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© FrugalAbundance
2007-2011
GFCF Means
Gluten
Free & Casein Free |
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Herbs and Spices
in the GFCF Frugal Kitchen
When you give up gluten and casein and all the foods that contain
them, you give up a lot. Things don't seem normal for a while and
when life does return to normal, it's a new normal because the old
normal is gone for good. I found that if I used the contents of my
spice rack to make the new foods taste as much like the old foods as
I could, that the family was more content with the new stuff.
When you cook almost everything from scratch and deliberately try to
spend as little as possible on food, herbs and spices really come
into their own. They make the difference between what my sister
so eloquently calls Prison Food, and yummy home cooked meals,
which the family can actually look forward to eating. Without
seasonings the art of cooking is a blank palette. Herbs and spices
add the color, the tantalization of the tongue, the zip to low-cost
cuisine. As a matter of fact I don't think it's even possible to
over-emphasize the role seasonings play, especially in the frugal kitchen.
In America we are lucky to have a wide variety of seasonings
available to us at ridiculously low prices. A glance through any
Dollar store and many discount supermarkets will turn up dozens
of plastic bottles of seasonings priced 1 & 2 for a $1. This is
how I buy most of my seasonings. A few like curry powder, cumin,
turmeric and dill weed almost never show up in bargain spice bins.
These I purchase at my local Health Food Store where they are
available in bulk. I can buy as little or as much as I need and pay
the same low price per pound.
Below you'll find a chart of the seasonings I use most often. The
primary list contains the herbs and spices that I feel are necessary,
even when we are watching every penny of our budget. The secondary
list details those seasonings that I really like to have in my
kitchen, but which I'm willing to live without during tough times.
The first five would be a top priority when cash allowed for their purchase.
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PRIMARY |
SECONDARY |
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Salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Ground Red Pepper
or Red Pepper Flakes
Cinnamon
Chili Powder
Italian Seasoning Blend
Curry Powder
Poultry Seasoning Blend |
Parsley
Ground Ginger
Nutmeg
Turmeric
Paprika
Cumin
Basil
Oregano
Celery Seed
Dill Weed
Pumpkin Pie Spice
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I learned a lot about spices in a free e-book titled How
to Survive as a Low Budget Vegetarian by Charlie Obert. It can
be found at--http://lbveg.com/ .
Obert explains that most herbs and spices can be combined into ethnic
groups or families. I found this especially intriguing because over
the years I had developed a rudimentary understanding of this concept
on my own. I had never broken it down in detail the way Obert does in
his book. It's not an overstatement to say that it revolutionized the
way I now think of seasonings.
In the following paragraphs I have borrowed some of Obert's ideas and
expanded on them with some ideas of my own.
Flavor Families
There are at least 10 common seasonings families, most based upon
ethnic cuisines. Each flavor family has a number of compatible
seasonings that are mixed in various combinations to create a
signature flavor that we identify with that cuisine. When you get
creative in the kitchen you can take advantage of these Flavor
Families. If you want to give your dish a specific flavor then simply
look over the following chart and choose your seasonings accordingly.
The 10 common Flavor Families detailed in this section appear below
in alphabetical order.
- Basic
- Cajun/Creole
- Chinese/Oriental
- Curry
- European
- French
- Italian/Mediterranean
- Mexican/Southwestern
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Poultry/Savory Blend
Basic or Generic Flavor Family
- Store-Bought Blend--Seasoned Salt
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Onion
- Garlic
- Red Pepper
- Paprika
- Parsley
- Bouillon Cubes or Broth Powder
Cajun/Creole Flavor Family
- Store-Bought Blend--Cajun Spice
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Garlic
- Onion
- Paprika
- Oregano
- Hot Peppers
- File Powder
- Celery
- Green Pepper
- Tomatoes
- Okra
- Peanut Oil
Chinese/Oriental Flavor Family
- Store-Bought Blends--Teriyaki Sauce;
Hoisin Sauce; Chinese 5-Spice
- Soy Sauce
- Miso Paste
- Red Peppers
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Dry Sherry
- Sugar or Corn Syrup
- Chinese 5-Spice Blend
- Sesame Oil
- Sesame Seeds
Curry Flavor Family
- Store-Bought Blends--Curry Powder &
Curry Paste
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Red Pepper
- Turmeric
- Cardamom
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Mustard
- Cinnamon
- Fennel
- Saffron
- Mint
- Coconut
- Tomato
- Almonds
- Butter or Ghee or Peanut Oil
European Flavor Family
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Vinegar
- Mustard
- Horseradish
- Paprika
- Caraway
- Celery Seed
- Dill
- Onion
- Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg & Ginger
(Pumpkin Pie Spice)
French Flavor Family
- Store-Bought Blend--Bouquet Garni
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Tarragon
- Bay Leaf
- Chervil
- Savory
- Rosemary
- Parsley
- Dry Mustard
- Heavy Cream
- Wine--Red & White
Italian/Mediterranean
- Store-Bought Blend--Italian Seasonings
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Basil
- Oregano
- Bay Leaf
- Marjoram
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomato
- Pine Nuts, or Walnuts if necessary
- Olive Oil
Mexican/Southwestern Flavor Family
- Store-Bought Blend--Chili Powder
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Red Peppers
- Green Chili Peppers
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Paprika
- Oregano
- Saffron, or Turmeric if necessary
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomatoes
- Unsweetened Cocoa or Chocolate
- Cinnamon
Pumpkin Pie or Holiday Flavor Family
- Store-Bought Blend--Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Sugar
- Molasses
- Walnuts or Pecans
Poultry/Savory
Flavor Family
- Store-Bought Blend--Poultry Seasoning Blend
- Sage
- Thyme
- Black Pepper
- Marjoram
- Rosemary
- Savory
- Onion
- Garlic
- Celery
I've tried to keep economies in mind while creating this list. Many
of the flavors have become so common that we can find store-bought
blends, even in bargain spice bins where all the spices are 50¢
each. I personally refer to this chart when creating new recipes.
There's something magical about being able to create my own seasoning
combinations and have them match. |
