Jane Spice

Grilled Shrimp with Mint Sauce

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Today is Australia Day. To celebrate: I’ve created this amazing dish that’s synonymous with Australia as kangaroos, koala bears, the great outback and our amazing beaches are.

Paul Hogan made famous the slogan “throw a shrimp on the barbie” back in the 80’s. When people find out I’m Australian this line is always quoted which is hilarious since most Australians never dream of saying it. Today, most families are celebrating with a bbq.

Here I’ve made a simple mint sauce as a marinade to compliment the juicy giant size prawns/shrimp. These prawns are from the waters of Australia, taste soft, slightly salty, and so fresh. The mint sauce is delicate, vibrant, and balanced perfectly with the apple cider vinegar.

The outcome is a tender, lightly-minted, char-grilled shrimp. It’s a recipe worth remembering for July 4th weekend celebrations.

Happy Australia day to all my Aussie friends!

View recipe

Salt and Pepper Calamari

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Surprisingly, salt and pepper calamari is a much loved appetizer here in Australia. Adults and kids alike order the golden brown calamari. It’s a featured item on most menus in Australia. To me, its a classic melting pot dish. East meets West.

I made this recipe as part of our seafood Christmas lunch extravaganza. My three nephews love this dish, even though its on the spicy side. Here I combine fish sauce, with lemon juice, and three different spices: crushed coriander seeds, white peppercorns, and chilli flakes. The coriander adds an earthiness and fragrance to the calamari, while the white pepper adds a warm peppery taste. The outcome is a lightly crunchy golden brown calamari. Deep frying when done properly really brings out the best in seafood, to the point where my nephews were waiting by the frying pan to gobble up the calamari hot!

View recipe

Sweet Potato Soup with a touch of Garam Masala

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Last night was our annual crab fest gathering with a few of my special friends. We plan our crab dinner within the first week of crab season in San Francisco. I love crab, and crab to me is a big deal.

But last night, it was this sweet potato soup that stole the show. We forgot about the crab, and instead couldn’t stop singing the virtues of this simple sweet potato soup.

Sweet potato is the key ingredient in this soup recipe, and is enriched with the addition of cashews and tomato sauce. The soup is soft, silky, lightly sweet, and heart warming. A touch of garam masala spice – which is an Indian spice blend works perfectly here. It gives the soup the depth of flavor and warmth. We topped each bowl with creme fraiche and cilantro for an added flavor kick.

This is a knockout soup, and I can’t wait to make it again.

View recipe

My Radio Appearance ~ The Spice of Life: Benefits and Uses of Spices and Herbs

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I recorded my first radio talk show with the guys from An Organic Conversation the anchor show for Clear Channel’s Green Morning. The topic was on “The Spice of Life: Benefits and Uses of Spices and Herbs”.

Preparing for the show was really fun. I met Helge the show’s host, and we came up with a list of spice questions that readers wanted to learn more about. We recorded in San Francisco, live to air, so there was no room for error. I was incredibly nervous, but really enjoyed having the big headset on with the live button pulsing in the background.

It’s an information packed 60 minutes, of everything you ever wanted to know about herbs and spices. From the history of spices, to the medicinal uses of spices, to learning about the difference between herbs and spices. I offer many tips to new beginners on what spices to use, and what to buy if you are looking to start using spices. Let me know what you think!

View recipe

What spice can I substitute if I don’t have the correct spice on hand?

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Cooking with spices is fabulous, that is, until you don’t have the spice you want or need. If you’re mid-way through a recipe and realize you’re missing a key spice, you can often substitute other spices in its place and get a similar flavor.

Here’s a list of common spices and the substitutions that will replicate their flavor.

No more abandoned recipes or groveling to your neighbor about needing a ½ teaspoon of a seldom-used spice.

For a comprehensive list of popular spice questions posed by readers check out our resources section.

Spice	Substitution
Allspice	cinnamon, cassia, dash of nutmeg, mace or a dash of cloves
Aniseed	fennel seed or anise extract
Cardamom	ginger
Chili powder	dash of bottled hot pepper sauce plus oregano and cumin
Cinnamon	nutmeg or allspice (use ¼ the amount)
Cloves	cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger
Cumin	chili powder
Ginger	allspice, cinnamon, mace or nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh chopped ginger	¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Mace	allspice, cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg
1 tablespoon prepared mustard	1 teaspoon ground mustard (in cooked dishes)
1 tablespoon prepared mustard	½ teaspoon ground mustard plus 2 teaspoons vinegar (in cold or uncooked dishes)
Nutmeg	cinnamon, ginger or mace
Saffron	dash of turmeric
1 teaspoon apple pie spice	¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon plus ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg plus ⅛ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice	½ teaspoon ground cinnamon plus ¼ teaspoon ground ginger plus ⅛ teaspoon EACH ground cloves and ground nutmeg

View recipe

Harissa Marinated Tri-Tip

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

My friend Brian loves to entertain, but like most of us gets stuck on what to make for a big crowd of people. His request to me: “I’m having 20-30 people over for a BBQ. Would like to use the grill, the recipe needs to be full proof, and needs to be easy to prepare. I’m no Martha Stewart.”

