The history of spice is almost as old as human civilisation – it is a history of lands discovered, empires built and destroyed, wars won and lost and the rise and fall of various religious beliefs.
Spices were among the most valuable items of trade in ancient and Medieval times…some spices still are. We all know saffron is the world’s most expensive spice – 1kg will set you back about $3500 – but did you know the second most costly spice is vanilla.
Whether you like heat, sweetness or exotic flavours from other lands, there is a spice to suit any dish. Here are four spicy recipes to heat up dinner time for family and friends:
Everyone loves chilli pork belly and this recipe is sure to be a dinner winner; while it takes a little preparation with the pork belly marinating in yum yum sauce for 12 hours, the results are well worth the effort. Serve as an entrée to start a memorable meal, or add rice and salad for a main to salivate over.
Chraime – fish in spicy tomato sauce - is a classic Jewish dish, with a sweet, spicy sauce and complex warm spices such as cayenne pepper. This recipe combines fresh and canned tomatoes, red peppers, garlic, cayenne and coriander to make the sauce for filleted white fish, best served with tahini and crusty sourdough bread.
The fish can be replaced with prawns, calamari, or octopus and when tomatoes are in season, make a larger batch of sauce to freeze for future meals.
Grab a tequila and sit back to enjoy these quesadillas, filled with chimichurri, prawns and melted cheese, topped with a squeeze of chipotle crema. Chimichurri is very easy to make – just blitz parsley, coriander, raw garlic, fresh jalapeño, canola oil and salt in a blender until paste consistency. It can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for about a week and makes a great accompaniment to steak.
Meaning ‘top shelf’ in Arabic, ras el hanout is a vibrant, earthy mix of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, allspice, black pepper, sweet and hot paprika, turmeric and ginger. Used in Moroccan cooking, try this recipe for spicy and flavoursome beef stew on a cold Winter’s night and watch the delight on faces around the table; serve with creamy mash and steamed vegetables.
For more recipes with a hit of spice, click here.
