The root of all goodness

Peppery, warm and a little bitter, fresh turmeric adds depth and a bit of a kick to dishes and sauces.

The yellow-orange root can be found near fresh ginger in grocery stores, where it’s often overlooked for the more well-known rhizome.

This week’s Spokesman-Review Food section spotlights fresh turmeric in a recipe for a vegetable dish from Spokane’s Taste of India restaurant. Powdered turmeric is also used in this month’s featured Dinner Together recipe for Spring Vegetable Paella.

Look for a review of the new “Well Fed, Flat Broke” cookbook by Vancouver, British Columbia-based food blogger Emily Wight.

And, always, find food-related briefs in the Fresh Sheet round-up.