After several emails, we decided that tri-tip was the way to go. It’s an affordable cut of meat, great for crowds and is easy to prepare.

To jazz up the tri-tip we bought pre-made harissa in a tub. You can buy harissa as a paste or as a spice rub. I have used both varieties, and both work great. Most harissa recipes include, cumin, coriander, red chili and caraway seeds, combined with garlic and a few other ingredients.

We added garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil to the harissa paste, then rubbed the tri-tip with the marinade and let sit in the fridge for over six hours.

Indeed the harissa marinated tri-tip was full-proof. The meat was tender and moist, and tasted exceptional with the harissa spice rub. The harissa marinade doesn’t dominate the tri-tip. You should try this at your next event. It’s a crowd pleaser.

P.S You can leave this marinade overnight in the fridge. It will taste even better!

View recipe

Sautéed Shrimp with Turmeric and Mustard Seeds

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I love it when the right combination of spices work to create a flavorful and unforgettable dish. Shrimp tastes magical and is transformed with spices. Turmeric adds a warm spicy taste and golden yellow color to the shrimp, while the chili powder adds depth and heat. Mustard seeds flavor is released when they hit the hot oil pan exuding a hot and aromatic scent. It’s truly a melody of great flavors. I found this recipe while I was in Seattle a few weekends ago. I rescued the cookbook from a garage sale. I doubt the owners ever used the cookbook, which is a pity, as lying within those pages was a delicious recipe! This dish is great for entertaining, it looks like you’ve spent hours in the kitchen prepping, but we both know it only takes 15 minutes to complete.

View recipe

Rhubarb Cocktail with Cinnamon, Strawberries and Mint

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Ok, you are wondering where I have been. Posting has been slow this past month. I have been traveling extensively for work. I’m in Miami right now. The weather is hot, hot, hot. It’s my first time here, and we are loving the heat. I hear the rest of the country is experiencing abysmal weather. Lucky us!

This recipe comes from my friend Louisa from Lucid Food. We were both bridesmaids for a friend’s wedding in Bay Harbor Michigan. Louisa runs her own catering company, and is about to release a new book about eco-conscious cooking titled Lucid Food.

The combination of strawberries, rhubarb, and mint is very refreshing. It works as both a cocktail or mocktail as you can serve it with champagne, sparkling water or seltzer. I made this for a friend’s baby shower, and it was ideal. Very girly and dainty!

View recipe

Fattoush Salad

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Ever get tired of salad? Greens, greens, and more greens? Well, as far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing better than a salad with a little grain thrown into the mix. Think about Caesar salad with big chunky croutons, or a taco salad with crunchy corn chips. The Italians have panzanella (bread salad),and the Lebanese have fattoush salad. It was one of the first meals I learned how to make when I was growing up.

This salad is much easier and quicker to prepare than a panzanella or a tabbouleh salad, because you roughly chop all the ingredients. In fact, fattoush salad looks like it’s just thrown together: torn romaine lettuce, large bite-sized pieces of cucumbers, tomatoes, green bell peppers, scallions, mint and cilantro. And then the salad is topped off with baked or fried pita bread.

What makes this salad unique is the spice in the dressing: sumac. Sumac is a key Middle-Eastern spice with a soft, tart flavor. This delicate tartness brightens up the salad and compliments the olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. The result is a bright summery salad that has a rustic feel to it, Lebanese style.

View recipe

Padron Peppers

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I had never heard of padron peppers until last week. Every two weeks I buy a “mystery box” from Mariquita Farm. For $25 you get a big vegetable bag of goodies. You never know what to expect! It’s a great way to experiment and eat new vegetables. In the box this week, I was introduced to padron peppers. Padron peppers are a small variety of green peppers originally from Galicia (Spain). They’re usually served as a tapas in a lot of Galician Taberns while drinking beer.

In our kitchen, we lightly fried the peppers for a few minutes last night, and sprinkled the peppers sea salt. The padron peppers are sweet, without the spiciness you would associate with a pepper.

These padron peppers are definitely a unique way to start a dinner and so easy to make. My friend Jen summed it up—she gasped “these babies are better then french fries”.

View recipe