Spice Road Spices - Easy Mid Week Recipes

It would seem to be a mid week thing. How do you add a little bit of excitement to dinner when time is short.

We often mention the wonderful Middle Eastern - North African dishes for these situations and Italian pasta is always a good stand by. But reinventing the interest and excitement can sometimes be a problem.

For these moments, think about moving the venue, so to speak. That is, focusing on a new continent for flavour. In this case North America.

Louisiana - the beginning

You, as a learned home chef will no doubt understand the exciting food of New Orleans. But perhaps, not so apparent is the role that the state of Louisiana has played in developing these amazing flavours for the American South.

A brief look at the history of Louisiana is interesting. A French colony named after the French King Louis XIV, that was later sold to the United States in 1803.

The Louisiana cuisine came from the Creoles. That is, a group of Spanish and French people, giving us the distinctive Creole flavours.

Creole Flavours

All of which brings us back to the need for excitement in mid week dinners and the opportunity to prepare and develop Creole flavour in our kitchens. Even the name is exciting. A good start.

True Creole flavours come from Paprika, Thyme, Basil and Oregano with Cayenne Pepper added. The Cayenne Pepper may be so, but home chef readers should note that we don't agree.

In our view Cayenne Pepper is way too aggressive. Rather, home chefs could use any of the milder chili flakes available to give a better balance, including the wonderful Turkish Aleppo Chile we currently hold in stock.

The thing is, these natural Creole spices, blended together with a little olive oil and rubbed into chicken, pork or fish will transform the dish. Excitement without time consuming preparation.

Stay well everyone

Arthur Huxley www.spiceroadspices.com.au