Spicing up my life

Treasures from North Africa and even the Horn to change up my eating routine a little. Most of my meals are based on (or inspired by) Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine with a touch of Indian and other Asian influences.

My newest batch of spices is going to augment those. Indeed, the North African ones are still from the Mediterranean region, and while the Ethiopian spices are from the Horn on the other coast, somehow they all fit together.

First up is Chermoula

This blend consists of very fresh and aromatic spices that are mixed in authentic proportions. I am going to use this on a side of salmon and will start by mixing one and a half tablespoons of this blend into a puree of a cup each of fresh cilantro and parsley, a few garlic cloves and three tablespoons of olive oil. I'll spread this paste in both sides of your fish and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. I do not own a tagine, so my strategy is to prepare it en papillote using parchment paper.

The next spice coming is harissa paste

This one I am probably not going to share unless my guests are adventurous and love spicy fare. This is not for folks who like a touch of Tabasco or jalapenos. This paste is up there with habeneros for heat, but imparts wonderful flavors that you would never obtain from anything made with that pepper.

I have some specific plans for the Ethiopian Berberé

I'll confess that I am more familiar with North African cuisine than dishes from the Horn (although I have spent time on both Kenya and Somalia many decades ago.)

The one recipe in which this excels is in simlins - a common dish from the US South that is made of squash and onions. The authentic recipe calls for fatback as the base, but I do not eat meat, so I make mine with olive oil. I layer yellow squash and onions sprinkled with salt and pepper for the traditional way. However, I eliminate the salt and pepper and use this instead (in much smaller amounts because it does not take much). I cook over a low heat - uncovered - for two hours and the results are fantastic.

My inspiration for using this mix stem from my late grandmother's habit of sprinkling nutmeg over the traditional way before serving. This blend takes that to a whole new level.

The final spice is the essence of Moroccan and North African cuisine: Ras El Hanout

There are so many uses for this spice that I cannot begin to list them all. Suffice to say that it will add an authentic touch to any Sicilian dish, and is essential to Moroccan dishes.

I am pondering one of these - still on the fence, but if I were a betting man I would bet this is my next purchase: a Moroccan tagine