The Life of Spice

"Variety's the Very Spice of life," wrote William Cowper, and, counterclockwise, spices can be the very life of cooking, in the infinite variety they provide. This fact, while mouthwatering, is hardly news, since men have been setting sail since Columbus' time, and before, in hopes of returning laden with precious condiments. What is new is that more spices, and more different spices, are being used now than ever before.

To set things straight at the outset, by "spices" we mean all the culinary catalysts the French call aromatiques, including the familiar dried seeds, roots and buds (celery seed, ginger, cloves), the leaves of plants we commonly call herbs (basil, bay leaf) and many concentrated products like onion juice and powdered garlic. The owners of spice emporia can vouch for the fact that men are the chief purchasers in the present-day spice rush. Male traffic at their counters has sent sales of parsley flakes, dried chili, red pepper and garlic powder zooming five hundred percent since the war, while pizza partisans have boosted oregano consumption five thousand percent in the same decade. And there's been a corresponding boom in the sale of comparatively exotic items like coriander, fennel seed, cumin, lovage, tarragon, etc., etc. This masculine interest is understandable, since it's always been the male chef who's had the daring and imagination needed to experiment with spices.

A few assorted tips, for the would-be connoisseur, on selection, storage and preparation: whenever possible, spices should be freshly chopped or ground. The obvious superiority in taste of pepper milled at the table, whole nutmeg grated into terrapin stew, or mint leaves bruised in the julep glass all testify to the importance of this dictum. Then there's the trick of warming spices before they're used. To literally curry favor with your guests, warm the curry powder for a few minutes in an oven or double boiler before you add it to a sauce. And when you add sage to a stew, don't drop it in cold – simmer it in a little water for a minute or two before it goes into the pot.

Many spices only surrender their full flavor after long slow simmering. The bouquet garni, for instance, a trio or quartet of spices tied in cheesecloth and used in soups and stews, will only be effective after about an hour's cooking. Very long cooking, on the other hand, can dissipate a spice's benefits. If you're simmering a whole corned beef for four and a half hours, you'd do best to add your spices about an hour before you take the beef off the fire.

If using herbs is new to you, you should know that the dried varieties are three to four times stronger than the fresh. Sometimes the flavors and fragrances of fresh and dried herbs are poles apart. Fresh chives and dried chives, for instance, hardly seem like the same botanical specimens. In cream cheese, fresh chives are best. In a clam chowder, fresh thyme would seem like a weak sister alongside the traditional dried thyme. For the average cuisinier's cupboard, many fresh herbs just can't be obtained, but fresh chives, chervil and tarragon are usually available through out the year from wholesale vegetable dealers catering to the better bistros.

For best results, buy spices in tightly closed glass containers, in the smallest possible quantities at a time, and store them in dry, cool places.

Here, in convenient alphabetical order, are some of the spices you'll most often use, and when and how to use them:

Allspice: Not, as it would seem to be, a combination of spices, but a dried aromatic berry. Adds a mild spicy-sweet zip to stews or meat pies. Add it to the water in which fresh salmon is boiled. Use ground in Swedish meat balls.

Anise Seed: A licorice-like spice which blends well in fruit compotes, especially apple compote. May be used with certain vegetables like glazed carrots or mashed sweet potatoes, but don't overwork it.

Basil: One of the mainstays of the Italian cucina, basil is indispensable for all tomato sauces, tomato soups or even stews containing tomatoes, and a bit of it does wonders for French green beans. It enhances minestrone soup. Sprinkle fresh basil, over mackerel or eel before cooking.

Bay Leaf: Necessary for almost all marinades, sauerbraten, venison stew, and for the water in which tongue or corned beef are cooked. Fasten a leaf here and there on the skewer the next time you make shish kebab.

Caraway Seeds: If you have an addiction to sour rye bread, you'll enjoy caraway seeds in beef stroganoff, in sauerkraut, especially when cooked with pork, and in noodles. Very congenial with cream cheese or cottage cheese spreads.

