Guilty as Cinnamon (30 page)

Afterword

Death by ghost chile is remotely possible, but highly unlikely. If it were to happen, the action would probably be as Dr. Locke described. The peppers can be highly inflammatory; if you decide to cook with them, try making the oil Pepper and Alex concocted, or follow your own spice merchant's recommendations. Start small, and glove up! And whatever you do, don't get them anywhere near your eyes. As anyone who's ever made salsa can attest, even the oils from the mildest peppers can sizzle those tender
tissues!

Pepper recommends keeping a jar of an all-purpose curry close at hand for spicing up vegetables or sprinkling on deviled eggs. This recipe has plenty of flavor and not a lot of heat.

1 tablespoon coriander

1 tablespoon turmeric

1½ teaspoons cayenne

1½ teaspoons ground cloves

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1½ teaspoons ground ginger

Mix together and store in a tightly closed jar.

Makes ¼ cup.

Optional additions:
cumin, cardamom, yellow mustard, or black pepper

For a quick side dish, add a tablespoon to cooked garbanzo beans along with lemon, cilantro, and a diced tomato.

Another blend that varies with the cook. Pepper and Sandra created the Spice Shop's Garam Masala to contrast with the hotter curry. It's especially yummy on shrimp or roasted nuts (recipe below).

4 teaspoons ground fennel seeds

2½ teaspoons cinnamon

2½ teaspoons ground caraway seeds

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

If your spices are whole, grind them in a coffee grinder. (Clean it first by grinding a tablespoon of rice to a fine powder and wiping out the grit; this also sharpens the blades.) Mix together thoroughly in a small bowl. Store in a tightly closed jar.

Makes about half a cup.

FALAFEL BURGERS WITH LEMON-TAHINI SAUCE

Pepper finally persuaded the owner of her favorite Middle Eastern restaurant to share his recipe, though she prefers pan grilling to deep-frying, for a healthier option and a cleaner kitchen. These burgers are equally good with or without the pita—she often serves them on a salad of greens, tomatoes, black olives, and sliced red onions, drizzled with the lemon-tahini sauce. Panko bread crumbs are a Japanese style, coarser than typical bread crumbs, readily available in the baking aisle of most groceries.

FOR THE LEMON-TAHINI SAUCE:

⅓ cup tahini

¼ cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons plain yogurt (Greek yogurt is too thick; choose a thinner variety for a pourable sauce)

1 clove garlic

Salt and freshly ground pepper

FOR THE FALAFEL BURGERS:

2 14-ounce cans garbanzo beans, aka chickpeas, rinsed and drained

½ red onion, diced

2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

6 fresh mint leaves

2 cloves garlic

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup panko bread crumbs

Nonstick cooking spray

4 whole wheat pita breads, toasted, cut in half, and split to form pockets

½ red onion, thinly sliced

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

2 cups salad greens or romaine leaves, torn into bite-sized pieces

Mint sprigs, for garnish

Make the sauce:
Combine the tahini, lemon juice, yogurt, and garlic in a blender or a small food processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to your own taste.

Make the burgers:
Combine the garbanzo beans, onion, parsley, mint, garlic, lemon zest and juice, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth. Place the mixture in a large bowl. Add the egg and bread crumbs, and stir to combine. Form into eight patties.

Heat a frying pan over medium and coat with cooking spray. Cook the burgers, carefully turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes a side.

To serve, put each burger in a pita pocket, top with a generous helping of sauce, and fill with red onion, tomato slices, and greens. Garnish the pockets or plate with a mint sprig.

Serves 8.

ARUGULA FENNEL SALAD WITH DOUBLE MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

Laurel adds a little heat to her lunch-goers' day by garnishing this salad with a very hot chile. The pepperoncini in the salad itself are mild, made milder by pickling, so no need to worry about entering the ghost realm prematurely!

FOR THE SALAD:

½ pound baby arugula

1 small fennel bulb, with fronds

½ English cucumber

4 small pepperoncini

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

¼ cup fresh dill

FOR THE DRESSING:

1 heaping teaspoon grain mustard

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Juice of 1 lemon (3 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Make the salad:
Wash and spin arugula and place in a serving bowl. A large, flat bowl is ideal.

Remove the outer layer of the fennel bulb and chop off the top with fronds. Chop 2 to 3 tablespoons of fronds for garnish. Cut off the tough, flat bottom end of the bulb, and cut the bulb in half. Lay each half on your cutting board, cut side down, and slice thinly.

English cucumbers typically come wrapped in plastic; unwrap yours, scrub it with a vegetable brush, and peel it in ¼ inch strips, leaving ¼ inch of peel, alternating with ¼ inch of flesh, continuing around the cucumber. Cut it in half lengthwise and slice ¼ inch thick.

Remove and discard the seeds from the pepperoncini, then slice as thinly as possible.

Roughly chop the parsley and dill.

Add all the vegetables and herbs to the salad bowl except the fennel fronds, and toss to combine.

Make the dressing:
Stir the mustards and lemon juice together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the olive oil in a stream, whisking the ingredients together until the dressing thickens or emulsifies. (Pouring the oil in gradually keeps it from separating.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the salad with the dressing. Garnish with the fennel fronds.

Serves 6 as a side salad or first course.

These baked sausages and muffins are excellent alongside eggs scrambled with green onions, red bell pepper, and the Seattle Spice Shop's Herbes de Provence (recipe in
Assault and Pepper
).

SPICY MORNING SAUSAGE

A tip from Laurel: Let the sausage sit on the counter, wrapped or covered, for about thirty minutes so your hands don't freeze when you mix it!

1 pound lean ground pork sausage

½ teaspoon salt (kosher or flakes pack the best flavor punch)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted (see below)

½ teaspoon cayenne

½ cup panko bread crumbs

½ cup grated Parmesan

Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toast the fennel seeds by heating them in a small, heavy frying pan over medium heat, about five minutes, stirring often. They will turn golden brown and give your kitchen a lovely fragrance.

In a large bowl, break up the sausage with a spoon or your hands. Mix in the salt, pepper flakes, fennel seeds, cayenne, bread crumbs, and Parmesan. Form into small patties, about two inches across and half an inch thick.

Spray a glass or ceramic baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the patties in the dish, an inch or two apart. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown but slightly tender to the touch in the middle. You may want to stick a knife in one to make sure they are thoroughly cooked and hot.

Makes about 12 patties. They reheat nicely and freeze well.

¼ cup chopped dates

½ cup hot water

1½ cups wheat bran

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup chopped dates, or more

Nonstick cooking spray

Pour hot water over the ¼ cup dates; set aside. (Do not drain.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix wheat bran, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Pour the date-water mixture into a blender or food processor. Add the oil, egg, and buttermilk, and blend about 1 minute, until smooth. Pour into the flour mixture, along with the ½ cup dates. Stir until blended. The batter will be thick and lumpy.

Coat a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in the pan about 5 minutes before serving in a pretty bowl or a basket lined with a colorful napkin.

Makes 12 muffins. These freeze beautifully.

SCOTTY GLASS'S COSMOPOLITAN

Pepper's old standby

FOR EACH DRINK:

1½ ounces citrus vodka

1 ounce triple sec (Glassy prefers Cointreau)

½ ounce fresh lime juice

Dash of cranberry juice, for color

Lime wedge, for garnish

Pour the liquor and juice into a shaker two-thirds full of ice. Shake about fifteen seconds, or until your hands are cold, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Add the lime as garnish.