Comforting Winter Spices

Heleen Meyer’s mantra when it comes to spices is to AVOID shop-bought salty spice mixes and rather opt for salt-free options. Some of these healthier options include curry powder, paprika, ground cumin or cumin seeds, ground coriander or coriander seeds, turmeric, cayenne and ground or even fresh ginger and chillies.

Just think of the combination of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, all spice and a hint of chilli in a tomato bredie (stew) … delicious! Paprika, ordinary or smoked, adds a Spanish flair to any dish. Try it in a mince mixture, in a tomato paste marinade over chicken portions or even in a traditional Spanish paella. When it comes to winter food, comforting spices like curry powder, paprika, garam masala, cumin, chilli and ginger are all perfect to use. Think of a homemade bobotie mixture made with curry powder, ground turmeric, ginger, cumin and coriander.

Remember, if a winter recipe calls for whole spices, you should first sauté them to enhance their flavour – this really elevates the dish you’re making. This works wonderfully in a soup, stew or curry.

Salt-free spices are not only referring to savoury spices. How does a homemade, warm apple pudding or crumble sound, made with ground mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice or cloves? These are some of the more sweeter spices that are also perfect in curries or stews.

Fresh or dried herbs like coriander leaves, Italian parsley, mint, sage and sturdy herbs like thyme, rosemary and bay leaves are also great to use in your winter cooking. Garnishing with fresh herbs like Italian parsley or coriander is also a great way to add even more flavour.

Heleen often refers to lemon as the new salt. Read more about that here.  Heleen just loves adding finely grated lemon rind and lemon juice as a salt alternative when cooking. Try mixing finely grated lemon rind with chopped Italian parsley and toasted sunflower or sesame seeds and top any winter stew, bake or even a soup with this crunchy mixture. Add lemon rind to plain yoghurt with a pinch of cinnamon and a drop of vanilla essence for a quick dessert topping.

To read more about these spices, visit Heleen’s website.

Image: Adel Ferreira Photography