Recipes
Curried Roasted Cauliflower
Here at World Spice, we have some "tried and true" cookbooks that we can't do without. When we look for inspiration to jazz up our usual side dishes, The Side Dish Handbook by Tori Ritchie is one we reach for again and again. This wonderful cookbook can be used as a primer for side dishes using grains, vegetables and legumes. It's helpfully organized alphabetically, having a stand-out recipe for each main ingredient, including this tasty recipe for Curried Roasted Cauliflower.You'll also find such delicious dishes as English Pea and Onion Gratin, Creamed Corn with Chipotle and Queso Fresco, Butter-Braised Turnips with Caraway and Braised Moroccan Eggplant, just to name a few. These dishes use global flavors to make "basic" ingredients fresh, new and interesting. After all, the right accompaniments can liven even the most simple roast chicken dinner.From the author: "If you can find an orange cauliflower (check your local farmers’ market), the electric hue is a fun way to amp up the curried color of this dish, although a classic white one is fine. Don’t amp up the amount of curry, however, or that’s all you will taste."The following recipe has been excerpted from The Side Dish Handbook: Featuring 40 recipes and expert tips on your favorite ingredients by Tori Ritchie. It was published by Weldon Owen in 2015.
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Raw "Couscous" Cauliflower with Almonds, Dried Cherries, and Sumac
Winner of a James Beard Award Best Book in Vegetable-Focused Cooking and topping many "Best Cookbook of the Year" lists, Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables highlights the evolving attributes of vegetables throughout their growing seasons - from spring to early summer to midsummer to the abundant harvest of late summer, then ebbing into autumn and, the the earthy mellow sweetness of winter.Joshua McFadden, chef and owner of renowned trattoria Ava Gene’s in Portland, Oregon, is considered to be a "vegetable whisperer", and has learned to appreciate every part of the plant and how to get the best from vegetables at every stage of their lives. Each chapter begins with recipes featuring raw vegetables at the start of their season, progressing to sautés, pan roasts, braises, and stews. We think you'll enjoy this Raw "Couscous" Cauliflower with Almonds, Dried Cherries and Sumac - it tastes as good as it looks!From the author: "In this dish, I crumble the raw cauliflower so that it has the look and texture of couscous—it’s easy and unexpected and makes you think of cauliflower in a whole new way. If you can’t find dried tart cherries, use golden raisins or even chopped dried apricots; the idea is to have a sweet-tart and chewy element as contrast to the granular vegetable. And be sure to dress and season this salad generously. Underdressed, it risks being dry."
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Cascade Mushroom Mash
These amazing mushroom mashed potatoes are our latest secret ingredient revelation! Infused with Cascade Mushroom Mix, the addition of just one seasoning takes these mashed potatoes from super to spectacular. It's easy, too! Just sprinkle the Cascade Mushroom Mix into the butter as it is melting, and the flavor distributes into every bite. Use the mix in your favorite recipe or try ours. Whether you like your potatoes chunky or whipped, russett or Yukon Gold, this seasoning twist will leave everyone wondering what made these mashed potatoes so special. They are a perfect side dish for the holiday table.
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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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Spicy Fish Salad
The countries in the Persian culinary region are home to many religions, languages, cultures and politics. In culinary traditions, however, they all have a deep love for food that has tart flavors and is fresh and colorful. You'll find fresh herbs at every meal and colorful ingredient used such as pomegranates and saffron. Naomi Duguid's Taste of Persia shows us through delicious recipes and fascinating stories how diverse and wonderful this region is. This gorgeous looking salad uses poached fish and makes for something a little bit different for any meal. From the author: "Kuchmachi is a Georgian dish that’s most often made of simmered chicken or beef or lamb, a kind of meat salad dressed with a savory rich walnut sauce and served at room temperature. This version is made with poached fish. I first tasted a version of fish kuchmachi at a Palm Sunday fasting feast in Akhalkalaki hosted by the Bishop of Javakheti. The guests, most of whom were keeping the Lenten fast (no animal products except for a few days when fish is permitted), were happy to be able to eat fish on this special day. Outside, the landscape was spare and beautiful, with snow capped peaks on the horizon. Not far away lay the borders with Turkey and Armenia. Serve this on a hot day as a main course with an assortment of salads, or serve it as one course in a winter feast, preceded by a clear soup and followed by roast meat or roast vegetables."
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Fried Eggplant Roll-Ups
One of the countries in the Persian culinary region that has colorful and flavorful food is Georgia. Nestled between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Georgia has a climate similar to the Mediterranean's, and a love of vegetables blended with walnuts and vibrant herbs. This recipe from Naomi Duguid's book Taste of Persia shows up how the combination of eggplant and a rich walnut paste can make for one delicious dish. From the author: "These succulent roll-ups are one of the treasures of the Georgian table. Strips of fried eggplant are coated with spiced walnut paste and rolled up. They're best if made an hour or more ahead of time and slightly chilled, so that the filling firms up and the flavors have time to blend. Badrigiani make a great appetizer, though in Georgia they are usually served as part of a wide selection of dishes at a meal."
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Mexican Street Corn Salad
My first taste of Elote corn was love at first bite, and now I look forward to it every summer. The smoky, tangy, salty combination of grilled corn with lime and cotija is....perfect. And it gets even better in the form of Mexican street corn salad because eliminating the cob made it easier to get more into ones mouth! This delicious and versatile dish has become a summer menu staple. With a hint of our Cuban Spice for depth of flavor, and plenty of cilantro to add a bright layer you can serve this alongside just about anything coming off the grill. This recipe is made without mayonnaise or crema - so it can sit out or travel to a picnic worry free. Enjoy!
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Bebinca de Rabano (XO Daikon Cake)
Cuisine from Macau is a delicious combination of influences from Chinese, Indian, Portuguese and Malaysian food. This recipe from The Adventures of Fat Rice may take a little work and ingredient hunting, but the spicy and crunchy result is well worth it. If you're a fan of turnip cake found on any dim sum cart, then you'll love this. From the Author: "Throughout the Portuguese-speaking world, bebinca basically describes something that has been steamed or baked to set. Also known as Bebinca de Nabo, turnip cake, white carrot cake, and chai tow kway, this dish isn’t really a cake per se, but more of a steamed loaf. Confusing as hell but absolutely delicious."
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Compound Butter with Seasoning Salt
I love the flavor trinity of corn + butter + salt, so this recipe for compound butter immediately popped to mind. It is an easy way to take a good thing and make it even better with the addition of spice. Grilled corn is amazing, butter makes it better and the seasoning salt is like the icing on the cake. And by creating a compound butter with the seasoning salt you ensure that the flavors stay in place for every bite.We debuted these compound butters with grilled corn at our seasonal grilling kick off party at Sutter Home & Hearth, and everyone loved them! Speaking for myself and a few others we enjoyed all three. The Provencal Salt butter was bright and herby, the Svaneti Salt butter featured caraway and coriander and the Voodoo was simply magical. Also delicious using Tuscan Rosemary Salt and America's Seasoned Salt, too! The flavor fun doesn't stop with corn, though, use these compound butters on steak, seafood, baked potatoes, scrambled eggs and more. They keep in the refrigerator for a nice long time so make a big batch!
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