Spice It Up!

Wisely combined spice mixtures are at the center of the Mediterranean flavor arsenal. It is incredible what a difference one or two teaspoons of mixed spices can make to the most common foods: cooked rice, boiled lentils, or roasted potatoes. Try these with and without seven-spice (baharat); add a teaspoon of Aegean Herb and Hot Pepper Mix to steamed cauliflower or boiled pasta drizzled with olive oil. I am sure that you will quickly understand why even the smallest amounts of indigenous and imported seeds, barks, roots, leaves, and buds have played such a crucial role in the kitchen since antiquity.