The Perfect Pantry

Garam masala (Recipe: tandoori-spiced grilled lamb)

Updated from the archives, with new recipe, photos and links.

What happens when a good-for-nothing handsome hunk like Mac finds himself in possession of an empty flat and access to three gorgeous air hostesses, Priti, Sweety and Puja?

I have no idea, but you will, if you settle in with Garam Masala, a three-hour, Bollywood movie extravaganza. Indian movies that combine song and dance, love triangles, drama, comedy, and daredevil thrills are called masala movies, because, like masalas — spice blends — they are a mixture of many things.

Visit one hundred kitchens in India, and you'll find one hundred different versions of garam masala, the spice mixture at the heart of northern Indian and Pakistani cooking.

Juniper berries (Recipe: lamb stew)

Guest post and photos by Marcia in Rhode Island.

Every family has one. A non-conformist.

In the pine family, juniper is the rebel. Unlike its cousin, the slender and erect red cedar, juniper spreads low to the ground, sloppily, in all directions. Another cousin, white pine, can be lumbered, while juniper is almost impossible to uproot. And a third cousin, hemlock, has feathery soft needles; juniper’s are nasty, vicious little things.

Most of the pine cousins have woody cones that send seeds flying into the wind; the fruits start off as a cluster of fleshy scale, and when they dry out, they look like the familiar pine cones.

Juniper holds its cones tightly on the branches; the scales stay fleshy and look like berries, but they’re not. What we call juniper berries are actually soft purplish “pine cones”.

Lavender, and a purple haze (Recipe: pork tenderloin with lavender grilled peaches)

Please welcome Marcia, who with this post joins The Perfect Pantry as guest blogger. She lives up the road from me, in a lovely old house with several vegetable and flower gardens, surrounded by acres of woodland. Professionally, she's been a teacher, children's librarian, naturalist and goat farmer. An avid cook and baker, Marcia will share stories and recipes once a month or so.

Guest post and photos by Marcia in Rhode Island

Lavender is a frivolous yet ever-present staple in my pantry. Occasionally my garden yields a few tablespoons, just enough for lavender madeleines when I’m feeling peckish and reminiscent, but most of the time, I buy buds and flowers embalmed in plastic packets.   

Until today.
   
“Pick your own lavender and distill the color of our garden into your kitchen,” promised the ad that ran in our local paper a couple of weeks ago.

And I’d been waiting. Because I am sure you don’t pick lavender on just any day.

If you’ve read Beyond the Paw-Paw Trees, then you know that something unusual always happens when the sky is lavender blue. This morning the early light shifted from gold to lavender-ish. At last! I gathered up basket and scissors, and drove through the rolling farmlands of eastern Connecticut.

Saffron (Recipe: lamb tagine with prunes and apricots)

In numerology, three can be lucky or unlucky.

Bad luck comes in threes, they say, but the third time's a charm.

For saffron, three is an auspicious number -- the number of stigmas, what we recognize as saffron threads, in each crocus flower.

Only three. Which is why it takes more than 70,000 flowers to yield one pound of saffron. Which is why saffron is the most expensive spice in the world.

According to the informative site Vanilla Saffron, Crocus sativus flowers in the Fall in many different countries, including Greece, India, Iran and Spain. Each flower contains three stigmas (the female part of the flower), the only part of the crocus that when dried become commercial saffron. Each bright red stigma is like a little capsule that encloses the complex chemicals that make up saffron's aroma, flavor, and yellow dye. In order to release these chemicals, you must steep the threads.

The male part of the saffron flower, the deep yellow stamens, are half the size of the stigmas and have no culinary value. Unfortunately, they are sometimes added to the red stigmas to increase the weight of commercial saffron. When you purchase saffron, look for the deepest red and uniform color; you want all-girl saffron.

In the kitchen, a little saffron goes a long way. To be sure it's evenly distributed throughout a dish, steep the threads in hot water for a few minutes, then add both the threads and the liquid to your recipe. Saffron pairs well with many foods, including almond, yogurt , rice and grains, cinnamon, pistachio, potatoes and tomatoes.

Store saffron in an airtight container, away from heat or light, and it will last for more than a year in your pantry. After that, the flavor will diminish somewhat, so increase the amount called for in your recipe. If you have the option, do not buy powdered saffron; the quality is often inferior, and the pungency degrades quickly as soon as the threads are ground.

