Friday, 11 June 2010

CHERMOULA-New to the World Spice Range


Chermoula or charmoula is a marinade used in Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. It is usually used to flavour fish or seafood, but it is equally at home when used with meats or vegetables.

The Chermoula spice mix is often mixed with oil, lemon juice, sometimes pickled lemons, onion, and fresh coriander to make a paste and then used as a spicy dip base or meat/fish rub before grilling.

There are many different recipes that use different spices, and the proportions vary widely. In most recipes, the first two ingredients are garlic and coriander.

A Moroccan version ( this one in particular) includes dried parsley, cumin, and paprika and is the original seasoning for grilling meat and fish in Moroccan cuisine.

50 grams £2.50 Click on link below to purchase

Chermoula Herb Mix

Saturday, 29 May 2010

CHIMICHURRI HERB MIX



Back in Stock

Chimichurri is a kind of green sauce, also used as a marinade, for grilled meat. It is originally from Argentina but is now used in countries as far north as Mexico.

Chimichurri is Argentinian and to some extent from Uruguay and is a very popular sauce used with grilled meat in many Latin American countries now.

It is said that the unusual name comes from Jimmy McCurry, an Irishman who is said to have first prepared the sauce. He was marching with the troops of General Jasson Ospina in the 19th century, sympathetic to the cause of Argentine independence. The sauce was popular and the recipe was passed on. However, Jimmy McCurry was awkward for the native people to say. Some sources claim Jimmy's sauce's name was corrupted to Chimichurri, while others say it was changed in his honour.

Other similar stories involve Jimmy Curry, an English meat importer; a Scot, James C. Hurray, travelling with gauchos; and an English family in Patagonia overheard by the group of Argentinians that were with them while saying "give me the curry". All the stories share an English speaking colonist and the corruption of names or words by the local population.

Chimichurri is made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, white or red vinegar, and red pepper flakes.

Nowdays the recipe has been augmented with additional flavourings such as Paprika, Oregano, Cumin, Thyme, Coriander, Lemon, and Bay Leaf as in this recipe.

It is usually the only seasoning for steak and chorizo sausages in Argentine asados. It can also be used as a marinade for grilled meat.

The preparation is likely a mixture of Spanish and Italian methods, a general reflection of Argentine society as a whole. The essential elements of chimichurri are common to both Spain and Italy. The overall compositions, taste and preparation are similar to French persillade.

Simply mix 2 tablespoons of this Chimichurri mix with a little olive oil, wine or distilled vinegar and some lemon juice to make either a marinade or meat rub.

50 grams £2.50 Click on link below to purchase

Chimichurri Herb Mix

Sunday, 16 May 2010

BERBERE SPICE MIX




Berbere Spice Mix is back in stock. I have made a fresh batch.

This is the hot and exotic spice mixture that forms the basis of all Eritrean and Ethiopian cooking giving it its characteristic flavour. It is typically used to flavour the traditional stews known as wats.

Recipe for Doro Wat ( The national dish )

Ingredients

1 large whole chicken
4 Large Onions
6 garlic cloves
6 to 10 hard boiled eggs
250 grams tomato puree
10 fresh tomatoes
25 grams Berbere spice mix
150 grams butter

Quarter and remove the skin from the chicken and score each piece slightly with a knife so the sices can penetrate sauce can penetrate.

In a large casserole pot, melt the butter and sauté the onions and garlic for five minutes. Add berbere spice mix, followed by tomato paste, stirring occasionally while the mixture simmers for about 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken pieces and make sure they are covered in the sauce.

Continue to simmer, adding enough water to maintain the consistency of a thick soup. When chicken is half done, after about 20 minutes, put in the hard boiled eggs and quartered, skinned fresh tomatoes. Cover and continue cooking until the chicken is tender.

50 grams £2.25 Click on link below to purchase

Ethiopian Berbere Spice Mix

Friday, 14 May 2010

CEDAR & VETIVER BOTANICAL BODY SPRAY



Simply because my Cedarwood and Vetiver soap has become popular ( I only made it a week ago ) I have decided to make a body and pillow spray from the same essential oil mix as it is most definately a marriage of aromas made in heaven.

