Chinese five-spice powder

I know there are jars of this in most supermarkets but if you can bear to free up the few minutes it takes to make your own every few months, you’ll be very glad you did. Homemade, it has a zing and intensity that lifts whatever you cook with it — especially if that something is goose skin or pork. Five-spice works really well with squash too, calming down that occasional too-sweet edge it has, and with seafood – squid especially. It even brings out the loveliness in plums. Come to think of