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House Blend Blackening Seasoning
Years after the buzzwords blackened redfish burst onto the foodie scene, I dined at Chef Paul Prudhomme’s restaurant in New Orleans. It took one mouthful of that flavor explosion to make me a life-long devotee. If you ask me about that dining experience, I will unashamedly confess that I licked my plate clean. Period. I am including what I believe to be a replication of the authentic spice blend that was born in the kitchen at K-Paul’s. This blackening seasoning is so easy to throw together you may never buy it from the market again. A bonus of making your own is that you can personalize this recipe to control…
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Za’atar Spice Blend
Alright, everyone. Get out your mortar and pestle.* We are going to make za’atar! Za’atar literally translates to mean “wild thyme” in Arabic. Much like curry blends vary across geography, za’atar blends vary throughout the Middle East. This ancient spice combination typically consists of thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac. Sumac is the dried, ground drupes (berries) of a shrub prevalent throughout parts of Africa and Asia. This crimson spice has a tangy, lemony zip to it. At first I used thyme straight from the garden. The green leaves were so very pretty when fresh and whole, but I realized the za’atar would benefit from drying them, as the…
eat. drink. bemerry. repeat.
