These Are a Few of My Favorite Things: Ras el Hanout

I posted a recipe for Ras el Hanout a few weeks ago, but I've been using it so often in the kitchen lately, I felt it deserved its own post, lest it be lost in the shadow of the butternut squash recipe where I first encountered it.

Ras el Hanout is a spice blend from the Middle East and North Africa. Spice market vendors all claim their version to be the best, and some people consider the seductive blend of spices to be an aphrodisiac. At the very least, any food in which you include Ras el Hanout will inspire diners to kiss the cook, so you've got that goin' for you.

Basic Ras el Hanout

Ingredients:
2 (level) teaspoons salt
2 (heaping) teaspoons cumin
2 (level) teaspoons ginger
2 (conservative) teaspoons black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 (slightly rounded) teaspoon nutmeg
optional: 1 teaspoon saffron threads (I still don't have saffron.)

Directions:
Blend all spices together in a bowl and store in an air-tight container. For vegetables and meats, add 1-2 teaspoons per pound.

I've been following this recipe for weeks (my modifications are in parentheses), mixing into wilted greens, coating pork chops before grilling, and stirring into cauliflower fouscous. Today, I found this link, and I'm curious to try a blend made with more than 30 spices!

I think it would also be fun to truly make it from scratch and start with whole spices. If you've never toasted then ground whole spices, you really need to treat yourself and try it. (And while we're talking about spices, you know I have a massive crush on Penzeys Spices, but I'm feeling a certain flirtatiousness with Zamouri Spices today. I'm thinking a little fling might be in order.)

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I'm excited to once again join the punk rock foodies on Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.