Using Spices like Italian Seasoning

Spices come from vegetable plants and are used in cooking to add a pungent and bitter taste, like capers, or an aromatic and sweet taste, like ginger. Spices, including herbs and seasonings, enhance the taste of our beverages, breads, fresh and cooked fruits and vegetables, fish, and meat dishes. Most kitchens have a collection of favorites.

Spices can be purchased separately, like coriander, or as a blend of several ingredients. Knowing the individual spices in a blend gives the chef an advantage in efficiency. Some chefs like to create their own blends to have on hand.

One favorite blend is Italian Seasoning. The ingredients on a tin include marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, oregano, and basil. This popular seasoning adds to the flavor of chicken, pasta sauces, vegetables, and dipping oils made in the Italian style. It can be blended with a good olive oil and used to flavor the breads and rolls for sandwiches, hoagies, and subs.

Italian seasoning can be added to many dishes in the same meal. It can be sprinkled on the antipasto or added to the dressing, used in the sauce ladled over the pasta, and included in the cooking water that heated the vegetables. The chef can add more of an individual spice to increase the sweetness or pungency of one or more dishes.

The proportions of the spices is a matter of taste and tradition. Italian chefs have their preferences and create their own unique mix. The inclusion of onion and garlic can also spice up the Italian meal. For the beginning cook, adding a tablespoon of a commercial seasoning mix can mean confidence in the authentic flavor of the food. For the experienced cook, a custom blend of spices can be a signature flavor.

Italian cuisine is regional and the spices of each of the twenty regions are different. Italians eat an estimated 60 pounds of pasta per person each year. In contrast, each American may eat 20 pounds per year. Imagine the delicious variety of the sauces that can be devised.

The McCormick website uses Italian seasoning as a base for more complex seasonings. There is a rib roast recipe that includes peppercorn melange, garlic powder, ground mustard, and the Italian seasoning as a rub. The Spice Island website has an easy, quick recipe for Balsamic Vinaigrette that combines Italian seasoning with ground mustard and smoked paprika.

The writer has a favorite focaccia bread recipe that uses Italian seasoning. Start with a basic pizza dough rolled out to a size that fits the pan you will bake it in. Use your fingers to punch dimples in the surface to hold the oil. Brush with a good quality olive oil. Sprinkle with seasoning and sea salt. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Check the bottom of the pie for doneness.

Sources
Pasta History, Life in Italy
Peppered Herb Rib Roast, McCormick
Balsamic Vinaigrette, Spice Island