Back to Hogwarts: A Magical Cookery Class in Herbs and Spices
I’m in my happy place blending herbs and spices. For me, they embody the mysteries of the alchemical kitchen. All I have to do is get down a few bottles of bark, seeds, berries and leaves and I’m in my version of Hogwarts. In magical cookery class learning the ancient arts of herb and spice concocting. (Has anyone watched “Just Add Magic”? It’s a favorite, I binge watched all three seasons, so now I rewatch folding laundry.)
As a real-life professor of magical cookery, I’m giving you permission to try the following lesson at home:
How to create magical seasoning salts
First things First
The most important step is to gather yourself, ingredients and equipment. Sure, you can go to the Food Coop and buy fresh whole herbs and spices in the bulk section, and I would recommend this as the place to start, but if you want them to keep their magical properties, then follow this three-part process.
Use your Imagination
Get carried into the realms of lore. Read up on the histories and uses of each herb or spice you buy. Learn where it grows, what it looks like in its native home. How is it used? Where is it used? Is there any folklore or mythology surrounding it? Does it have medicinal or magical properties? Do they require moonlight?
Here are three texts I’d recommend for this purpose
Flower Power by Anne McIntyre
The Complete Book of Spices by Jill Norman
Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine by Andrew Chevalier
Touch Taste Smell
Experience the aromas. Rub herbs together, crush and smell. Try to identify spices without labels, or put a blindfold on and guess by only using touch and smell with friends and family.
Collect special tins or jars to store your spices in.
Design your own labels for whole spices and favorite blends. Label making is an art form in itself.
Play
Yes you. 9/10 s of magic is the ability to play. A mortar and pestle is classic, but a good electric spice grinder is wizardry.
I love this one made by Secura It has two removable stainless steel bowls, one is for wet pastes and the other for dry spices. I own two of these beauties.
● Try toasting some spices before grinding. I always toast cumin.
● Grind a spice or herb up and then smell.
● When tasting try on popcorn with a little salt. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for the flavors to meld.
Play by the Rules
Magic has rules and here are some good ones.
Start with whole spices. The oils in herbs and spices give us flavor, and those oils go bad after a while. Throw away your old pre-ground spices. They aren’t magical! The exceptions are: cinnamon powder, turmeric powder, garlic powder, sumac powder. Everything else you should buy whole and grind yourself.
When starting out: master classic recipes first. Use excellent recipes and experiment later. It’s important to learn how others combine spices and in what ratios. After you’ve blended from recipes for a while, then follow your own creativity. Soon it’ll become second nature.
There are excellent recipes in the Jill Norman book. I rarely trust recipes off the web; they are sometimes written by those who would lead us astray.
Keep it Joyful. Blend spices when you have open time. Do not rush, hurry, or otherwise mess up the experience. It should lead you back to your best self. The one who loved to muck about making mud pies. (I still make mud pies.)
Keep your spice blends handy, put them where you’ll see and remember to use them. You’ll want to use them up within a few months.
Three is the magic number, so I’ve written three seasoning salt recipes to get you going. I hope you’ve enjoyed this at home cookery lesson. Leave me a comment about what you’ve learned and how your kitchen life’s changed, by bringing in the magic of spices.
Chortle Seasoning Salt
Makes 1 cup
Easy
Chortle is somewhere between a snort and a chuckle, and this seasoning salt is perfect for popcorn and your favorite movie. It’s also great on eggs and roasted veggies.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
½ teaspoon decorticated cardamom
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon cumin seed, toasted
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
¼ cup dehydrated onion flakes
¼ cup nutritional yeast
⅓ cup coarse sea salt
Directions
Toast the cumin. Using a spice or coffee grinder, grind all the spices together and then regrind a second time adding the salt. Store in a jar or tin in a cool, dry place. Seasoning salts are good for 6 months before they lose their potency.
Camelot Seasoning Salt
Makes 1 ½ cups
Easy
Ingredients
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon white peppercorns
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
2 tablespoons dried seaweed flakes
2 tablespoons garlic powder
¼ cup dehydrated onion flakes
¼ cup toasted hulled sesame seeds
¼ cup sumac powder
⅓ cup coarse sea salt
Directions
Toast the sesame seeds. Using a spice or coffee grinder, grind all the spices and seeds together and then regrind a second time adding the salt. Store in a jar or tin in a cool, dry place. Seasoning salts are good for 6 months before they lose their potency.
Cameo Seasoning Salt
Makes 1 ¼ cups
Easy
This seasoning salt plays a cameo role — small but memorable. It’s perfect to add to a pot of soup, sprinkle on fresh tomatoes or rub with olive oil into roasted potatoes.
Using a spice or coffee grinder, grind the spices together and then regrind a second time adding the salt. Store in a jar or tin in a cool, dry place. Seasoning salts are good for 6 months before they lose their potency.
1 ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 dried bay leaves crumbled
¼ of a whole nutmeg, crushed
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
½ teaspoon whole allspice berries
½ teaspoon decorticated cardamom
2 teaspoons anise seed
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon dried ginger root
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
3 tablespoons sweet paprika
¼ cup dehydrated onion flakes
⅓ cup coarse sea salt