December Archives - SpiceBreeze

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Turkish Biber Dolması

Aromatic stuffed vegetables are a Turkish specialty. For Biber Dolması, small green bell peppers with thin skin are simmered in a light tomato sauce. The typical filling is a meat and rice mixture seasoned with mint, parsley, and regional dried peppers. This blend features mild and fruity pepper from Aleppo. For a vegetarian version combine raisin and pine nuts with rice. Green bell peppers are rich in vitamin C, just right during the winter season.

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Hands-on Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Turkish

Servings 3

Ingredients

6 oz ground beef
4-5 medium green bell peppers
1 cup parsley finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped
1.5 cups rice rinsed
1 cup tomato puree
3-5 cups broth e.g. vegetable or beef
1 lemon for juice
olive oil
salt & pepper

Biber Dolması Culinary Spice Kit

Paprika, Aleppo pepper, mint, cumin, black pepper

Instructions

Prepare the bell peppers

Cut off the top and clean out the seeds of each bell pepper.
In a BOWL, mix onions, Biber Dolması spices, parsley, meat, rice, 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and salt to taste. Mix well.
Fill the mixture into the bell peppers.

Cook Biber Dolması

In a POT, that is wide enough to fit just all bell peppers, place filled bell peppers top-up.
Fill tomato puree and broth around them up to about 2/3 of the height of the bell peppers. Cover the POT.
Bring broth to boil, turn heat to medium-low, and cook for about 30 minutes until the rice is cooked.
Enjoy!

Notes

Short grain rice works best.
If you can find small thin bell peppers, double the number of bell peppers and use a wider pot.
Substitute beef with lamb, pork, or poultry.
Substitute meat with 1 cup of raisins and pine nuts.
Substitute green bell peppers with other colored bell peppers or with zucchini, or mix.

Keyword Aleppo pepper, mint, paprika

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Kashmiri Rogan Josh

Rogan Josh is a signature dish from the cold mountain region of Kashmir. The preparation of this stew is as easy as it can get. The complex spice blend creates a deep flavor and intense color. We recommend using a good amount of chili. Authentic Kashmiri chilies are the best choice. They are less hot than cayenne pepper and color the dish pleasantly red. The use of tomatoes is optional and up to you.

Print Recipe

Hands-on Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Kashmiri

Servings 3

Ingredients

1.25 lb lamb stew or chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup yogurt plain
oil
salt

Rogan Josh Culinary Spice Kit

Fennel, cardamom, asafoetida, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, black pepper, cloves, mace

Optional

Fresh chili sliced or Kashmiri chili powder
1 cup chicken broth

Suggested Sides

basmati rice cooked
Flatbread naan, roti, or baguette
cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, or green beans steamed or cooked
Coleslaw, pickled vegetables, or a fresh salad

Instructions

Marinade

In a CONTAINER, add Rogan Josh spices.
Add 2 tbsp of oil or a bit more and stir until it’s a smooth paste.
Add meat, mix well. Cover. Let marinate 24 hours in the fridge.

Cook

In a large POT, heat 2 tbsp oil over high heat.
Add meat and fry until it’s browned on all sides. Stir frequently.
Add salt to taste, chili (opt.), and 1/2 cup of water.
Cover. Let cook over low heat until the meat is tender and falls apart.
Stir occasionally and add a bit of water if necessary.
In a CUP, mix yogurt with 2 tbsp of the hot liquid from the POT.
Stir this mixture back into the POT.
Optionally, add broth.
Let cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve

Serve with your preferred sides.
Enjoy!

Notes

Substitute meat with beef, mutton, or goat stew.
Substitute meat with diced eggplant and (sweet) potatoes. Skip the marinade. Add spices with the salt.
Substitute yogurt with heavy cream or coconut milk.
Optionally, add one chopped tomato after the meat is browned and fry for a couple of minutes.

