Artist’s Kitchen: Spice up those stocking stuffers

If there are cooks on your gift list (especially the ones you live with), they deserve a decently stocked pantry of quality spices, which happen to make nice stocking stuffers. I’d like to just mention a few of my personal favorites, all of which are a huge step up from my old bachelor stash of garlic powder and hot pepper flakes. (I no longer live on frozen pizza.)

Whole spices are as big an improvement over pre-ground as heirloom tomatoes are to the grocery store rocks. Even something so simple as fresh-cracked black pepper can be a revelation to a neophyte in the kitchen, and I can’t advise a better gift for beginners than a good pepper mill (I use a Unicorn Magnum), and a few varieties of peppercorns.

Buy everyone else a cheap coffee grinder and go whole spice shopping. I grow a variety of peppers to make my own powders, but the dried chilies available in almost any grocery store also are a huge step up from commercial chili powders. Spanish paprika (like La Chinata or El Rey) is the exception and once you try one you’ll wonder how you ever got by without. And make sure to pick up some dried chipotle chilies, as their hot, smoky flavor is also something special, far better than the canned variety in adobo sauce.

So pick your cuisines, see what spices are staples, buy whole, and grind in small amounts, as needed. This doesn’t mean you have to do it for every meal, though. Garam masala, for instance, takes a bit of time to prepare, as quite a few spices go into the mix, so I grind about a spice jar of it at a time. It’s still far more pungent, a few months down the road, than anything from the store. And with that in mind, why not make a big batch for yourself, and also give the gift of the potent, fresh-made spice blend to any Indian food lovers on your list?

Here’s my favorite garam masala, a simple lamb curry I like to use it in and a comfort food staple, even better the next day, which really shows off good paprika (available from spanishtable.com). With the holidays here, I’d make a double batch of the stroganoff, freeze half and pull it out for a great dinner after you’ve sent off your culinary stocking stuffers. Enjoy the warmth of the season.

Garam Masala

Adapted from Indian Home Cooking, by Suvir Saran & Stephanie Lyness

1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup cumin seeds

1/3 cup coriander seeds

1 rounded tablespoon green cardamom pods

1 rounded tablespoon black peppercorns

2 teaspoons whole cloves

1 whole, dried red chile

Combine all ingredients in a frying pan and toast over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cumin turns uniformly brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Cool and grind to a powder. Stores well, in an airtight container, for several months.

Yield: Varies

Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.

Simple Lamb Curry with Coriander and Garam Masala

From Indian Home Cooking

For the spice powder:

12 black peppercorns

8 green cardamom pods

5 whole cloves

For the curry:

3 medium red onions

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

4 garlic cloves

2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 pounds well-trimmed boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1/2 cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all of the spices in a spice grinder and grind to powder. Set aside.

Chop one of the onions and cut the remaining two into large chunks.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and the salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion just begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the onion chunks, the garlic, and the ginger in a food processor and process to a paste; set aside.

When the onion has browned, add the spice powder and the lamb. Cook, stirring often, until the lamb begins to brown, 6 to 7 minutes. (If the lamb doesn’t brown, turn up the heat.) Add the pureed onion mixture and cook, stirring, until the mixture is dry and the oil begins to separate, about 10 more minutes.

Add the coriander and cayenne and cook, stirring, 2 more minutes. Add the yogurt a tablespoon at a time and stir well after each addition. Then cook, stirring often, until the mixture is dry again and the meat is beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Add the water and garam masala, stir well and simmer, covered, until the lamb is tender, 35 to 40 more minutes.

Just before serving, add the cream, if using, and bring almost to a simmer. Taste for salt. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 475 calories, 26 grams fat (9 grams saturated, 51 percent fat calories), 46 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrate, 154 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 712 milligrams sodium.

Beef Stroganoff

1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef

12 ounces top sirloin steak

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped small

1 pound white mushrooms, or 8 ounces white, 8 ounces wild (e.g. oyster, crimini), brushed or rinsed, as needed

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

6 dashes Tabasco

1 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary

1 tablespoon sweet Spanish paprika

1 tablespoon dried tarragon, crushed between palms

1 teaspoon fresh-cracked black pepper

3/4 cup red wine

1 (12-ounce) package wide egg noodles

1 cup sour cream

Dump the ground beef in a large saucepan big enough for all ingredients. Slice the steak into bite-size chunks and add to pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté until just done; spoon the beef and juices into a bowl and set aside.

Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into saucepan and heat to medium high and add onion. Turn heat to medium and continue cooking. Meanwhile, slice all the mushrooms and add to pan. Sauté until both are soft, about 10 minutes, adjusting heat upward as mushrooms release their juices. Add next seven ingredients. Spoon in the beef and juices and cook on medium low for another 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, boil the noodles until barely done, 6 to 8 minutes. Rinse, drain and add to stroganoff. Add the cup of sour cream and stir in, cooking until everything is hot, another minute or so. Adjust consistency with a little more sour cream, if you like. (Some like it thicker, some thinner.) Add more salt and fresh-ground pepper, if needed, to taste, and serve hot.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving, based on 8: 458 calories, 21 grams fat (9 grams saturated, 42 percent fat calories), 28 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrate, 112 milligrams cholesterol, 2.5 grams dietary fiber, 194 milligrams sodium.