First off, let me say, finding the flavors in herbs and spices (and the combination of) requires alot of practice, and alot of patience.
Start by choosing a particular spice combination, and cooking a food using it. Do this a couple times a week, and get a feel for the amount to use, and the various combinations that work for you. At the end of a year, you should have a good idea of what works well together, and what should go solo. A few spices to mention are onion, garlic, shallot, chives, celery, parsley, basil, cilantro, fennel, bay leaf, tarragon, thyme, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, coriander, dill, cumin, curry, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, poultry seasoning, saffron, mint, cloves, allspice, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, lemon, mustard, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce, but not limited to.
Then you can move on to some of the more exotic seasonings or begin to learn how to blend spices, which will take some of the flavors you’ve learned about in entirely new directions. You can certainly spend more than a year on that!
The good news is, a lot of the work has been done for you. Cuisines have evolved around the world over hundreds of years and millions of recipes have been developed based on pairing certain herbs and spices with certain ingredients. Various online recipe databases will be of great help, as you can quickly scan many recipes that blend salmon & dill, beef & leeks & oregano, and cabbage & mustard seed & celery seed, etc.
If you're serious about achieving the pinnacle of herb and spice use, you should invest in a good reference book. There are several in print. For instance, there is Adriana’s Spice Caravan (Canada, UK), Cooking with Spices for Dummies (Canada, UK) The Spice & Herb Bible (Canada, UK), Cooking with Herbs and Spices (Canada, UK), and Seasoning Savvy (Canada, UK).
Adriana's Spice Caravan seems to be the best for the spice and herb using novice, with a global perspective, lots of interesting tidbits on the history and lore of the flavors, and a good running commentary on how the herbs and spices are traditionally used.
A guide developed by the late The late Milo Miloradovich, author of an out-of-print edition of Cooking with Herbs and Spices, follows. 50 years have passed since the book was first published, so there may be some spices and herbs missing, but still, this list is a good place to begin.
Chamomile: This herb is traditionally considered the perfect tea to end a Mexican meal.
Chilies: Chili is perhaps Mexican cooking's most indispensable spice. Chilies are typically known for their spicy hotness, but in the correct amounts, they may also add mild and subtle flavor to dishes. A great range of varieties, sizes, and levels of heat are available. When cooking, remember that the smallest peppers are generally the hottest, and that the seeds and stems (the hottest parts of the peppers) are usually removed during preparation. Always wear rubber gloves when handling chilies, as the volatile oils can burn your skin. To prepare dried chilies, rinse well in cold water and let soak for one hour. Drain and use the chili water in your recipe if a liquid is called for. Your recipe may also call for the chilies to be lightly toasted, ground, fried, or burnt black. To further increase hotness, add a touch of cayenne, crushed red pepper, or some seed and stem of the chili to your recipe.
Chili Powder: In Mexico, chili powder is a powdered form of a red pepper, such as Ancha . Domestic chili powder contains extra seasonings such as cumin, garlic, oregano, salt, and coriander. Mexican cooks make a paste by mixing one tablespoon of chili powder, one teaspoon of flour, and two tablespoons of cold water. To yield the correct flavor, the paste should reach a boil sometime during cooking. Chili powder may also be substituted for chili peppers.
Cilantro: Coriander leaves and seeds are both used extensively in Mexican dishes, though not interchangeably. The fresh leaf is known as cilantro or Chinese parsley, and is used both as a garnish and seasoning. Dried cilantro should be used only in recipes that will be cooked.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon was first introduced to Mexican cooking by the Spanish, and is most often used in beverages.
Coriander Seed: The dried seeds of the coriander plant yield a much different taste than coriander leaves. Their flavor is reminiscent of lemon peel and sage, and their mild flavor is used both in main dishes and sweets.
Crushed Red Pepper: The dried, crushed chili pepper often found on the table in Italian restaurants is also a popular ingredient in Mexican dishes. Use 1/2 teaspoon for each chili pepper called for in your recipe.
Cumin Seed: Known as comino seed, this spice is the predominant flavor in many chili powder blends. Cumin is used extensively in Mexican cooking; its flavor balances the hotness of other spices.
Mexican Seasoning: This blend is a virtual potpourri of Mexican spices, and may be used in most Mexican entrees. Frontier offers several Mexican seasoning blends to conveniently provide authentic flavor to your dishes.
Mint: Mint is used sparingly in some Mexican recipes, including meatballs, soups, and beans.
Nutmeg: The warm, sweet, spicy flavor of nutmeg is most often used in beverages and desserts.
Oregano: Oregano is extremely popular in Mexican cuisine, with 13 varieties available. Oregano leaf is more desirable than powdered oregano, and in some recipes, the directions call for lightly toasting the oregano leaf before adding to dishes. Used both fresh and dried.
Sage: Used whole, rubbed, or ground, sage has a strong, aromatic, slightly bitter taste. It is often used in soups and stews.
Thyme: Thyme has a dry, pungent flavor, and is used most often in Mexican soups and sauces.
Picture: Salvia elegans Mexican Pineapple my mom's favorite of herb for the last two years.
Mexican sage is one of my favorites: pineapple page (Salvia elegans). More delicate than its showy cousin, the blossoms on this variety are tiny, ruby slippers on slender, green stalks. These do not have the longevity that would make them a candidate for arrangements, but they make up for this by being edible. They have a tangy, citrus-mint flavor, a welcome contrast to creamy leek and potato soup, for example. Sprinkle them on salads and in tea for a flavorful and eye-catching garnish. The fresh leaves have a distinctly pineapple taste. Try using them with chicken and pork dishes, with cheeses or fruit salad.
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If you talk to the animals they will talk to you, If you do not talk to them you will not know them. And what you do not know you will fear. What one fears,one destroys. ~Chief Dan George. (1899 - 1981)
Does anyone have ideas of a place to get some recipe sites that deal with the use of herb's and spice's...?
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Try this site. You'll find recipes and ideas for healthy herbal cooking. You'll also find guidance on which spices can be nixed to create ingredients for the flavors you want.
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