Using Spices like Pickling Spice

Spices come from vegetable plants and are used in cooking to add a pungent and bitter taste, like fenugreek, or an aromatic and sweet taste, like cinnamon. 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 paprika, or as a blend of several ingredients. One favorite blend is pickling spice. The obvious use is for making pickles. There are almost unlimited recipes for making pickles using cucumbers, beets, carrots, Seckel pears, sweet peppers, green beans, cauliflower, and more. Some recipes include directions for canning and others mention that the product will keep in the refrigerator for one or two weeks.

The ingredients on the tin labeled Mixed Pickling Spice include mustard seed, cinnamon, ginger, bay leaves, red pepper, caraway, allspice, black pepper, coriander, cloves, soybean and cottonseed oil. The tin also recommends using the seasonings in relishes, preserves, gravies, stews, meats, vegetables, fish, marinades, sauerbraten, barbecue and spaghetti sauces. The combination of sweet and tangy has varied uses in cooking. Consider trying this seasoning in chutneys, spiced fruit dishes, meat sauces, stews, and soups. A pickled antipasto can be canned and given as gifts.

Recipes use the pickling spice wrapped in cheesecloth so that the flavors infuse the dish but the spices are not actually eaten. Bay is one spice that is usually removed from food before serving. There are several spice blends that are bundled, either in cloth or tied with kitchen string so they can be easily removed after cooking. Strong tasting spices can overcome the palate and should be used with respect.

Cheesecloth bags can be purchased or made. Cheesecloth is sold by the yard in fabric stores and in packages at kitchen supply stores. The fabric should be washed before use. Cut a 6-inch or larger square, place the spices in the center, bring up the corners and tie with string kept for cooking. Keep the string long enough to hand over the edge of the pot for easy removal after cooking. People report success using tea balls which can be washed and reused. Cloth bags must be discarded.

The writer experiments with homemade soups. The recipe is open three cans and call it soup. Start with two or more cans of vegetables (also use fresh or left-overs). Add chicken or vegetable stock. Add seasonings. This is a great way to try different spice blends. Since one of the vegetables is diced tomatoes, pickling spice is a natural addition.

For chefs tempted to create their own version, try a Google search on the expression, pickling spice recipe.

Sources
http://picklethis.com/
Pickled Seckel Pears, Howtopickle.com
Pickled Antipasto, Allrecipes.com