Monday 11 January 2010

Ways of Using Everyday Spices For Cooking

By K Hupp



Many people prefer trying out different spices as they are preparing dinner. Spices will add flavor to a plain dish and make it delicious rather than ordinary. Not cooking with right spice may also wreck a entire dish in a few seconds. This covers several common ingredients and the complimentary dishes they are most suited to.

Bay leaves are best used in lots of types of foods. Bay leaves are also perfect to use in soups like beef soup and tuna chowder. They compliment most fish. Bay leaves also go great with most meats, including beef, veal, pot roast and boiled ham. For fowl dishes, their best uses are for boiled chicken, game and stews. Bay leaves will often give regular ordinary foods such as onion, boiled potatoes and green beans a special taste. Add a few to your next homemade marinade for a great flavor.

Cinnamon is a useful spice stored in many kitchen shelves. Use cinnamon with fruit salad or added to fresh fruit. Cinnamon also goes well with fish patties or casseroles, as well as pork, ham and lamb. A little cinnamon dusted fried chicken is yummy. It adds to vegetables also, usually when used with sweet potatoes, yams and winter squash. One may also decide cinnamon in ham and lamb sauces. I don't want to forget to add desserts to the most common uses for cinnamon. It is great when added in baked goods, and hot beverages.

Cloves can be overwhelming if not used sparingly, but it is surely one of my most favorite spices. It is a delight when used along with fruit cocktail or speckled on peaches and apples. Cloves also works great with soups like beef and bean. Cloves compliments ham and pork. You can add cloves when planning to cook vegetables. Many types of vegetables are made interesting by adding a little cloves. Breads and muffins, peaches, custards and hot drinks are all perfect picks for the addition of cloves.

Garlic is all-purpose as far as ingredients go. Use garlic in dips, cheese spreads and vegetable type drinks. Try it in stews as well as vegetable soup or pork soup. Garlic goes well with all varieties of poultry meals, as well as a large number of baked meals. It can be a wonderful addition for many vegetables, as well as when used with most white sauces and meat gravy. Baked goods such as rolls and bread benefit from it too.

Oregano is a long time favorite. Mix oregano with vegetable juices, tomato juice, pizza sauce and cheese spreads. Oregano is also perfect for vegetable soups. It also works great with stuffing for fish and works great with eggs. Oregano is a splendid choice of spice to use with a variety of meats. Swiss steak, stuffings and meatloaf all are better because of the addition of oregano. It can also be added to white potatoes, peas, cabbage, onions, spinach and green beans for a special dish. Oregano is nearly always used for pizza and spaghetti sauce.

Paprika is best when added to spreads and on fresh vegetables. It also adds to vegetable soups, all types of chowder and beef stock. One can use paprika with all varieties of fish dishes. It goes well with hard boiled eggs, too. It also goes well with pork, in ham gravy, and along with poultry. Add a little paprika with potatoes and cauliflower. Put a little paprika on any kind of salad as a garnish. One might also add it to gravies of all kinds.

Parsley is mostly known for its use as a garnish, but parsley is also great when added in broths, with all types of fish, and in cheese casseroles. Cheese omelets do well with the addition of parsley. Parsley compliments many meat dishes too. Lamb, pork, veal and steak are a few of the main choices. Add it in white foods and poultry stuffings, as well as an addition to creamed peas and potatoes.

Thyme tastes good in tomato juice and cocktails. It is surprisingly good with chowders and soups. Use a little thyme with fish dinners. Adding a bit of thyme to meat dishes or stuffings easily turns them from bland to superb. One might also put some thyme in lightly cooked beans and potatoes.

Don't be put off by picking your favorite herbs and spices while planning a meal. You may develop something fantastic.

K. Hupp enjoys cooking and gardening. Visit Mens Electric Shavers http://mens-electric-shavers.org/ for information about the Norelco Electric Shaver to make an informed decision on your next purchase.

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Monday 4 January 2010

Three Traditional Spanish Recipes

By Patrick Carpen



Spanish food is very diverse in flavor. The wide variety found in Spanish recipes is largely due to the geographical differences in the country. Most dishes are based on what is available in the area, which is why most recipes include seafood and fresh vegetables-available all over the country. In this article I am including three of my favorite authentic Spanish recipes that are likely to be found in many Spanish homes!

Lamb Casserole

Ingredients:

2 lbs lamb chops (cut into pieces)
6 1/2 tbsp olive oil
6 potatoes (peeled and sliced)
3 large tomatoes (sliced)
1 onion (chopped)
1tbsp chopped parsley
4 garlic cloves (whole and unpeeled)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp paprika
1 1/4 cups white wine
1 green pepper (seeded and cut into thin strips)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pour the oil into a roasting pan. Create a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the pan, followed by a layer of onions and a layer of tomatoes. Place the lamb on top of the layers and arrange the green pepper strips, garlic cloves, chopped parsley, and bay leaves on top of the lamb chops. Top with another layer of onions and tomatoes, then season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Pour the white wine on top of everything and place the casserole dish in an oven preheated to 355 degrees F. Cook for about 2 hours, or until the meat is thoroughly cooked.

Spanish Omelette

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 lb potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced)
Olive oil for frying
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the potatoes and a bit of salt. Fry until the potatoes are golden in color, then remove them from the frying pan onto a paper towels to drain the excess grease. In a bowl, beat together the eggs with a pinch of salt. When the eggs are well beaten, add in the potatoes. Put two spoonfuls of oil into the frying pan to coat the bottom and heat the oil until hot. Add the egg and potato mixture to the pan, gently shaking the pan as you do so. When the bottom of the omelette seems cooked, place a plate on top of the skillet and flip it over. When the omelette slides out, add a bit more oil to the skillet, then place the less-cooked side of the omelette face-down onto the skillet. Cook until the bottom is fully cooked, then flip the omelette onto a serving plate. May be eaten either hot or cold. Is delicious with ketchup or salsa for dipping!

Churros with Chocolate

Ingredients:

1 cup water
3 1/4 tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup flour
8 tbsp dark chocolate
4 1/4 cups milk
1 tbsp cornflour
4 tbsp sugar
Powdered sugar
Oil for deep frying

Directions:

Add the water, oil, and salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil. One the mixture is boiling, reduce to a low heat and add the flour. Beat the mixture together until it forms a ball, then remove it from the heat. Heat the oil in a pot or deep fryer. Use an icing syringe (or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off) to pipe thick strips about 4 inches in length into the oil. Allow them to fry until they are golden brown. When you remove the churros from the oil, place them onto paper towels to drain the excess grease. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. To make the chocolate, place the chocolate and 2 and 1/8 cups of milk into a sauce pan over a low heat. Dissolve the cornflour in the remaining milk, then pour into the sauce pan along with the sugar. Stir constantly until the mixture has thickened. Whisk the chocolate until it is smooth, then serve in a dipping bowl.

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