Category: Gluten Free

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Spice Blends from our Demonstrations

Each day, we demonstrate how to make various spice blends over an open fire.  An earlier entry – http://alicethecook.com/?p=801 talks about how we do it, but doesn’t necessarily cover the recipes.  Due to popular demand, below are the spices we demonstrate (and sell) at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

Spices change based on the tastes of individuals and family units. Some prefer savory tastes and others prefer a spicier blend.  You can adjust accordingly. 

Toasting the garam masala spices

Please remember that you need to use a hot, dry cast iron plate for toasting these spices. 

  1. Gather your spices
  2. Toast the spices
  3. Grind up the spice.  You can use an electronic grinder, but make sure you do not use a coffee grinder.  Keep them separate so that you can enjoy both. 
  4. Use the spices as needed

As the spices age after grinding, they diminish potency significantly over time.  Most of the ingredients can be purchased through a co-op or a spice specialty store, such as Penzey’s Spices or Spice House; I’ve also had a lot of luck locating hard-to-find spices through Amazon.com.

If you to make more spices make sure you freeze your spices in an airtight bag to minimize the loss of flavor.

  • Garam Masala: cumin, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, chilies, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg
    In the case of garam masala, you would toast the spices together and grind them.
  • Curry:  sea salt, mustard seeds, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, garlic, ginger, and cumin
    In the case of the curry, you would begin toasting the mustard seeds until they begin to pop.  You would then add the salt, coriander, garlic, ginger, and cumin.  As a note, I would strongly recommend using dried spices instead of fresh ginger and garlic as they will scorch on a hot pan. Once toasted, I would begin grinding and then add the garam masala and the turmeric after. 
  • Ras El Hanout: cinnamon, cloves, corriader, cumin seeds, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom (use sparingly), ginger, fennugreek, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, dried Damascus rose petals, and optional chilis
    Like the garam masala, these would be toasted and ground together.  The rose petals will float to the top and be the last ingredient to grind.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

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Red Cabbage (Oktoberfest)

Ingredients:

Tasty red cabbage made on September 22, 2012.

2 1/2 oz. bacon, either American or German “Bauchspeck”, chopped
1/2 c. onion, diced
4 c. shredded red cabbage, about 1 lb.
1/2 c. dry, red wine
1/2 c. apple juice
1 T. honey
1 bay leaf
4 cloves
Ground black pepper
1 apple, peeled and quartered

Preparation:
Brown bacon in a dutch oven (to make a vegetarian option, use tbsp of olive oil instaed of bacon). Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in red wine and juice to deglaze, add the spices, sugar and apple.

Simmer on stove top for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Keep the liquids one finger width (1/2 inch) deep, adding apple juice or water. Adjust seasonings. Serve hot.

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Field Mushrooms with Hazelnuts

Field mushrooms with hazelnuts. Created September 15, 2012.

Another recipe from this past weekend.  A delicious side dish that compliments the entrée nicely.  I prefer to use this recipe with wild game.

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves
grated rind of one lemon
6 tbsp olive oil
6 large field (button) mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and ground black pepper

Crush the garlic cloves with a little salt using a mortar and pestle or on a chopping board.  Place the crushed garlic in a small bowl and stir in the grated lemon rind and the olive oil.  Allow the items to steep for one hour.  In a large fry pan, place the mushrooms in the pan and drizzle 4 tbsp of the garlic and oil mixture on top of the mushrooms and sauté for 5-10 minutes.

Add the hazelnuts and the additional oil mixture to the pan and sauté for another 5-10 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.  Add salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Serve immediately with the quails or game hens.   Serves 4

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Orange and Rosemary Game Hens

Final dish of the orange rosemary game hen (cut in half), field mushrooms with hazelnuts, and port wine poached pears. Created September 16, 2012.

A very simple dish to make.  We created enough for 4-8 depending on the size of the rest of the meal and the appetites of your guests.

Ingredients:
4 game hens
2 cups of orange juice
1 tsp garam masala (can be found in most ethnic food sections)
4 oranges
1 large leeks, diced (a very mild onion flavored vegetable)
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Black pepper (to taste)

Marinate the hens in 2 cups of orange juice for at least 4 hours.  While marinating, remove the zest and juice from the oranges.  In a large pot or Dutch oven, place the hens with a trivet at the bottom to prevent sticking.

Add the majority of the zest (reserve 2 TB of orange zest) and fresh juice along with 1 cup of water.  Tear the rosemary in half and add to the mixture.

Cook until the hens reach 160 degrees.  Pull off the heat and let set for 5 minutes before serving, sprinkling the 2 TB zest and garam masala to the dish and serve family style along with some rustic bread and red wine.

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Port Poached Pears

Poached Pears at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival – September 15, 2012

This past weekend was Wine, Romance, and Chocolate weekend at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.  We created quite a few recipes and this is one of many. 

The Port Poached Pears continue to be one of my favorite recipes, and yet it is fairly easy to make:

Ingredients:
4-6 Pears, peeled (recommend Bosc or Anjou)
1 1/2 cups of red wine (recommend Merlot or Port)
3/4 cups of granulated sugar
2 tbsp of lemon juice (can also add lemon zest if desired)
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp of ground cinnamon or 3 sticks of whole cinnamon
1/2 tsp of whole cloves
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients, except pears, and bring to a boil. Once the wine mixture is boiling, turn heat down to a simmer and add the pears. Simmer pears for 10-12 minutes and then turn pears and simmer for an additional 8-10 minutes – until they are tender. Remove pears and let them cool. Boil wine sauce until the liquid has been reduced by half. Pour sauce over pears and serve.