There are a lot of things out there that are purely for our convenience, that can easily be made at a much lower cost and in a much larger quantity, see the Dukkah recipe for a great example of this.

Until recently I thought that spice mixes were a waste of time and money, if I had the ingredients and a fair knowledge of my spices and herbs then why would I have pre-mixed spices. I have now changed my mind. Rumaging through the spice jars to get the same combination of spices out for a style of meal, toast, pound and grind them before adding to the food, although therapeutic in a strange way, is such a waste of time. Combine that with accidentally pouring the cumin seeds into the fennel seeds and not wanting to spend hours trying to sort them. I decided that as they are often used together why not make up a mix that uses both of them and is always ready. So here are a few to get started and I will add to them as I make new combinations.

HERB SALT

Make herb salt by pounding the following in a mortar until fine and the herbs are all spread though the salt. Dry slowly in the dehydrator or oven, then store in an airtight jar.

• 1 stem sage,
• ¼ bunch thyme,
• 2 stems Rosemary
• ¼ cup salt – or more to absorb the oils from the herbs

SALT AND SZECHUAN (or Sichuan)  PEPPER

• 1 tbs Szechuan pepper
• 4 tbs sea salt flakes
• 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1/4 white pepper

1. Heat a small pan over low heat. Add Szechuan pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until they begin to “pop” and become fragrant. Do not overcook.
2. Remove from heat and set aside until cool then add the sea salt flakes, pepper and chilli and grind in a mortar and pestle.
3. Serve with/on any chicken, duck, pork and salt and pepper prawns

Version 2

• 1 tbs Szechuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbs sea salt

1. Heat a small pan over low heat. Add spices and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until they become fragrant. Do not overcook, remove from the heat as soon as you can smell them.
2. Remove from pan and cool. Grind in mortar.

Goes well as a meat rub or spice on sautéed vegetables.

 Salad Herbs

• Dried Coriander
• Dried Parsley
• Dried Dill
• Dried French Tarragon
• Chives

1. Either gather the fresh herbs at the end of the season and dry and crush them to last through winter or make up out of dried herbs.

Use in scrambled eggs, omelets and quiche or add to salad dressings or mayonnaise.

 

Italian Herb Mix

These are approximate quantities, it is fairly flexible. Either use dried herbs or pick your own from the garden, wash, dry and put in the dehydrator to dry.

• 2 tbs dried basil
• 2 tbs dried oregano
• 2 tbs dried parsley
• 2 tbs dried marjoram
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 tsp dried sage
• 2 tsp garlic powder

Add to chicken, pasta sauces, pork, salad dressings.

See lemon salt and lemon pepper for other salts and pepper.

There are some great pre-made spice mixes here (Herbies Spices) for more ideas.

 

 Spiced Salt

• 3 tbs salt
• 2 tbs paprika
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp pepper
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp celery salt

1. Mix all together and bottle.

Great with any vegetable and almost anything else that is fried. I love it on zucchini.

 

Meat Rub

• 2 tbs coriander seeds
• 1 tbs cumin seeds
• 1 tbs fennel seeds
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp pepper

1. Toast in pan until just aromatic.
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool before grinding with a mortar and pestle.

Use on any meat/steak/roast. Rub in with oil and allow to sit for a while before cooking.

 

Smoked Brisket Rub

• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbs garlic powder
• 2 tbs onion powder
• 2 tbs paprika
• 2 tbs chilli powder
• 1 tbs celery salt
• 1 tbs lemon lemon juice
• 1 tbs ground black pepper – (grind whole peppercorns in the stick mixer attachment and finish off in the mortar and pestle)
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all together and store in an airtight jar.

 

Memphis Dust a la Karen (for pork and chicken)

This is a link to the original recipe for Memphis Dust. It makes a huge quantity. I also changed  few things in my version.  It is a brilliant site and I suggest that you refer to it for everything to do with smoking: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/meatheads_memphis_dust.html

Ingredients

• 3 tbs brown sugar
• 3 tbs white sugar
• 1 tbs paprika,
• 1 tbs smoked paprika
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 tbs onion powder
• 2 tsp ground pepper  (grind whole peppercorns in the stick mixer attachment and finish off in the mortar and pestle)
• 2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary – ground

Mix all together and store in an airtight jar.

Karen’s killer beef rub

This rub for ribs, brisket and beef has a great flavour profile. It creates a rich, flavourful, crunchy crust but you will need to rub the meat with salt before using it. I don’t like too much pepper, similar recipes have double the quantity of pepper, feel free to up the heat. Makes: About a cup

Ingredients

• 3 tbs whole black peppercorns coarsely ground (use a stick mixer attachment and finish off in the mortar and pestle)
• 2 tbs white sugar
• 2 tbs onion powder
• 1 tbs mustard powder
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 2 tsp Korean chilli powder (or a chilli powder that is light but tasty)
• 2 tsp cayenne powder

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl and transfer to an airtight container. Note – there is no salt in this rub. It is best to salt the meat first and allow to rest for a while before adding the rub. Rub or spray the meat with oil before rubbing all over with this mix. Leave for the flavours to infuse for an hour or so. This will help create a nice flavour on the outside.

Pork Ribs rub

Ingredients

• 3 tbs chilli powder
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 tbs onion powder
• 1 tbs paprika
• 2 tbs mustard powder
• 1 tbs dried oregano – ground
• 1 tbs black peppercorns – ground
• 1 tbs white pepper
• 1 tbs cayenne pepper