Cedarwoods (Cedrus atlantica & Thuja orientalis) have a fresh, woody aroma, deeply masculine and resinous. The combination of the two Cedars is so complimentary with the deep grassy and earthy base note of Vetiver (Vetivera zizaniodes) which is one of the better known base notes. The essential oil has a rich, sweet, earthy and slightly citrus odour, grassy and deep, and is prized in perfume around the globe.

200ml atomiser spray £18.00 Click on link below to purchase

Cedar & Vetiver Botanical Body and Pillow Spray

Wednesday, 12 May 2010

CEDARWOOD & VETIVER SOAP BAR




New Cedarwood and Vetiver Soap now in stock

After a few customers mentioned the blended fragrance of cedarwood and vetiver I decided to experiment and have chosen Cedarwoods Atlas and Chinese with Vetiver in a suprisingly masculine fragrance blend and started with soap as a medium to make it popular. I wanted to use more than one Cedarwood simply because almost everywhere else you will only be offered Cedarwood Atlas as a choice whereas in fact there are several Cedarwoods available, my personal favourite being the high altitude Cedarwood Himalayan but its subtle tones are marred a little by the strong earthy and grassy Vetiver. Cedarwoods Atlas and Chinese are far more robust.

Soap Bar at £2.50 Click on link below to purchase

Cedarwood & Vetiver Soap Bar

Saturday, 8 May 2010

HARISSA MIX



New stock of Harissa Mix is ready

As many followers will know this is one of my signature spice mixes which I make on a regular basis. Usually encountered as a wet mix, this is a blend of the spices and can be easily made into a a dip or sauce by adding to a basic tomato sauce as one would make for pasta say.

Harissa is a North African hot red sauce or paste whose main ingredients are chili peppers (often smoked or dried) and garlic. Though most closely associated with Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, it is a standard ingredient of North African cuisine.

Harissa often contains seeds like coriander, caraway, or cumin, and usually olive oil. It may also contain tomatoes. It is used both as a condiment and as an ingredient in recipes.

This mix is the dried main constituents to which you should add the wet ingredients like Olive oil and Tomatoes if so desired.

To make Harissa Paste add 3 tablespoon of Harissa mix to 25ml of olive oil and the crushed cloves of between 4 to 6 cloves of garlic and the juice of 1 lemon. If too thin, then add more Harissa mix, if too thick add more olive oil and lemon.

To make Harissa Sauce add 3 tablespoon of Harissa mix to 25ml of olive oil and the crushed cloves of between 4 to 6 cloves of garlic and the juice of 1 lemon. Add 1 medium tin of tomatoes or as many well chopped fresh tomatoes to make a thick sauce.

In Tunisia, harissa is served at virtually every meal as part of an appetiser.It is also used as an ingredient in a meat (goat or lamb) or fish stew with vegetables, and as a flavouring for couscous. It is also used for lablabi, a popular chickpea soup usually eaten for breakfast. Lemon juice is sometimes added. In Saharan regions, harissa can have a smoky flavour.

The paste (which may vary from one region to another) is also sold in tubes, jars, and cans. In the West it is eaten with pasta, in sandwiches and on pizza. In some European countries like Germany it is popular as a breakfast spread for tartines or rolls, and one finds varieties of harissa or harissa-themed spreads in almost every supermarket. Harissa paste can be also used as a rub for meat or aubergine.

Ingredients:-

Paprika
Garlic
Coriander Seed
Caraway
Mint
Salt
Chilli
Cumin

Recipe for Tunisian Lablabi ( Chickpea Soup )

300 grams dry chick peas
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons harissa mix
juice of one lemon
six tablespoons olive oil
a few slices of day-old bread, preferably day-old french bread, broken into small pieces
Olive Oil

Method

Wash chick peas and soak them overnight. Rinse chick peas. In a large soup pot, cover chick peas with water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender (around 20 minutes) Add garlic, harissa mix. Simmer for ten minutes. Immediately before serving: add lemon juice, olive oil, and bread crumbs. Serve hot.

50 grams at £2.75 Click on link below to purchase

Harissa Mix

Friday, 7 May 2010

AQUA AETHERIOS









A New Perfume cologne from Luminescents, made from essential oils, Absolutes, resins and gums - deeply sensuous, muskily aromatic, alarmingly strong initially, subtle when warmed to the skin, clean and long lasting.

The latest in an established stable of 35 exclusive perfume colognes for men and women only available from Luminescents.

200ml atomiser - £25 Click on link below to purchase

Aqua Aetherios.