Twice in the past couple of months, I've received the gift of saffron, from my traveling sister-in-law Jill and my traveling friend Candy. So, I now have three different saffrons in the pantry, from three different parts of the world (left to right in the photo above): Vietnam, India and Spain.

Could a pantry be more lucky than that?

LAMB TAGINE WITH PRUNES AND APRICOTS
It was such fun to prepare and serve this in my ceramic tagine, but a heavy Dutch oven also works well for this low-and-slow cooking. If you're going to cook in the tagine, start the recipe in a frying pan and transfer contents to the tagine base, as indicated below. Recipe adapted from Tagine: Spicy Stews from Morocco, by Ghillie Basan. Serves 4, with couscous.

1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp blanched almonds
1 large red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
A thumb-size piece of ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
A pinch of saffron threads
2 cinnamon sticks
1-2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 lb boneless leg of lamb, or boneless lamb shanks, cubed
12 pitted prunes, soaked in hot water for 1 hour, drained
6 dried apricots, soaked in hot water for 1 hour, drained
3-4 strips orange peel
1-2 Tbsp agave nectar or dark honey
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Handful of flat-leaf parsley or cilantro leaves, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or Dutch oven, stir in the almonds, and cook until they turn golden. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté until they begin to color (do not burn the garlic). Stir in the ginger, saffron, cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds. Add the lamb, making sure it is coated in the onion and spices, and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

If you are using a frying pan, transfer everything to the base of a ceramic tagine.

Pour in enough water to just cover the meat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to lowest simmer, cover the tagine or Dutch oven, and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Add the prunes, apricots and orange peel, cover the tagine again, and simmer 15-20 minutes. Stir in the agave or honey, salt and pepper, cover, and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce turns syrupy and slightly caramelized, but not dry. Stir in the parsley or cilantro, and serve with couscous or bread.

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Lydia's Pie-ella
Risotto alla Milanese
Pomegranate fish
Paella a la Valenciana
Chicken with preserved lemon and olives

Cowboy ketchup (Recipe: Southwestern spicy pulled pork)

I'm not really a cowboy kind of gal.

Neither the films of John Wayne nor the books of Louis L'Amour do much for me. Ask me the difference between a lasso and a lariat, and I'll have to check my dictionary.

So, when I tell you that if -- when -- you visit Oklahoma City, you absolutely, positively, must get yourself to the National Cowboy Museum, you'll know that this is one seriously cool place. The size of a football field, the museum greets hundreds of thousands of visitors each year with galleries specializing in the rodeo, art and sculpture, history, cowboy clothing and equipment, and music. There's even a library of barbed wire styles.

It's a spectacular and comprehensive museum, yet there's one thing missing.

Cowboy ketchup.

In the great tradition of cowboy storytellers, I'd love to spin a yarn about this amazing condiment, how it was invented by accident, when stampeding buffalo kicked over bottles of ketchup, mustard and barbecue sauce, and all happened to land in the same pot of beans cooking slowly over a campfire.

The truth is that it was invented not in some home on the range, but in a small kitchen here in Rhode Island, by chef Linda Kane of Sauce on the Side. Linda's idea -- brilliant! -- was to take everything you'd want to put on a burger, and combine it into a single condiment.

Indispensable though a pantry full of condiments might be, The Perfect Pantry only has room for items used as ingredients. Cowboy Ketchup, which contains tomato, mustard seed, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, lime, garlic and more, turns out to be a great addition to meatloaf and chili, and other recipes that might call for the flavors of smoke, sweetness, and tomato. It's delicious in split pea soup, too.

The original formulation of this sauce contained high fructose corn syrup, but Sauce on the Side has worked with its co-packer to reformulate their product, which this spring will appear on store shelves without the dreaded HFCS. With no trans fats, Cowboy Ketchup has only 20 calories and five carbs per tablespoon, slightly more than plain ketchup -- but nobody would call this plain.

Available in supermarkets and specialty stores throughout Rhode Island, Cowboy Ketchup can be yours by ordering directly from the web site, or from Only in Rhode Island, which carries a whole range of foods created right here in the Ocean State.

Yippee-i-o-ki-yay.

SOUTHWESTERN SPICY PULLED PORK
A great recipe, adapted ever so slightly from the Sauce on the Side web site, for sandwiches or a main dish with rice and cornbread. Serves 10.

2 lbs pork shoulder roast
1 bottle Cowboy Ketchup
Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
Rhode Island Red Hot Sauce, hot or mild, or other Tabasco-type hot sauce, to taste (optional)

Place the meat in a slow cooker, and add remaining ingredients. Cover, and cook on low for 10 hours. Shred meat and remove fat.