Cardamom Seeds: Enclosed in a paper-thin pod which breaks easily with finger pressure, the little dark seeds are often served in cocktail lounges to be chewed as an antidote to liquor breath. Delightful in demitasse or hot coffee drinks.

Cayenne Pepper: Unlike black or white pepper, which are dried berries, cayenne pepper is derived from the capsicum pod, is also known as chili pepper. In its ground form it's very hot and should be used sparingly. Add it to mayonnaise, mild sauces and gravies, lobster newburgh, patty of chicken, cream of mushroom soup or any dish that may need spark.

Chervil: Cousin to the parsley in flavor, chervil serves well in thick puree soups like split pea or black bean, in butter sauces brushed over steaks or broiled fish, and in seafood spreads. Fresh chervil enlivens spring salads marvelously. Together with fresh chives and tarragon, it forms the trio of chopped herbs known as fines herbes used in omelets.

Chili Powder: Besides its obvious use in chili con came and tamales, chili powder adds a fine earthy touch to avocado spreads, corn chowder, shrimp Creole and other dishes of the bayou country.

Coriander: Goes well with such bour-geoise fare as stuffed cabbage, or with the most elegant lobster newburgh or lobster Americaine. An easy – and delectable – bachelor's dessert, canned rice pudding, is made even better with a sprinkling of ground coriander.

Cumin: Essential for traditional Middle East dishes, including lamb stews, stuffed grape leaves and eggplant in thousands of forms. Especially welcome with lentils or dried beans. It makes curry currier.

Dill Seed: Use ground dill seeds for grooming cabbage, cole slaw, potato salad, beet salad and for the mayonnaise dressing in seafood salads, especially of Scandinavian or German origin.

Fennel Seed: Similar to anise in its aromatic flavor, fennel finds its way into such meats as spareribs or roast pork, into vegetables like zucchini and other squashes, and into apple pie or apple compote.

Garlic: On the spice shelf this bulb of the lily family now appears as liquid garlic, garlic powder or garlic salt. All three forms eliminate the fussy job of peeling and mincing fresh garlic. Garlic powder is the easiest to manage. Though more vigorous than onion in flavor, garlic may be used in almost all recipes calling for onion. French and Italian chefs, who couldn't cook without garlic, add it only from the tip of a spoon or the finger tips. Keep it far away from bland chicken dishes and delicate seafood like crabmeat.

Ginger: Although dried ginger hardly needs any introduction to a man who's eaten pumpkin pie or plum pudding, the fresh ginger root is a delightful adjunct to countless Chinese and Polynesian dishes. It's normally available in shops catering to the Oriental or Caribbean population.

Mace: The outer husk of the nutmeg, known as mace, can be used like nutmeg as a sprinkling for egg nogs or sherry flips. Spray it lightly into oyster stew or Welsh rabbit.

Marjoram: Tame orengano, appropriately called sweet marjoram because of its delicate aroma. In poultry stuffings or fish stuffings it plays a minor but very essential role.

Oregano: Distinctive in all pizzas and pasta sauces, oregano is almost brash in flavor. It is used effectively in braised dishes like Swiss steak or potted steak. Sprinkle it lightly into prepared canned tomato sauce. In a green salad – used warily – it adds a rustic Sicilian accent to the olive-oil dressing.

Paprika: Like cayenne, paprika is processed from a species of capsicum. Unlike cayenne, it's quite mild. Used by many cooks for its color – sprinkled over chops, steaks or fish before broiling to give added brownness – it's and innocuous pigment. The best Hungarian or Spanish paprikas, however, possess their own individual flavors. Indispensable in goulash, chicken paprikash, oyster or clam stew.

Rosemary: This thin spike of an herb possesses an all-out "herby" flavor. It has an especial affinity for lamb, but (continued on page 40) Life of Spice (continued from page 38) shouldn't be used with beef because of its bold pungency.

Sage: Available in whole leaves or in the powder known as rubbed sage, its faintly bitter taste is especially good in the stuffing for goose or duck. If you can get it fresh, sprinkle it into a veal stew or over veal scallopine.

