Matt Bray 
The Cajun “holy trinity” is a blend of three aromatic ingredients: bell pepper, onion, and celery. These ingredients are typically sauteed in oil or butter. The aromatics release their aroma and flavor, which makes them a perfect base for a variety of dishes. The three ingredients …
If you love DIY projects in the kitchen, making your own seasoning blends is a ton of fun. It makes the ultimate use of the well-stocked spice rack. One of our favorites is spicy curry powders. And few are spicier than Madras curry powder. There …
The best spices in the shop. That’s ras el hanout. Literally, ras el hanout means “head of the shop” in Arabic and speaks to the best spices the spice seller has to offer. And it’s quite a mix in ras el hanout. Every ras el hanout recipe …
Sure, you need some planning, but homemade ranch-style beans are a world better than what you’ll pick up in a can. Most of the recipe is slow cooker time, and the prep is mainly rehydrating your pinto beans and ancho peppers, so the effort needed …
Think of Malaysian curry powder as an “in-between” curry. Its taste is no doubt full-on yellow curry, there’s no mistake. But it’s somewhere in-between Indian and Thai curry in flavor. This spice mix leans into coriander, both citrusy and nutty when the seeds are dry …
Everyone knows hummus and maybe baba ganoush, but do you know its spicy cousin – muhammara dip? It’s a red bell pepper and walnut spread that’s delicious served right next to those Middle Eastern staples. And it’s perfect as a pita and vegetable dipper, just …
Curry dishes can range in heat level from relatively mild to blisteringly hot. If you want your curry on the hotter end of the spectrum, you need to use methods and ingredients that build heat effectively without introducing unwanted flavors. There are several ways to …
Pepper seeds have a bad reputation, at least when it comes to hot peppers. Many believe that the seeds can make a dish too hot, for example. As we will find out below, that is not necessarily the case. We will also look at a …
Ancho pepper is mild – merely a tickle on the taste buds in terms of spiciness – but there’s plenty of flavor behind this Mexican chili. It’s smoky, earthy, and a little sweet – all of which are perfectly paired with the flavors in pumpkin. …
Tomato juice sure is healthy, but it can be pretty plain. It’s a good thing, then, that tomato and fiery flavors go so well together. In this spicy tomato juice recipe, we use cayenne pepper powder – an easy get from most any spice rack. Though, if …