Do you take the time, or have the time, to pull every single herb leaf from its stem? Now, it may not seem like a big deal, as fresh herbs when bought in bulk are fragments of a penny per leaf. When comparing herbs to labor it becomes an equation of whether you want to exude the additional labor costs, or dismiss a few herb leafs.

Can you have the best of both worlds?

By simply submerging your herb stems (thyme, oregano and rosemary work best) in a container of vinegar, after a resting period of a few days, you will soon have an herbal infused vinegar. Personally I like to use either an inexpensive cider or rice wine vinegar as they both have a great base flavor with a color suitable for many applications without risking discoloration of neighboring ingredients. Balsamic vinegar is another option, whichever you decide to use, this solely depends on your choice of application. Keep in mind that the herb flavors will intensify if you allow at least a week to steep. To further elevate the flavor balance and layers, simply add a few slivers of onion and a bay leaf, or even a couple toasted peppercorns…YUM.

My personal favorite uses:

• Use in Vinaigrette.
• In Marinades.
• In a quick style BBQ sauce.
• Use for a mignonette in raw bar presentations.
• I love to roast chicken thighs in about 1/4″ of infused vinegar. By the time the chicken thighs are cooked, the vinegar should be reduced to a vinegar glaze consistency; add sea salt = sea salt & vinegar chicken.
• A splash splash here, a splash splash there, here a splash, there a splash, everywhere a splash splash. Point being, use in all applications that could use a bit of citric brightness.

Saffron is the red stigma from a crocus flower, sometimes referred to as the saffron crocus.

When taken into consideration that each tread of saffron is delicately collected from each flower by hand, and that every ounce contains thousands of treads; your perspective and appreciation for this spice is sure to grow.

Saffron is prized for many culinary applications, to include paella, bouillabaisse and other fish stews. It is also used as a natural food coloring and adds a golden-orange color to your preparations.

Ultimately, saffron boasts a mildly sweet flavor profile unlike anything else so it becomes difficult to conjure flavor comparisons. Let’s just say its worth the price tag and a small pinch goes a long way.

Saffron is item #2192

Find Saffron Recipe Ideas  Elevate Honey with Saffron More Spice Rack Posts Browse Spices

This potato and vegetable based pasta-like dish is vegan, gluten free, hearty, comforting and full of flavor… the full meal deal.  As used for this recipe; a spiral cutter gives you the ability to transform many vegetables into spiral strands that resemble pasta.

Ingredients for two servings:

• 3 oz oil blend
• 4 cloves garlic rough chop
• 2 oz onion, chopped
• 6 oz Caribou Russet potato, spiralized #
• 4 oz butternut squash, spiralized
• 4 oz carrot, spiralized
•  2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
• 3 oz garbanzo beans
• 2 oz cream sherry
• 4 oz vegetable stock
• 2 oz hummus to thicken sauce
• S&P to taste
• Optional: fold in baby arugula or spinach

1. Heat oil, sauté potato, butternut squash and carrot to wilt; about 2 minutes. Add garlic, onion, rosemary and garbanzo beans continue to cook for one minute.
2. Deglaze with cream sherry and reduce by half, add vegetable stock. Cook until vegetables are al dente. Be sure heat is not too high as you will need some remaining stock to crate sauce. Turn heat off and fold in hummus, this will cream a cream-like sauce texture without the addition of cream.
3. S&P to taste
4. Serve as you would serve pasta…Yum!

Note: As a rule of spiralization you should use proper sized non-hollow vegetables. For instance, the top solid portion of a butternut squash, the top thick portion of carrots and parsnips…etc. Golden beets and turnips would be great additions.

More About Caribou Russets Recipe: Caribou Shrimp Recipe: Caribou Lasagna

Growing up in Maine, the smell of split pea soup simmering was always tell tale sign that the chill of changing seasons was officially upon us and winter was about to settle in for the long haul.

Although it always appeared to me to be a daunting recipe it is actually relatively easy to prepare… and very cost effective. You will however need a couple hours to properly simmer the peas to a delicate tooth; in our opinion, that’s two hours well spent.

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oil blend
• 6 cloves garlic rough chop
• 1.5 lb yellow onion rough cut
• 1 lb salt pork #73353
• 1 lb split peas, rinsed #75066
• 7 cups stock of choice, vegetable or chicken preferred
• 8 sprigs of thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• Optional… Fresh spinach to brighten the color
• S&P to taste

1. Heat oil, sauté garlic & onions until lightly caramelized.
2. Add salt pork, split peas, stock, thyme and bay leaves.
3. Bring to a boil then reduce to a slow simmer. Cover while cooking and be sure to stir every 20 minutes or so. If soup seems too thick add more stock to achieve desired thickness. Peas should be fully cooked and soft within 1.5-2 hours.
4. Discard thyme stems and bay leaves. Reserve salt pork for use as a garnish
5. For a more refined pea soup, place in a blender & blend to a velvety texture. I like to add fresh spinach while blending to add a vibrant green color to the soup.

Note: Due to the use of salt pork I rarely find the need to add additional salt

Optional: Garnish with crisped salt pork cubes, fresh herbs or Parmesan cheese. Truffle infused creme fraiche makes an amazingly decadent garnish. We also stock pork skin pellets for house made chicharones… pork flavored soup scoops!!

Dressing Up Soups in a Bread Bowl More Soups from Dennis

For this Caesar salad, we wanted to treat the bread bowl as if it was a crouton (a giant round crouton), seasoning with the same garlic flavor profile as a standard crouton.

Bread Bowl of Caesar Salad  

Ingredients:

• 1 Toasted bread bowl, seasoned with a garlic basil oil and Parmesan cheese
• 1 head romaine, washed and cut
• 3 oz Caesar dressing
• 2 oz Parmesan cheese, shaved
• 12 leaves of flat leaf parsley

Mix together all ingredients and serve in a toasted & seasoned bread bowl.

Optional: Top salad with sliced prosciutto, and a hard boiled egg cut in 1/2

Dressing Up Soups in a Bread Bowl Mussels in a Bread Bowl

Sumac is a shrub that grows in subtopic and temperate climates, which produces clusters of red/burgundy colored fruit.

The dried fruit is then ground for use in many culinary applications, lending acidic and tangy notes, as well as unique visual appeal to preparations. Try substituting citrus with sumac in any applications that call for citrus. Add a splash of brightness to sauces, dips and salad dressings by adding a tsp of sumac. Don’t stop there, try sumac on proteins, mixed in a chocolate ganache or even in a honey sumac flavored ice cream.

Ground Sumac is Item #23220

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Also know as “zaatar” and “zahtar” this Middle Eastern herb blend is comprised of a mixture of dry basil, thyme, oregano, sumac and sesame seeds.

Traditionally the spice mix was used primarily in baking, dusted on pita then dipped in olive oil, and as a staple household spice mix. In addition to traditional uses, this herbaceous mix bodes well with…

• Any proteins including meaty seafood such as salmon and swordfish
• Adds amazing flavor to marinades
• Great mixed with yogurt for a dip
• In dressings
• As a dry rub
• And, it adds a unique depth of flavor on pizza

Infuse your dishes with a distinct yet familiar and comforting flavor with Za’atar seasoning.

Za’atar is Item #23230

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Get more from your corn than just kernels; every corn kernel starts from the cob.

In the coming months many food service operations will plow through countless bushels of fresh corn, striping the cob of the sweet golden/white kernels that will soon be used in many summer time culinary creations. