Recipes

Tamale Soup

Who can resist a tamale dumpling? Not us! Inspired by Rick Bayless's Chipotle Beans with Masa "Gnocchi" we decided to give these little cuties a spice makeover and pop them into a belly warming chicken soup. We dubbed it Tamale Soup after the first bite because it has all the goodness of a tamale, but in soup form. It is a hearty crowd pleasing soup with bold flavors, perfect for game day or family get togethers. Slow cooked chicken thighs seasoned with plenty of our Adobo spice made a savory base for the little masa dumplings. We infused the dough with a healthy measure of our Chorizo Bomb for a big bite of flavor, and just like tamales, you can't take just one bite!

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Rabbit in a Clay Pot

We love cookbooks, and this cookbook is a staff favorite. Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking by Portland chef Bonnie Frumkin Morales. Her acclaimed Portland restaurant Kachka celebrates the vivid world of Russian cuisine, with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients, and is changing the way America thinks about Russian food. Her cookbook does the same, while updating and modernizing Russian cuisine without losing its spirit and traditions. In Kachka, you'll find everything from ingenious vodka infusions to vibrant pickles and pillowy dumplings and even more delicious sweets. First and foremost, she considers this more of a cookbook of Soviet-era cooking and foods from the former USSR, and not necessarily Russian. While always starting with a family recipe, these are her interpretations. Kachka challenges the assumption that Russian food is bland, boring and lacking in variety, and that "soul food" transcends cuisines and cultures, to become "soulful". Current food trends such as pickling, fermentation, bone broths and alcohol infusions are the norm in this cuisine. Most of the creative vodka infusions in the book and restaurant started out as babushka health remedies, and her anecdotes will have you laughing out loud, while the vibrant photographs will have your stomach growling. This "Rabbit in a Clay Pot" is just one example of a simple, yet elegant recipe included in Kachka. From the author: "There are dozens of classic dishes that get cooked in smetana. To the uninitiated, braising in cultured dairy just sounds wrong. But it's magic. And while the smetana can work its voodoo on the rabbit all on its own, I like cramming in a heady amount of garlic and porcinis, and then balancing all that earthy intensity with the sharp-sweet punch of sour cherries. Serve with draniki (potato pancakes). Or, if you're looking for a quick shortcut, add some potatoes right to the braise for a one-pot meal. Having trouble tracking down rabbit hindquarters? You can modify this recipe to work with chicken thighs. Simply cook the smetana braising sauce for about an hour on its own at 350°F before adding the chicken thighs, then reduce the heat to 250°F and braise for another hour."

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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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Shawarma Chicken Salad

Shawarma Chicken Salad brings exotic taste to a familiar recipe. Our Shawarma Spice boasts powerful flavor that mimics spit roasted goodness at its best, and grilled chicken is a delicious way to enjoy it. We've been grilling so much I found myself with leftovers and this happy accident was born. The shawarma chicken salad combines all the great flavors of a sandwich, but without the bread. For this salad we chose to keep it light, but add hot sauce and olives if you like those, or a side car of hummus to round out the meal.

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Shawarma Spice Marinade

2 hrs, 5 min

Our Shawarma Spice is the not-so-secret ingredient in this simple marinade for chicken shawarma. Use it on on chicken, lamb, beef or even cauliflower to infuse the meat (or veggie) with incredible flavors. Serve for an easy weeknight supper with a simple salad or as the star of a Middle Eastern feast with all the trimmings from hummus to saffron rice.

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Big Love Buttermilk Fried Chicken

When Heather Earnhardt opened her tiny cafe, The Wandering Goose, in Seattle, she added a little bit of Southern charm and comfort to the city. From her childhood in the South with her close-knit family comes this collection of traditional Southern favorites that makes use of all of the delicious food ingredients available here in the Pacific Northwest. Her specialty is her biscuits - both sweet and savory - as well as traditional Southern fare such as pickles, pies, cakes, grits and this Big Love Buttermilk Fried Chicken. This delicious recipe comes from Heather L. Earnhardt's Big Food Big Love: Down Home Southern Cooking Full of Heart of Seattle's Wandering Goose.From the Author: "Fried chicken is an emblem of the South and loved the world over: there are as many styles and flavors as there are ways of eating it. Whether it's served hot over a buttermilk biscuit or eaten cold as a midnight snack standing in front of the refrigerator, fried chicken is good any time of the day or night. And it's good for you! If your oil is at the correct temperature, the chicken won't absorb any excess and will come out with a crackling skin and hot, juicy interior. My hope is that you fry enough of this chicken so that there are one or two pieces left for a midnight snack."

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Thackeray Ethiopian-Spiced Fried Chicken and Za'atar-Spiced Kale Slaw

A while back, we stopped for lunch at Thackeray restaurant and had a meal that totally blew us away. The lamb shawarma and Spanish prawn bowl were both fantastic, but the highlight for us was the Ethiopian-spiced fried chicken, served with a side of some simply amazing slaw.After our food coma faded, we reached out to Jon and Micah, to see if they'd share some of their secrets. They happily obliged, and we are happy to present the recipes for their fried chicken and side slaw, featuring Berbere and Green Za'atar to great success. Check out the recipe to try it at home and see for yourself what we are raving about.

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Chicken Drumsticks with Spices and Coconut Milk

This lovely recipe comes from Béatrice Peltre's My French Family Table. This recipe is one of the author's favorite chicken "go to recipes" for when she needs a dose of delicious comfort food.From the Author: "When I'm thinking about comfort food that involves chicken, I like to imagine the sauce that will come with it, something wonderful to flavor a bowl of steaming grains such as brown rice, millet, or quinoa on the side. The sauce in this chicken dish is packed with many of my favorite aromas, from an array of fresh-scented herbs and spices - what's not to love about saffron? - to the flavors of lime juice and coconut milk. I always hope there will be leftovers for the next day so I can have a quiet lunch at home when Lulu is at school and Philip is at the office."

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Kung Pao Chicken

Many Americans would be surprised to learn that their favorite Chinese dishes are either not Chinese at all, or greatly altered from the original. One of our favorite Chinese cookbooks, Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees by Kian Lam Kho, helps cut through the confusion with dozens of authentic recipes of Chinese classics such as this traditional version of Kung Pao Chicken. It may not be the Kung Pao Chicken you are used to, but it will quickly become a new favorite.From the Author: "Kung Pao Chicken is one of those takeout dishes that is usually covered by a landslide of sickeningly sweet brown sauce. It would not be recognized by anyone arriving in the United States from China. Kung Pao Chicken is in fact a dry stir-fry dish. The spicy sauce should only lightly coat the chicken pieces, giving them enough flavor to delight the palate and provide subtle contrast to the crunchy peanuts."

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