Keyword asafoetida, fennel, Kashmiri chili, mace

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Persian Khoresh Fesenjan

Khoresh Fesenjan is one of the best dishes of the Persian cuisine and part of the dinner table on Shabe Yalda when families come together to celebrate the longest night of the year and the beginning of the winter. Walnuts and pomegranates give this stew its characteristic flavor: creamy richness with a tangy note and a hint of sweetness. The shopping list is short, and the cooking steps are simple. Yet, the heavenly taste sensation develops only with patience.

Print Recipe

Hands-on Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Persian

Servings 3

Ingredients

1.5 lbs chicken breast or thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups walnut halves
1 large onion chopped
1/2-1 cup pomegranate molasses*)
sugar honey, or syrup
oil
salt & pepper

Fesenjan Culinary Spice Kit

Turmeric cinnamon, orange peel, cardamom, rosebud

Suggested Sides

4-6 cups basmati rice cooked
1 cup fresh herbs chopped
cucumber, tomatoes, red radish sliced

Instructions

Chicken

Rub chicken on all sides with salt & pepper to taste and with Fesenjan spices.
In a PAN, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat.
Fry onions for 5 minutes.
Add chicken pieces and fry them on all sides until they turn brown. Set them aside.

Sauce

1) In a BLENDER, grind nuts.
In a large POT, add 3 cups of water and ground nuts. Mix well.
Cover. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Stir frequently.
Stir in salt and pomegranate molasses to taste. The flavor should be a bit tangy and a bit sweet. If the sauce appears sour, add a bit of sugar until it's just fine for you.
Add the chicken and onions.
Cover. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Stir frequently.
Serve Fesenjan with rice and optionally fresh herbs and/ or unseasoned vegetables.
Enjoy!

Notes

*) If you can’t buy pomegranate molasses substitute with cranberry sauce or make your own molasses
with our online recipe.
Substitute chicken with lamb stew (cook 1.5 hours longer and add 1-2 cups of water), beef meatballs, duck breast, or leftover turkey.
Substitute the chicken with eggplants or root vegetables.
Substitute the walnuts with hazelnuts or almonds.

Keyword cardamom, rosebud, turmeric

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Moroccan Mkaouara

Mkaouara is a popular Moroccan Kefta Tagine with cherry-sized meatballs and eggs. Tomatoes are not supposed to be added to this sauce. It's just pure gravy from the juicy meatballs. Comfort food at its best. For a faster version, you can form the meatballs a bit larger.

Print Recipe

Hands-on Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Moroccan

Servings 3

Ingredients

Shopping list

2 lbs ground meat beef or lamb or half-half
1 cup parsley and cilantro chopped (packed full, save some for garnish), half-half
10 oz broccoli florets
4-6 pieces of bread e.g. naan
1 shallot or small onion finely chopped
2 - 4 eggs
2 oz butter
salt

Mkaouara Culinary Spice Kit

Paprika, cumin, cinnamon, mint, black pepper, chili

Suggested Sides

baguette, ciabatta, or any flatbread
fresh salad
carrots, pumpkin, or turnips baked
broccoli, zucchini, or green beans cooked

Instructions

Prepare

In a LARGE BOWL, mix herbs and shallot, Mkaouara spices, and salt to taste (1 tsp recommended).
Add meat and knead well.
Form little cherry-sized meatballs.

Cook

In a PAN, melt 2 tbsp butter.
Distribute meatballs in one layer*).
Cover the PAN with a LID and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
In a SMALL BOWL, crack the eggs.
Gently slide the eggs one by one on top of the meatballs, each in a different corner. Add salt to taste.
Cover the PAN and cook until the egg white is cooked.

Serve

Serve Mkaouara in the PAN or on a large PLATE. Sprinkle it with the reserved herbs.
Add bread and other sides on separate plates.
Enjoy!

Notes

*) If your PAN is not large enough, cook the meatballs in two batches with some extra butter.

Substitute cilantro with parsley.
Substitute meat with veal or pork.
Substitute meat with poultry. Add 2 tbsp butter to the PAN.

