Rosemary Seasoning

In a big salt or spice shaker mix the following:
4-6 T  ground rosemary
1t-1T  cayenne pepper
6 T  Himalayan pink salt
*1½t crushed-powdered Bouquet Garni
. . .or Italian Seasonings - optional

To me, what distinguishes a truly great spice shop is that they have Ground Rosemary!  Not easy to find, but well worth the search.  This is a blend I love.  The trick of course, as with any herb or spice seasoning, is getting the amounts right for your tastes.  This is especially good with lamb or chicken - even beef - as well as a hot Mediterranean Pasta Casserole or a Mediterranean Pasta Salad.

*To add a little more depth to the flavor of this seasoning, and not just the single note of rosemary, crush, mortar-and-pestal, either of these herb blends.  Then, shake through a strainer into a small bowl to obtain the finished amount of 1½ teaspoons of powder. . .Lin

Peppered Olive Oil

I make this two ways using either red or black pepper. I mix and store this in a tall, thin clear glass container, such as a wine bottle with a screw on top or a cork.

Fill container about 1/8 of the way with whole black peppercorns, cracked black pepper or 1/10th filled with crushed red pepper flakes. Add extra virgin olive oil. Turn upside-down and sideways often to keep the pepper flakes or peppercorns moving and hydrated with the oil. The oil will take a few days to be fully infused with the pepper flavor.

I use this in marinades and salad dressing as well as for stir frying meats and vegetables. When using the red pepper infused oil, you can shake it before making the dressing to include some of the flakes. With the whole peppercorns, it's best to shake beforehand, let it settle and use just the pepper infused oil.

Browning and De-Glazing Technique for Meat

To really enhance the flavors and hearty, rustic appearance of your soups and stews, this technique is well worth spending a little time to perfect.

Chicken, Pork, Beef, Venison, Elk, Lamb all taste better when this procedure is followed.

When cooking with light colored meat I deglaze with white wine, or on occasion beer for a little heartier finished product.  You could also use chicken stock or plain water.  For all the darker meats I used beer, red wine, Vodka, beef stock or water.

Wash and cut the meat into the desired size pieces.  Be sure to DRY the meat thoroughly on all sides with paper towel.  Wet meat does not brown properly.

Heat a little peppered olive oil and butter in a heavy pan.  Add meat as well as a little finely chopped garlic and onion.  Once the meat begins to sizzle, move it around the pan a little with a flat edge wooden spoon.  Stay with it from this point on, it goes from perfectly browned to burned in no time.  When the meat begins to brown, stick to the pan a bit and leave browning residue on the sides of the pan, add a little of the deglazing liquid.  Let this evaporate, moving and stirring, creating another layer of browning and repeat the process using 3-4 oz. each time.  At the last addition of liquid - and I usually use a total of about 12 oz. - add any chunky vegetables to the soup or stew at this time.  This process also works well for a vegetable stew or soup without meat.