My friend CL Quillen reached out a few weeks ago to talk about spices. As the new Churchill County Library Director, CL wanted to poke my brain about a potential collaboration for a new program, a Spice Club. Spice Clubs are popping up in libraries around North America, and CL thought it might be a fun fit for our community. Naturally, I was all in.
When I write my weekly missive for this column, I encourage my readers to step out of their comfort zone and try new things. I aim to demystify cooking, simplify seemingly challenging recipes, inspire you to strap on an apron, pull out your favorite wooden spoon, and experiment with new ingredients. Discovering your new favorite thing to put in your mouth requires a sense of daring and adventure. Incorporating new spices into your cabinets and dishes is a great way to explore the wide world of flavor beyond the boundaries of the everyday.
In this new collaboration, we will feature a new spice each month. You can hop on board the flavor train by visiting the Churchill County Library and joining the Spice Club.
For our first featured spice, we chose Wild Mountain Cumin. Ethically sourced by Burlap & Barrel, Wild Mountain Cumin is hand-picked by foragers in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Botanically distinct from the common cumin found in grocery stores, the seeds are smaller and softer and do not need to be ground before use. Wild Mountain Cumin has an unmistakable flavor: earthy, musky, and slightly spicy. Humans have been toasting cumin, grinding it, and using it to season their food for over 5,000 years.
When cooking with whole cumin seeds, there are two decisions you will need to make when incorporating the spice into your dish: how to extract the oils from the seed and when to add them to your recipe. Cumin’s flavor is contained in the oils locked inside the seed. These oils can be unlocked and released into your dish by applying heat to the seeds. If you want the flavor infused throughout a dish, you should bloom the cumin seeds in oil. Warm a few tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, then add whole cumin seeds. Watch your seeds carefully. They need to crackle and pop without burning. When the seeds become aromatic, add other ingredients. Alternatively, toasting the seeds is a better option if you want the seeds to pack a flavor punch sprinkled through a dish. Warm the cumin seeds in a dry sauté pan over medium-high heat until they pop and release their aroma, then remove to a plate or bowl to stop cooking.
Rather than sharing a specific recipe with cumin, here is a list of ways to add cumin to elevate some cooking basics.
CUMIN SALT - Throughout Morocco, you’ll get a bowl of cumin salt with your roasted meats. We love to use it as a simple spice rub on beef and lamb before searing and as a simple way to finish roasted vegetables. It's particularly good when coupled with a squeeze of lemon or lime.
CUMIN RICE - Elevate the flavor and texture of your next batch of basmati or other long-grain rice by adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of whole cumin seed, 3 bay leaves, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter (or ghee) to the cooking water; discard the bay leaves before serving.
CUMIN-FENNEL RUB - This simple rub is terrific on beef, lamb, and pork. Combine 1 tablespoon each of cumin and fennel seeds with 2 tablespoons whole black pepper. Crush to a coarse rub in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, then blend with salt to taste.
RAITA - A simple Indian-style flavored yogurt can be used as a dipping sauce for crudité, sandwich spread, or a simple sauce for roasted chicken or salmon. Mix 1 teaspoon each toasted and crushed cumin and coriander seeds into 1 cup full-fat yogurt with ⅓ cup chopped mint or cilantro. Add minced jalapeño or cayenne pepper if you want a kick to your dip.
Please stop by the library for more information about cumin and join us on a spice journey.
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