Making your own culinary infused oils can be a very creative and inexpensive activity to do, especially if you are into spices and herbs.
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Customers at our Napa shop sometimes ask us why we carry cinnamon chips, as well as the more familiar powdered and quilled (“stick”) cinnamon. This week’s recipes are part of the answer — but first, a little bit about where we get this magnificent spice.
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Redder than raspberries and tart as citrus, hibiscus tea makes a versatile beverage that mixes as well with rum or tequila as it does with sparkling water.
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Splashing in the water, barbecuing in the backyard, and watching the fireworks are just a few of the things that will be going on during the 4th of July celebrations. If you are already in the midst of planning a blockbuster cookout in an ocean of grilled goodies and snack items, you might want to consider something different for the kids this time around
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Flaky, buttery and fragrant with spices, strudel originated more than three centuries ago in central Europe.
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Here in the Napa Valley we’re lucky enough to have a year-round growing season for many culinary herbs, including sage. One small sage plant in your garden will quickly grow tall and wide, producing plenty of fresh leaves for you to pick at will.
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For me, I love this time of year when I can try out a few new recipes on my boys. It is a time when I like using certain herbs and spices during the changing of the seasons, and one particular herb I have my eye on, is savory, sometimes called the "love herb".
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Especially popular in Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian cuisines, harissa adds its bright color and bold flavors to a wide variety of dishes. Whatever you’re making — rice, couscous, soups, salads, vegetables, stews, kabobs and even sandwiches — harissa makes it tastier.
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Harissa is a potent chili paste that is widely used in most North African cuisine, specifically Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. This fiery blend of dried chilies and spices is an excellent accompaniment to tagines, couscous, rice dishes and also pairs well with all meats and fish.
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What is now the Arabian Peninsula republic of Yemen was a center for spice trading in ancient times. To this day, spiced food is the norm there. This week's recipe is a creamy, protein-packed Yemenite Fava Bean Dip.
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Among the most versatile foods we know is the humble potato. This accommodating vegetable, along with its cousins in the sweet potato family, can be prepared in just about any manner you wish. Grilled, roasted, fried, mashed, hashed, baked — the possibilities are virtually endless.
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The luxuries of holiday cuisine are delightful, but all those rich dishes can take a heavy toll on the digestive system. To the rescue: a clean, fresh, nutritious and satisfying vegetable soup that you can customize to your personal taste.
Today, there are more than 300 unique types of honey being produced in the United States, according to the National Honey Board. Varietal honeys come from bees that feed on a single flower crop, such as star thistle, lavender, sage or orange blossoms. Other honeys are made by bees that gather pollen more widely.
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With its sunny color, distinctive fragrance and warm flavor, turmeric has long been one of the world’s most versatile and popular spices. It’s an essential element in curries and Middle Eastern spice blends such as ras el hanout, and lends its golden color to many other dishes. Let’s get to know this colorful rhizome a little better, and look at the best ways to cook with turmeric to release its fine flavor and long-documented nutritional benefits.
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We wanted to make mole easier to achieve for home cooks who don't have the time to roast peppers, grind spices and assemble more than a dozen other ingredients for the savory sauce.
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Why would I want to go to all the trouble of making my own pita bread when I can easily buy it at the store? Well, the answer is simple, why not?
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Shuli has many wonderful memories of his mother, and of growing up on the farm, There are a few things that stay with him to this very day and that is the caring way his mother treated her customers with helpfulness and friendliness, and especially the integrity in her products.
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Ethiopian food sounds exotic, but it's easy to fall in love with the cuisine of this eastern African nation. Whether you're a strict vegan, a traditional vegetarian or an old-fashioned omnivore, as long as your palate is prepared for intense flavors, Ethiopian cookery has a dish for you.
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