NEWSLETTER: Winter 2008

• Ockkah Shortbread
• Nutritional Information
• Symposium of Gastronomy
• Orris Root Powder
• Three New Spice Kits

Anzac Day always brings on patriotic feelings and pride in our Australian-ness.  As we now have a Scottish son-in-law, we tinged our Anzac cooking to reflect our extended family, so instead of baking Anzac biscuits this year, we made some Scottish shortbread with Ockkah added, to rave reviews from everyone who tasted it.  Here’s the recipe, (basic shortbread recipe courtesy of www.lovetocook.co.uk )

OCKKAH SHORTBREAD

125g butter, softened
30g caster sugar
165g plain flour
20g ground rice
30g (1 Tbs) Ockkah or Dukkah
caster sugar, to decorate

There is now nutritional information for all our blends on our website.  You will need to find the product you’re interested in, then click on the name to bring up more information which will include the nutrition data.  The quantities are per 100 grams, so in most cases, that would equate to two or three packs of the spice blend.  Naturally, what would be in a single serving on your plate would be much less than the 100 gram rating.

Some of our newsletter recipients have attended a Symposium of Australian Gastronomy in past years.  It’s an informal group of like-minded foodies who get together in various parts of Australia every two years to talk about food and eat plenty of it!  This October (26-29) the 16^th symposium will focus on the Hunter Valley of NSW, and plans are under way to fill it with interesting talk and fabulous local food.  For more information, check out the website, www.huntersag.com.au

We recently reeled under a huge increase in the price of orris root powder, (a small but vital ingredient in both our Ras el Hanout and Ras el Hanout Super), owing to shortage of supply.  Shortages of herbs and spices can affect us for many reasons, the obvious ones being drought, flood, hurricane and disease. But we thought you might find it interesting to see the reason given for the orris root crisis, which gives a different slant on it.  “Being wild-crafted, the collection was and still is mainly done by private people going out in order to make some extra money.  But more and more people are not prepared any more to go outside as in certain countries, mainly the East Europe, the social systems are guaranteeing enough income for them to exist and not making it necessary to continue the collection.  … But also political circumstances in certain countries, like civil wars, riots, etc are making materials short and high priced as people are frightened for their security and life, and not prepared to go out for collection.” 

We have three new spice kits in our collection!

In the red box, we have Thrilling Grilling – Barbecue for Blokes creating quite a stir, giving the food-loving bloke (or his Sheila) a chance to be King of the Grill with some tasty, fool-proof and stylish recipes to delight any carnivore. Thrilling Grilling is an addition to the existing $30.00 range.

And in our beautiful teal-coloured box, we have Take Five – Spice Kit for Busy People, based on five of our best-selling spice blends, five working days, five easy and delicious weekday meal recipes, plus another recipe for each on the back of the pack.  The recipe options continue to expand, as by substituting one spice mix for another, a meal can take on a whole new profile. It looks like a $30 kit, but take five away for the Take Five Kit, which sells for $25.00.  

Reflecting the number of enquiries we have for salt-free spice blends, we have created the Super Salt-Free kit to enable those on salt-reduced diets to have tasty and healthy options. We enjoyed creating and testing the recipes and discovering (to our surprise) just how delicious a meal can be without salt. It’s in the $30.00 range and is packed in an ochre box. 

What’s new at Herbie’s?  A huge fanfare, please, for Tonka Beans, previously unavailable in Australia.  This black bean, about 2 cm long, has an exotic bitter-almond, marzipan-like flavour, and can be added to sweet dishes in much the same way as vanilla.  Either infuse the whole bean, or grate finely to add to milky desserts or macaroons, meringues and cakes.  One of our customers made a Haitian Coconut dessert using tonka beans, and reported back huge accolades and success.  Less exotic, but just as good, as our new Family Friendly Stir-Fry, requested by customers who love our Sichuan Chilli Spice Mix and our Red and Green Curries, but wanted a low-chilli blend their children would enjoy too.  With a little sugar for caramelizing, and a zing of kaffir lime, it’s a winner whether you’re a kid or not. 

This winter, remember the slow-cook comfort food spices, especially Baharat, Ras el Hanout Super, Tagine, Tunisian, Herbs de Provence, Sambar, Italian Spice Mix … and, of course, all the curries!  Happy spicing …

Herbie and Liz