Saffron: The most expensive of all spices, saffron contains a deep yellow pigment that colors all food it touches. Add saffron to rice dishes like arroz conpolio or risotto, remembering that a little pinch wilI flavor a cup of liquid. Its concentrated though mild flavor is essential in bouillabaisse.

Tarragon: One of the most aromatic of all herbs, tarragon enjoys its widest use perhaps in tarragon vinegar. Use it sparingly in marinades, ragouts and pot roasts. Add it to dressings for seafood salads and to tartar sauce.

Thyme: Could almost be called the Friday herb because of its widespread use in clam chowder. It goes equally well in finnan haddie chowder. Very satisfying in pasta sauces and in tomato aspics.

Turmeric: A member of the ginger family, ground turmeric is effective in chow chow, pickle relishes and curries. Add a dash of it to the hot mustard made from dry English mustard.

To use spices subtly doesn't mean that one must always use them in little wisps and snatches. Consider the French steak poivrade, in which freshly cracked whole pepper is liberally sprinkled over thick beef steaks, then pounded in with a mallet before the steaks are broiled – a perfect example of spices used boldly but not frivolously. Along the same lines a genuine beef goulash is doused with the best Hungarian paprika so generously that the paprika sinks into every atom of meat in the pot.

On the other hand, the classical bread sauce for pheasant and other game is a delicate compound of fresh white bread crumbs and milk or cream. And when an experienced game chef makes this bread sauce, he lowers a small onion into the milk just before it's scalded. Before the onion goes into the saucepan, however, he sneaks two whole cloves into the onion. In this case, his aromatique is as modest as it can be. Then, when the sauce is finished, the onion with its cloves is removed. The end product is a richly comforting taste with the inobtru-sive flavors merged in the most pleasant manner.

A common confusion among those to whom herbs and spices are a new and exciting territory, is the difference between flavoring and seasoning. Once this is understood – and it's a simple matter – the determination of correct amounts of condiments is more easily arrived at. When you season a dish, then, you are using condiments to enhance and bring out its natural taste and aroma. When you flavor a dish, you are imposing the taste of the flavoring agent on the taste buds, combining the basic taste of the foodstuff itself with the taste of the spice. Examples of flavored dishes are the curries and chili con came. Every dish you eat is seasoned in some way, if only with salt and pepper.

When all is said and done, the art of knowing how much of a particular spice or blend of spices goes into any dish must be more or less self-taught. But when in doubt, proceed with caution.

For the half-dozen happy recipes that follow, however, you need have no trepidation. Proceed with confidence, and expect to garner congratulations.

[recipe_title]Herb Butter[/recipe_title]

(1/2 cup)

1/4 lb. unsalted butter

2 teaspoons finely minced fresh chives

1/4 teaspoon dried chervil

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

Let butter stand at room temperature until soft enough to spread easily. Add the chives, chervil and coriander. Mix thoroughly with rubber spatula. Place in refreigerator, keep tightly covered and let stand at least two hours for the flavors to ripen. Spread generously on canapé wafers, thin sliced rye bread, or toast. Top with sliced canned ham or with small cornucopias of prosciutto ham. Then cut into small sections and serve at the martini hour.

[recipe_title]Cold Shrimp, Mustard Dressing[/recipe_title]

(Serves two)

1 lb. cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

1/4 cup diced celery

2 tablespoons minced green pepper

lettuce leaves

2 medium-size tomatoes

Beat the egg yolks well in a small bowl. (Use the egg whites in a pink lady for your date.) Gradually add the prepared mustard, dry mustard, turmeric, vinegar, sugar and onion salt. Beat until the mixture is smooth and completely free of lumps. Place the egg-yolk mixture in the top part of a double boiler over simmering water. The water in the bottom section should not touch the top section. Beat constantly with a wire whip until the mixture just begins to thicken. This may take less than a minute. Remove immediately from the fire. Turn the mixture into a bowl. Chill in the refrigerator. Mix the mustard sauce with the shrimp, celery and green pepper. Line a bowl with lettuce leaves, spoon the shrimp mixture over the lettuce, and garnish with tomato wedges.