Serve the shredded pork on a sandwich, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and cole slaw, with extra Cowboy Ketchup on the side.

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Floribean chicken chili
Everything-from-the-pantry bean soup

Bay leaves (Recipe: bay leaf crusted pork roast)

If it weren't for Apollo, and his frustrated libido, there would be no bay leaves in The Perfect Pantry.

According to mythology, Cupid, taunted by Apollo for childish behavior, exacted revenge by drawing from his quiver two arrows — a golden one for love, and a leaden one to repel love. He aimed the golden arrow at Apollo, and the other at the nymph Daphne, beautiful daughter of the river god Peneus.

Struck by Cupid's dart, Apollo lusted after Daphne, who, thanks to Cupid's trickery, couldn't stand the sight of any man and so made her father promise never to force her to marry. Apollo's desire drove him to pursue the nymph; he chased her, running faster and faster, threatening to overtake. And just when she was within his grasp, she called on her father: "Help me, Peneus! Open the earth to enclose me, or change my form, which has brought me into this danger."

Immediately, her body became stiff and encased in bark, her hair turned to leaves, her feet to roots. Peneus had kept his word, and changed her into a bay laurel tree. Apollo — distraught, bewitched, and besotted — decreed that the leaves of the bay laurel would remain forever green. He wove leaves into a crown and wore it always; thus, a crown of bay leaves became a symbol of honor. And in honor of Apollo, laurel wreaths were presented to the victors at the first Olympics in 776 B.C., and they are given to marathon winners to this day.

Poor Apollo, but lucky us.

Most common in the pantry, and found in every kitchen pantry in every region of the world, dried Mediterranean bay leaves, from the Laurus nobilis tree, have a sweet and rich aroma, with very slight overtones of nutmeg and camphor. The leaves actually mellow as they dry; fresh leaves taste more bitter, and should be used sparingly.

The California bay leaf grows on a related tree, Umbellularia californica; the longer, slender leaves are most often used fresh. More potent than the Mediterranean leaves, they also contain umbellulone, which, according to the Field Guide to Herbs & Spices, can cause convulsive sneezing, headaches, and sinus irritation when inhaled deeply.

Bay leaves yield their flavor slowly, which explains their popularity in soups, stews, pickling brines, and marinades. A fundamental component of bouquet garni, bay leaves pair well with beef, poultry, fish, lamb, lentils, tomatoes, and beans. 

It's a personal preference, but I find the fresh California leaves too pungent; I'm partial to the smoother flavor of Turkish leaves for all uses. To string them on shish kabob skewers, soften dried leaves by soaking in warm water for 20-30 minutes. Dried bay leaves will keep for a year if stored in an airtight container away from heat. I buy large bags from Penzeys, and divide them among friends.

BAY LEAF CRUSTED PORK ROAST
This recipe, from Everyday Food magazine (December 2006), uses bay leaves as an actual ingredient rather than a toss-into-the-pot seasoning. A coating like this would work well on a turkey roulade, too. Serves 8.
    
8 garlic cloves, peeled
8 dried bay leaves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 medium onions, peeled (root ends left intact), each cut into 8 wedges
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 pork rib roast with 8 ribs (4 1/2 to 5 pounds), backbone removed, ribs Frenched (*see note, below)
2 cups fresh parsley leaves
1 cup Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 375°F. Using a chef's knife, finely chop garlic and bay leaves together. Gather into a pile; sprinkle with 2 tsp coarse salt and 1/2 tsp ground pepper. Using the flat side of the knife blade, mash mixture into a paste. Set aside.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss onions with 2 Tbsp oil; season with salt and pepper. Push onions to the edges of baking sheet. Place pork in center of sheet, fatty side up; rub top with remaining oil, and press on garlic mixture, coating evenly.

Roast, dabbing occasionally with pan juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of meat (avoiding bones) registers 140°F (temperature will rise 10 to 15 degrees as roast rests), 65 to 75 minutes. (If browning too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil.) Transfer roast and onions to serving platter; let rest, loosely covered with foil, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend parsley and mustard until smooth; season with salt and pepper.

Cut roast into chops, and serve with mustard sauce.

*Note: Ask the butcher to leave some fat on top of the pork to keep it moist during roasting, and, for easier carving afterward, to remove the chine bone (or backbone). For an elegant presentation, have the butcher "French" the rib bones, which means to scrape off the gristle and fat.