When it comes to cooking with spices, the one thing I’d
Spices are amazing things if you think about it. It’s incredible what a difference they can make to a dish. Just a little bit of spice can give such a lift. A touch of freshly grated nutmeg added to a bechamel sauce or mashed potato gives a lovely fragrance. A pinch of ground chilli will give a whole dish of chilli con carne a real kick.
That great French dish Steak au poivre, where the steak is flavoured with black pepper, is an example of how using just one spice can transform a dish and make it taste really special. Just a few strands of saffron – the world’s most expensive spice – give a lovely colour and flavour to my Paella and my Moroccan-style Red Mullet.
When it comes to cooking with spices, the one thing I’d always recommend to people is to allow your own palate to dictate how much spice you add to a dish. If you want just a touch of chilli in your dish, that’s fine. If you want a lot of chilli, that’s fine too. It’s up to you.
I love experimenting with flavours when I’m cooking and using spices is a very easy way to do this. Stock up your store cupboard with a few classic spices; they’re best stored in a cool, dark place where they’ll keep for ages. Then have a go at using them – add them to soups, use them in marinades, make a curry or saffron rice. The more you cook with spices, the more you’ll discover which spices you enjoy using.
