Its in the bag

That funny little bunch of herbs known as a bouquet garni and consisting of thyme, parsley and bayleaf is facing stiff competition after having had a virtually free run for hundreds of years. Chefs have relied on this herbal mixture to add depth and flavour to numerous dishes especially those which benefit from long and slow cooking and so it is one of the original ingredients of many comfort foods but all that is set to change as trendy chefs switch their allegiance to a new flavour profile trapped in a little bag similar to a teabag – pickling spice.
Pickling spice, traditionally a versatile blend of flavours consisting of cinnamon, allspice, mustard seed, coriander, bayleaves, ginger, chilli peppers, cloves, black pepper, mace and cardamom, was a particular favourite of our grandmothers who infused it with hot vinegar and used the resultant astringent pickling liquor to bottle and preserve every fruit and vegetable under the sun, to see them through the long winter months. Observant chefs noticed however that the ingredients replicated exactly the type of flavour profile that you could expect to find in most aromatic curries and so the little bag is rapidly becoming an essential addition to braised and stewed dishes and it’s even turning up in soups and rice dishes.
The versatile spice mix is finding it’s way into poaching liquors for fish dishes, Moroccan style tagines,Tuscan beef stews and is even a favourite in brines and marinades for meats which will be later grilled or roasted. And it doesn’t stop there because if you finely grind the spice mix in a coffee mill it is ideal for perking up tomato based sauces, salad dressings and adding to flour or breadcrumb mixtures to coat fried foods and the big plus is that whilst it packs a powerful flavour punch, there is absolutely no salt involved.
Here’s a starting point to compile your own pickling spice blend which of course can be adjusted according to your taste. Bottle in bulk and place a selection inside a piece of muslin when using in a recipe. Tie with string but leave attached and tie the other end of the string to your pot handle so that you can easily remove at the end of cooking.
2 pieces cinnamon stick
4 pieces cassia
5 g allspice whole
5 g cloves whole
5 g dill seeds
5 g mustard seeds
5 g coriander seeds
10 g black peppercorns
5 g green cardamom pods
1 piece dried ginger root
5 g dried chilli flakes
5 g crumbled mace
5 g crumbled bayleaves