Recipes by their Ingredients

allspice

  • Gingerbread Cookies

    Gingerbread Cookies
    Gingerbread Cookies
    (Makes @3 dozen 3 inch cookies)


    3 cups flour
    1 tsp baking soda
    ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
    ¾ tsp ground ginger
    ½ tsp ground allspice
    ½ tsp ground cloves
    ½ tsp Salt
    ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
    8 tblsp unsalted butter, room temperature
    ¼ cup Vegetable Shortening, room temperature
    ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
    ⅔ cup unsulfured molasses
    1 large egg


    NOTES:For softer cookies, roll out slightly thicker.

    Arrange oven racks to the top ⅓ and bottom ⅓ of the oven, then preheat the oven to 350° F.

    Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper through a wire sieve into a medium bowl. Set aside.

    In a large bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer at high speed, beat the butter and vegetable shortening until well-combined, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat until the mixture is light in texture and color, about 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses and egg. Using a wooden spoon, gradually mix in the flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Divide the dough into two thick disks and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours. (The dough can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.)

    To roll out the cookies, work with one disk at a time, keeping the other disk refrigerated. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature until just warm enough to roll out without cracking, about 10 minutes. (If the dough has been chilled for longer than 3 hours, it may need a few more minutes.) Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Roll out the dough ⅛ inch thick, being sure that the dough isn't sticking to the work surface (run a long meal spatula or knife under the dough occasionally just to be sure, and dust the surface with more flour, if needed). Using cookie cutters, cut out the cookies and transfer to nonstick cookie sheets, placing the cookies 1 inch apart. Gently knead the scraps together and form into another disk. Wrap and chill for 5 minutes before rolling out again to cut out more cookies.

    Bake, switching the positions of the cookies from top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking, until the edges of the cookies are set and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire cake racks to cool completely. Decorate with Royal Icing. (The cookies can be prepared up to 1 week ahead, stored in airtight containers at room temperature.)

  • Jamaican Jerk Marinade

    Jamaican Jerk Marinade
    Jamaican Jerk Marinade
    (Makes @ ½ cup)


    2 tblsp allspice
    ¼ tsp nutmeg
    1 tsp cinnamon
    12 scallions, white part only
    3 scotch bonnets (habaneros) OR 6 jalapeno peppers, stemmed
    ¾ cup red wine vinegar
    2 tblsp vegetable oil
    1 tblsp salt
    1 tsp black pepper
    2 tblsp soy sauce

    NOTES: Marinate chicken for 4 hours.
     

    Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree.

    Sprinkle the chicken with some extra cinnamon, then add the blended marinade, coat the chicken well, cover for 4 hours. Tastes best when you grill them, but you can bake them also.

    The marinade keeps up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

  • Pickling Spices

    Pickling Spices
    Pickling Spices
    (Makes enough to pickle about 1 lb of vegetables)

    2 cinnamon sticks, broken
    1 tsp mustard seeds
    2 tsp peppercorns
    1 tsp cloves
    1 tsp allspice
    1 tsp juniper berries
    1 tsp mace
    1 tsp dill seeds
    4 bay leaves
    1 small piece of ginger

    optional
    red hot pepper flakes
    1/2 tblsp coriander seeds

    NOTES: I love mixing the baby peeled carrots with thick slices of pickling cucumber - great to snack on! I also use fresh ginger slice insted of dried.

    Mix all the spices together. Store in an airtight jar or zipock bag in a cool area, keep out of the sunlight.

  • Ras El Hanout

    Ras El Hanout, Spice Blend
    Ras El Hanout (Spice Blend)
    (Makes @2 tblsp)


    1 tsp ground ginger
    1 tsp ground cumin
    1 tsp salt
    3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
    1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
    1/2 tsp ground coriander
    1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
    1/2 tsp ground allspice
    1/4 tsp ground cloves


    NOTES: Ras El Hanout means 'head of the shop' traditionally, the best spices the merchant has to offer, although the ingredients and amounts differs per region as they all have their own blend. It is prominent in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and other North African Regions.
     

    Mix all ingredients together.
    This is a great blend for lamb dishes, vegetables or used in region specific dishes like Bastilla/Pastilla/B'stilla and Tagines.