[recipe_title]Corned Beef, Cabbage With Dill[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

2 six-oz. sealed packages sliced cooked corned beef

2-lb. head cabbage

1 Spanish onion

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon ground dill seed salt, pepper

monosodium glutamate

Remove any bruised or spotted outer leaves from the cabbage, and cut through the core into quarters. Remove the core sections and cut the cabbage into 1/2-in. slices. Cook in rapidly boiling salted water until just barely tender, about five to ten minutes. Do not cook to the limp stage. Drain the cabbage. Cut the onion in half through the stem end; then cut crosswise into thinnest possible slices. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, and sauté only until the onion is light yellow, not brown. Add the cabbage, cream andground dill seed. Simmer slowly, stirring well, until cabbage is heated through. Add salt, pepper and monosodium glutamate to taste.

Place the unopened packages of corned beef in rapidly boiling water. (Don't worry: the packaging won't melt.) Boil three to four minutes. Arrange the corned beef slices over cabbage on platter or serving plates. Freshly boiled parsley potatoes or boiled potatoes in the jacket usually flank this dish.

[recipe_title]Beef Sauté With Paprika[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

2 lbs. beef, top sirloin, sliced 1/8 in. thick, about 1 in. square

1 teaspoon meat tenderizer

2 tablespoons salad oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon

1 tablespoon paprika (Hungarian if possible)

10-3/4-oz. can beef-flavored mushroom gravy

1 cup tomato juice

1 cup water

2 teaspoons onion juice

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder salt, pepper

Put the meat in a large bowl. Very slowly sprinkle the meat tenderizer over the meat, rubbing it in well with a fork, and let stand at room temperature for one-half hour. Preheat an electric skillet at 350°. Add the oil and butter. When (concluded on page 89) Life of Spice (continued from page 40) the butter melts, add the parsley, tarragon and paprika. Stir well. Add the meat. Sauté, stirring constantly, until meat loses its red color. Add the mushroom gravy, tomato juice, water, onion juice and garlic powder. Simmer, covered, from fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper if desired. Serve with buttered noodles or rice. For buffet eaters this is one of those dishes that can be handled on the lap without the hazards of a knife.

[recipe_title]Swiss Fondue[/recipe_title]

(About One Pint)

1 lb. processed Swiss cheese

1/3 cup Rhine wine

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed (not seed)

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

dash cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons kirsch

Fondue is always eaten community fashion from a chafing dish or fondue dish. Each guest spears a chunk of bread with the end of a long-handled for, twirls the bread in the melted cheese until thickly coated, and then transports it to his mouth without ceremony.

Cut the cheese into 1/2-in. cubes (or squares if the cheese is sliced). If the processed cheese is used instead of the regular holey Swiss cheese, you'll be less likely to encounter those tough strings that tend to form when cheese is heated. Pour the wine into a chafing dish or fondue dish. When the wine is hot, add the garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, dried dill weed, celery salt and cayenne pepper. Stir well to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Add the cheese, and cook, stirring frequently, until cheese melts. Add the Kirsch. Keep the flame as low as possible, and begin dunking.

[recipe_title]Coffee With Cardamom[/recipe_title]

(Four demitasse cups)

2 cups (regular coffee-cup size) strong coffee

4 cardamom pods

1/4 cup cognac

2 tablespoons curacao

4 lumps sugar

Crack the cardamon pods and remove the dark inner seeds. Put the cardamom seeds, cognac, curacao and sugar in a chafing dish. Heat gently. When the liquor is hot, set it aflame. Let it blaze for about ten seconds. Pour the coffee over the liquor. Stir well. Bring the coffee up to the boiling point, but do not boil. Pour into demitasse cups. From canapes to coffee, your guests will agree that a good thyme was had by all.