Our visit to the mastic producers on the Greek island of Chios was a great learning experience. Although, naturally, our interest is in mastic’s use as a food, it is also valued for its use in varnish for musical instruments, as a paint stabilizer, and an ingredient in cosmetics, soaps and insecticides, amongst other things. Also hailed as “the world’s healthiest spice”, we certainly enjoyed the complimentary shot of mastic liqueur offered to assist our digestion after many meals on the island!
Dragging ourselves away from picturesque fishing villages and simple, perfect meals of freshly-caught seafood and Greek salads, we explored the inland of this small island. Even from a distance, the mastic plantations can be easily seen, as the ground beneath each tree is spread with a white, powdery type of kaolin clay, so that the tears of mastic, having seeped from wounds made in the bark, fall on to this clean surface. The trees are generally about 2 metres high, and the dense, dark-leaved foliage creates a kind of cubby-house effect around the trunk. Into this low space the farmer crawls with his dustpan and brush, and sweeps the fallen mastic up, to be sieved, laid in shallow trays, and stored in the coolest possible area (often a cellar under his house), until it is cleaned during winter and prepared for sale.
Warm 1 cup of olive oil and add 1 tablespoon of mastic tears. Store in a corked or lidded bottle, away from heat and light. The oil will develop a beautiful thick and silky texture, (shake before using), and will cling to your salad vegetables in a very appealing way. In time for summer, try this elegant, aromatic and delicious soup. (Tip: keep your mastic well chilled to ensure easier grinding.)
Taking a hop from the Aegean Sea to the Adriatic Sea, we visited Croatia and enjoyed the amazing hospitality of a family of sage-gatherers on the island of Kornati. The Dalmatian coast of Croatia is renowned for the quality of the tough little native sage plants which grow wild on the dramatically-bare islands, and we can attest first-hand to the pungency and potency of the sage leaves. The leaves are cut, one handful at a time, on the slopes of the steep Kornati hillsides, and this small harvest is either dried in its whole-leaf form to make tea, or distilled to make potent sage oil for medicinal purposes. They also make a waterbased Hydrosol, of which we can assure the efficacy in the treatment of sore throat! There will be a video clip of our visit on our website before too long, or to see more of what they are doing, or to order their beautiful product, visit their website, en.kadulja.com
Our new baby, the seasonal Box of Ideas, is going from strength to strength. The idea is that there is only one box at any time … the autumn box finishes to make way for winter, and the winter box falls away to make way for spring, etc. The Box of Ideas – Summer is a perfect introduction to the world of spices for someone this Christmas. Containing Laksa Spice Mix, Sumac, Lemon Myrtle Ground, Garlic Steak Seasoning and Spice Dust, it’s bursting with recipes and bright ideas for delicious summer salads and light meals.
We’ve sourced a lovely green Jalapeno Chilli Powder and added it to our range … it’s in the recipe above.. Add a pinch to guacamole for extra kick!
Our great selection of spice kits, with their varied themes and range of prices, is always a great gift idea at this time of year. To help take the stress out of your Christmas shopping, you may like to peruse the list and make your notes, then simply phone or email our shop with your requirements. Your order can be assembled so that you can pick them up in superefficient time, or posted out to you to save you the trip. Remember the postman is very busy at this time of year, so don’t leave it to the last week before Christmas to order!
Many cooks find the terms allspice and mixed spice confusing. They are not different names for the same thing. Allspice berries have a flavour and aroma that brings cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to mind, therefore they have a name that suggests they encompass many spice flavours … allspice. Mixed spice is exactly what the name implies, a mixture of sweet spices – cassia, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves, all in a bed of beautiful amalgamating coriander seed. So for your sweet Christmas cooking, don’t think of allspice as an alternative to mixed spice.
More confusion arises because the French name for allspice is tout epices, and it is confused with the spice blend Quatre Epices. To make it even more tangled, there are two different Quatre Epices blends – one sweet and one savoury. The sweet blend is deeper and richer than Mixed Spice, as it is a blend of just allspice, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. For our Christmas cake and pudding, we use half-and-half Mixed Spice and Quatre Epices Sweet for a deliciously rich, important spice flavour.
What more is there to say, apart from wishing you a safe, happy, and most importantly, tasty festive season?
May 2014 be a good year for us all!
Herbie and Liz
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Baharat, also known as Lebanese Seven Spice or Advieh, has become one of the many ‘go-to’ spice blends along with Ras el Hanout and Chermoula. Herbie, always up to date or ahead with spice trends, was asked to contribute this article to Australian Gourmet Traveller in 1999. Yes, 24 years ago! This is the article: Legendary spice merchant and blender, Ian (Herbie) Hemphill, has
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We’re all in accord about single-use plastics. Having seen huge drifts of plastic in the pristine seas off the Indonesian islands, we know just how important it is to get rid of those shopping bags, plastic wraps and sandwich bags. When one gets emotional about bad plastics, it’s easy to begin to demonize all plastics, and perhaps it’s timely to repeat this message from our Newsletter of some years ago.
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We invite you to join us, Herbie and Liz, as we return to our beloved India to take you to some places where many tourists don’t go! And some amazing places that you just can’t miss. This is designed as a holiday, not an endurance test, and we have made the itinerary a little more leisurely than some earlier tours, so that you arrive home refreshed and well. Be a part of our small group and join the fun!
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Besides being a popular spice for Yotam Otolenghi, Aleppo Pepper is becoming the go-to chilli for many cooks and food lovers. Why would a style of chilli be called a pepper? After all it is not a peppercorn! Let’s start with a bit of background. You may recall that Christopher Columbus was sailing west to get to the Indonesian spice islands, because he guessed
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LATEST RECIPES FROM KATE AT HERBIE’S KITCHEN For people with intolerances or special diets, spices are an excellent way of adding flavour when avoiding a variety of other ingredients Our Recipe Page has a handy check box for vegetarian, vegan, nut free, dairy free, gluten free, keto, paleo, low-fodmap and healthy eating categories (please bear in mind we are not trained in nutrition, and
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LATEST RECIPES FROM KATE HEMPHILL AT HERBIE’S KITCHEN Longer evenings are just beginning, and depending on where you are, perhaps you’re eating dinner outside already. It’s also a time that we look to lighter fare (although to us curry is definitely a year-round meal); with crunchy salads, fresh seasonal veg, and grills on the menu. Check out our Al Fresco Dining Spice Kit, which
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