasol chiles, the peppery sweetness of guajillo and New Mexico chiles, and the earthiness of oregano, cumin and bay. Together, they're an ideal flavor base to make Chimichurri sauce. Just mix it with lots of fresh herbs, citrus, plenty of garlic, vinegar and oil. You'll have a sassy sauce that begs to be put on.....everything!When used as a marinade, the grill fire tames the acidity of the vinegar, enhances the sweetness of the citrus, and intensifies the heat of the chiles. Use another drizzle of sauce to make any cut of meat, beef especially, perfectly balanced. Chimichurri gives that sweet-tart-spicy-meaty union that screams "summer food" the world over. The flavors of this sauce meld together over time, so keep some in the fridge all summer long.You can vary the selection and proportion of herbs in this recipe in so many fun and tasty ways. Increase the herbs for a thicker consistency to use for dipping and topping or play with oregano, marjoram or whatever is fresh in your market or garden.

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Tarheel Sliders with Carolina Slaw

Carolina BBQ traditions inspired this delicious Tarheel sliders combination, and the flavors work together perfectly. A healthy dose of our Tarheel BBQ Rub flavors the meat, and the Carolina slaw is pert with vinegar and Voodoo, plus just a little sweet to round it out. Everything is easy to prep and the sliders pop on and off the grill in just a few minutes. Sit back and enjoy the flavors!

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