Spice G - H

Garlic chips. Garlic is the dried root of Allium sativum, a member of the lily family. Garlic grows in a bulb that consists of a number of cloves. Each clove is protected by a layer of skin, but all are held together in one larger unit by additional layers of skin. Use Garlic Chips in pasta sauces, stews, and soups. Mix with oil, vinegar, and Italian spices to make salad dressing. Garlic is used in cuisines throughout the world. It is indispensable spice in Chinese, Italian, and Mexican foods.

Garlic pepper is a wonderful blend makes a terrific topping for toasted French bread. You notice the crunch of the quarter cracked black pepper first, and then the garlic flavour becomes apparent to your taste buds. As the pepper is broken down, the garlic flavour changes to the familiar spicy black pepper taste. Garlic reasserts itself only to fade again as onion, spicy peppers, and salt take the stage, leaving a spicy finish with hints of garlic. Use in toasts, roasted chicken and pork.

Ginger is the dried knobbly shaped root of the perennial herb Zingiber officinale. The plant grows two to three feet tall. Once the leaves of the plant die, the thick roots, about 6 inches long, are dug up. Crystallized Ginger is fresh gingerroot cooked in syrup and dried. Ginger is used in Indian curries, and Chinese, Japanese, and European spice blends. During the 15th century, gingerbread became a gift of love and respect. In the 1800's, Ginger was commonly sprinkled on top of beer or ale, then stirred into the drink with a hot poker - thus the invention of ginger ale.

Ground nutmeg is the seed of the fruit, which grows on the tree Myristica fragans, the same fruit from which Mace is derived. The oval shaped seeds have a sweet, spicy flavour. When ripe, the fruit splits in half exposing the netlike membrane or aril known as the mace. The mace closely enwraps a dark brown, brittle shell inside of which is the single, glossy, brown, oily seed or the Nutmeg. Commonly used in sweet foods and enhances savoury foods. Nutmeg blends well with other spices and is found in the ethnic cuisines of Italy, the Caribbean, France, India, Germany, Scandinavia, Greece, Latin America, and the Middle East. Connecticut is known as "The Nutmeg State" owing to the tradition that slick Yankee peddlers would sell whittled wooden "nutmegs" to unsuspecting housewives. Nutmeg is a mild baking spice and is used in sausages, meats, soups, and preserves. Nutmeg is commonly added to eggnog, puddings, and fruit pies. It is popular in The Netherlands and Italy, where it is used in vegetables, puddings, and stews.

Harissa spice is found all over North Africa, Harrisa is a useful condiment adding heat and flavour when used in a similar way to mustard. Harissa can vary from being brutally hot to fairly innocent and this mix has a definite heat but also a depth of flavour and sweetness from the garlic and caraway. Mix the spices with a splash of hot water to a paste, then cover with a thin layer of olive oil. As long as the oil covers the surface, the sauce should keep for at least 2 weeks in a fridge. Rub the dry mix over lamb or beef before cooking - hot but delicious! Use the sauce in place of mustard at the table or as a condiment to spice up barbequed meats, rice, couscous etc. Thin the sauce with more olive oil and a squeeze of lemon to make a superb spicy dressing for salads. Use in sandwiches in place of mustard - very good with roast meats in particular. Add a little to top a soup or stir in a spoonful to a stew to add heat and depth of flavour.