Cooking tips, tricks, and advice from professional kitchens
Posts tagged oregano
Fresh, home made chili powder
Jan 19th
Chili powder, commonly found in the grocery store, often isn’t simply powdered chilies. This Tex-Mex seasoning is a blend of dried ground chilies, garlic powder, onion powder, powdered cumin and coriander seed, oregano, allspice, and salt. As with most spice blends there are countless variations on chili powder.
I am guilty of buying this premade, but only because I go through so much of it. In a pinch, chili powder can be easily made at home, and it will be more aromatic and flavorful than the blends on grocery store shelves. If you can get your hands on powdered chilies, you can make a wonderful, smoky and rich spice mix. If not, simply use cayenne and paprika.
Recipe for home made chili powder. Yield about 1 cup (250ml):
| 4 tbsp / 60ml | Ancho chili powder |
| 2 tbsp / 30ml | Chipotle chili powder |
| 2 tbsp / 30ml | Paprika |
| 2 tbsp / 30ml | Ground cumin seed |
| 2 tbsp / 30ml | Onion powder |
| 2 tsp / 10ml | Ground coriander seed |
| 1 tbsp / 15ml | Mexican oregano |
| 1 tbsp / 15ml | Garlic powder |
| 1 tsp / 5ml | Ground allspice |
| 1/2 tsp / 2.5ml | Ground cloves |
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Make your own fresh Cajun seasoning and rub
Jan 4th
Cajun seasoning can be purchased in basically any grocery store or supermarket these days, but if you have a well stocked spice cupboard there is no reason to buy a prepackaged mix. Using freshly ground mustard seeds, freshly ground oregano, thyme, and cumin seed along with paprika and cayenne that isn’t stale will give you a much more fragrant blend than what’s been sitting on store shelves for months.
There are literally limitless variations on the standard Cajun spice blend, with ingredients added and omitted, and combined in various ratios. Here is a simple recipe that can be tweaked to your tastes:
| 3 Tbsp / 45ml | Paprika |
| 2 Tbsp / 30ml | Salt |
| 1 tsp / 5ml | Mustard seed |
| 1 tsp / 5ml | Onion powder |
| 1 tsp / 5ml | Garlic powder |
| 1 tsp / 5ml | Cayenne pepper |
| 1 tsp / 5ml | Ground black pepper |
| 1 tsp / 5ml | Thyme |
| 1 tsp / 5ml | Oregano |
If you’re using this recipe as a dry rub, add 1 Tbsp brown sugar. As a marinade, add 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil and substitute onion powder and garlic powder for fresh onion and garlic. Use 3 tablespoons minced onion.
For the freshest tasting Cajun blend, crush red pepper flakes and substitute for cayenne, crush mustard seed rather than using powdered mustard, and crush dried thyme and oregano rather than using powdered.
Cajun spice mix. From top, clockwise: mustard, paprika, oregano, thyme, black pepper, cayenne, salt, onion powder. Garlic omitted.
