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With a touch a spice, the simplest ingredient goes global. You can tour the world in your own back yard with the help of Chinese five spice powder, Indian garam masala, Cajun seasoning, and many more. There are dozens, even hundreds of possibilities, many of them now available locally so you’ve plenty of choice. Spices suit summer heat and it’s no accident that every tropical nation has a characteristic dry spice mix, often called a rub.

Making your own rub is fun, and far better than a commercial mix, which may be stale. The sensory impact of freshly ground spices is astonishing, and a dry rub lasts several months in an airtight container, losing its punch only gradually.  For grinding, traditional cooks use a mortar and pestle, but as far as I am concerned electricity has taken over. To pulverize spices for garam masala, the basic seasoning mixture for northern Indian meat and rice dishes, I use my electric coffee grinder. The exotic tinge to the next brew of coffee takes everyone by surprise! Garam masala is an excellent rub for poultry as well as meat – use it to spice steaks and lamb chops for the grill, or roll chicken breasts or a whole bird in it before roasting. The term stew meat takes on new meaning when tossed in masala before cooking.

Garam Masala:. In an electric coffee grinder combine a cinnamon stick, broken in pieces, 1 bay leaf, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, 3 whole cloves, the seeds from 6 cardamom pods, and 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Grind to a fine powder. Makes about ¼ cup, enough for 2 large chickens or 3 pounds stew beef or lamb.
Cajun seasoning is the main element of the famous New Orleans blackened fish, and is great for grilled vegetables too. Dip cut surfaces of the fish or vegetables in spice, patting dry with your hands to obtain an even coating. As with all spice mixes there are many versions, and here’s mine.

Cajun Seasoning: In a coffee grinder, mix a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, a teaspoon each of paprika, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, and sea or kosher salt, and a pinch or more of cayenne pepper, to your taste. Work to a powder. Makes about ¼ cup, enough for 1½ pounds fish fillets.
To moisten a rub and turn it into a spicy paste, I add garlic, fresh ginger, and a vegetable oil. A paste can be spread on food more generously and it sticks better than a dry rub, but it can be kept only about a week in the refrigerator. Use a moist rub when grilling meats, poultry, and robust fish such as tuna. Pork, lamb, and chicken rubbed with this paste are especially good grilled to serve cold.

Spicy Garlic Paste: In a small food processor combine 20 garlic cloves, cut in pieces, 2 tablespoons garam masala or Cajun seasoning, and 1 tablespoon sea or kosher salt.  Add ¼ cup olive oil and purée the mixture to a paste.  Spread the paste on meat or chicken and chill 1 to 2 hours. Scrape off the paste before grilling. Enough for 1 chicken, 1 leg of lamb or 6 pork chops.
For fish such as swordfish and vegetables like eggplant that dry out on the grill, it’s hard to beat vinaigrette as a moist marinade and basting sauce. Basic vinaigrette is a combination of just four ingredients: oil (my favorite is olive oil), vinegar, salt and pepper, but then the fun begins. The vinegar can be red wine, white wine, or sherry; it can have balsamic sweetness or the fragrance of fruit. It can be replaced altogether by another acid such as citrus juice, particularly the tropical favorite, lime. When a rub is mixed with vinaigrette dressing it becomes a delicious, spicy sauce, wonderful with grilled vegetables. The following Italian version is good with radicchio, treviso and any of the slightly bitter relatives of the endive family. Serve grilled radicchio on its own as an appetizer, or as a delicious accompaniment to grilled chicken and fish.

Spicy Grilled Radicchio: Light the grill. Trim 1 pound radicchio, discarding any wilted outer leaves and leaving enough stem to hold the leaves together. Cut heads in quarters. Mix in a bowl ½ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon each of salt, ground coriander, and ground cumin, and ¼ teaspoon each of ground black pepper and ground red chili pepper. Brush the radicchio generously all over with spiced oil. Brush the grill rack with oil and set the radicchio on it about 3 inches from the heat. Grill radicchio until slightly charred, 3-5 minutes, brushing occasionally with more oil. Turn and brown the remaining sides until tender but still firm when poked with a knife, 5-7 minutes longer. Serves 3 to 4.

In Texas, seven time zones away from Italy, barbecue cooks follow the same spicy principles. These quail in a basket are to be savored with a large margarita!

Quail in a Basket

Light the grill or preheat the broiler. Cut the backbone from 8 quail, flatten them and thread them on skewers. In a small bowl whisk ½ cup/125 ml/4 fl oz olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper and ½ -1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes. Brush the sauce on the quail and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Set the birds on an oiled rack 2-3 inches/5-7.5 cm from the heat. Grill or broil them, breast towards the heat, 5 to 6 minutes until brown and lightly charred. Turn and brown the other side 3-8 minutes depending on plumpness of the quail. Poke a breast with the point of a knife – it should remain juicy and slightly pink. Serve the quail for 4, in a basket lined with a paper napkin.

On the opposite side of the world in Indonesia, chicken breasts are cut in strips to make satays, skewered as kebabs and soaked in a fragrant marinade that is lively with lime. Satays should come with spicy peanut sauce and you’ll find some on supermarket shelves without too much trouble. You can make small appetizer-size skewers, or larger ones to serve as a main course. A pilaf of fragrant basmati rice is the ideal accompaniment.

Chicken Satays: Soak 6 large or 12 small wooden skewers in water. Trim 1½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts in strips about ½-inch wide (length does not matter). Drain skewers and thread chicken strips on them, pleating to form a zigzag pattern. Lay them in a shallow dish. In a bowl mix 2 chopped stems of lemon grass, or 2 chopped shallots, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger, 2 teaspoons five spice powder, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon honey.  Pour marinade over the skewers, cover and refrigerate 1-3 hours. Light the grill or preheat the broiler. Grill or broil kebabs about 3 inches from the heat until brown, 2-3 minutes. Turn and brown the other side. Serve with peanut sauce for 6.

Last but not least on our global tour comes a rich spicy sauce from the Republic of Georgia where walnuts flourish. Enjoy Satsivi hot or cold with chicken, fish, or vegetables. For extra flavor, you may like to slice the main ingredients after cooking and leave them to marinate in the sauce for an hour or two before serving. Saffron adds color as well as fragrance to the sauce.

Georgian Walnut Sauce (Satsivi): Combine in a food processor l cup walnut pieces, 3 peeled garlic cloves, l½ teaspoons ground coriander seed, l teaspoon ground cinnamon, l/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek or aniseed, a pinch of saffron infused for l5 minutes in 1 tablespoon boiling water, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Purée until smooth and thick.  Work in about 1 cup warm water to make a sauce that is thin enough to pour. Taste and adjust seasoning, including spices. Makes 2 cups sauce.


© 2004, Anne Willan. Distributed by Tribune Media Services International.

Anne Willan is the founder of the famous French cooking school, LaVarenne, and has also served as president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She is the author of over a dozen internationally published cookbooks, including her latest book, A Cook’s Book of Quick Fixes & Kitchen Tips ( John Wiley & Sons, September 2005).