Great flavor doesn’t come just from technique—it’s in the spices you use. Whether fresh or dried, herbs, seeds, and aromatic roots have always been essential to global cuisine. Let’s explore how a few flavorful recipes come together with the right spice combinations.
Sea Bream Stew
Ingredients:
- 1 lb sea bream (cut into chunks)
- 1 lb canned peeled tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons ajvar (spicy or mild roasted pepper spread, to taste)
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- Dried oregano, fresh and dried basil, sea salt (to taste)
- Black olives
Instructions:
Heat a pot and add olive oil. Sauté the garlic over low heat just until aromatic—remove if desired. Add tomatoes and cook until reduced. Season with oregano, basil, and salt. Stir in ajvar. Add fish chunks and simmer without stirring for about 15 minutes. Add olives before serving.
Potato and Arugula Salad
Ingredients:
- 2.2 lbs white potatoes
- 2 red onions
- 3.5 oz arugula
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- Salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar to taste
Instructions:
Boil potatoes with skins on. In a salad bowl, mix olive oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Slice onions and add to the dressing. Peel and dice warm potatoes, and mix into the dressing so they absorb the flavor. Add arugula last and mix gently.
Caraway Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon ground caraway (or to taste)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions:
In a heated pot, sauté flour in olive oil until golden. Gradually add hot broth, whisking constantly. Add caraway. Beat eggs and pour slowly through a fork into the soup while stirring. Let simmer briefly. Garnish with parsley.
Rice Wraps with Swiss Chard and Smoked Salmon
Ingredients:
- 7 oz sticky (short-grain) rice
- 1 onion
- 3.5 oz smoked salmon
- 8 Swiss chard leaves
- 1 tablespoon curry powder (adjust to taste)
- Salt, pepper, vegetable broth
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions:
In a pan, heat olive oil and sauté chopped onion. Add rice, stir until translucent, then gradually add vegetable broth (3 parts liquid to 1 part rice). Cover and cook until done. Season with salt, pepper, and curry. Blanch chard leaves and cool. Spread rice over each leaf, add salmon, and roll tightly. Serve warm or cold.
Apricot Jam Roll Cake
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon melted butter or oil
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Apricot jam for filling
- Powdered sugar for topping
Instructions:
Separate egg yolks and whites. Beat whites with sugar and vanilla sugar. Add yolks and mix. Gradually fold in flour, cornstarch, and melted butter. Pour into a parchment-lined pan and bake at 340°F for 8–15 minutes depending on thickness. Roll the warm cake in a clean kitchen towel. Once cooled, unroll, spread with jam, and roll again. Dust with powdered sugar.