Keyword cinnamon, mint

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Greek Avgolemono

The basic recipe for Avgolemono is a healthy chicken soup thickened with eggs and seasoned with lemon juice to taste. Perfect for the cold season. We added a modern twist with our pink pepperberry-lemon thyme blend. Optionally, make a delicious Avgolemono pasta sauce. You can add your favorite vegetables to the soup or pasta sauce. Or pour the sauce over cooked or fried vegetables. A good fit is, for instance, asparagus, turnip, rutabaga, pumpkin, zucchini, and carrot.

Print Recipe

Hands-on Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Servings 3

Ingredients

1 lb chicken pieces with skin*)
1 each celery carrot, onion, roughly cut
2 eggs
2 - 4 lemons for juice

Option 1: Avgolemono Soup

1/4 cup orzo or any small noodles

Option 2: Avgolemono Pasta

12-16 oz fettuccini or other pasta cooked
1 onion finely chopped
olive oil

Avgolemono Culinary Spice Kit

Pink pepperberries chives, lemon thyme, savory,
green peppercorns lemon crystals

Optional

Add 1-2 cups of your favorite vegetables cut into bite-size pieces (see suggestions above).

Instructions

(1) Prepare: In a POT, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add chicken, vegetables, and salt & pepper to taste. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes until the chicken falls apart. Take it out, remove the skin, and shred it with 2 forks.
(2) Base: In a BOWL, add eggs and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Whisk. Slowly stir in hot broth, 1 tbsp at a time, until the mixture reaches the temperature of the broth.
(3) Soup: To the POT, add orzo, 1 cup shredded chicken, additional vegetables (opt.), hot Base, Avgolemono spices, and salt & lemon juice to taste. Cook over medium heat for 6-10 minutes until the orzo is cooked ‘al dente’, stirring occasionally.
or (3) Pasta (instead of soup): In a PAN, fry onions in 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat until translucent. Optionally, fry vegetables until cooked. Add 2 cups of broth, 1 cup shredded chicken, hot Base, Avgolemono spices, and salt & lemon juice to taste. Cook low for 5 minutes. Serve sauce with cooked pasta.
Enjoy!

Notes

*) Optionally, buy broth and use cooked chicken or substitute with 1 lb vegetables (s.a.), and skip step (1).

Substitute orzo with 1 cup cooked rice.
Substitute chicken with veal or pork and cook longer.
Add 1-2 tbsp white wine and/or olive oil to the eggs.
For a thicker soup, dissolve 1-2 tsp cornstarch in 2 tbsp cold water. Add it to the eggs.

Keyword green peppercorns, lemon thyme, pink pepperberries

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Ghanaian Waakye

Waakye is very popular all over Ghana. The name derives from waakye leaves that are typically used to turn the color of the dish to reddish-brown. Baking soda has the same effect. Try this basic dish with sides of your choice and grains of paradise to your taste. These peppercorns are native to West Africa, mainly from Ghana, and a mild but pungent alternative to black pepper.

Print Recipe

Hands-on Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Ghanaian

Servings 3

Ingredients

Shopping list

1 can Kidney beans rinsed
1.5 cups long grain rice washed

You might have

1 onion peeled and roughly cut
2 cloves garlic peeled and roughly cut
1 inch ginger peeled and roughly cut
baking soda
oil
salt & pepper

Waakye Culinary Spice Kit

Pouch [1] Smoked paprika, thyme, bay leaves
Pouch [2] Grains of paradise

Instructions

In a FOOD PROCESSOR, blend onion, garlic, and ginger with 1/2 cup of water until smooth.
In a large POT, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat.
Careful of splatters, add beans, Waakye [1] spices, 1 tsp baking soda, and the liquid from the FOOD PROCESSOR.
Cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat.
Stir in the rice and 2.5 cups of water. Add salt to taste. Mix well, cover, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the rice is cooked.
Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
On the plated dish, sprinkle Waakye [2] spices to taste from a grinder or the whole peppercorns.

Optional

Serve Waakye with fried plantains, boiled eggs, sour cabbage salad, grilled meat, and/or sausages (see notes).

Notes

▪ Substitute kidney beans with black-eyed peas.

Recipes for:

▪ Chicken Waakye

▪ optional side dishes

Keyword grains of paradise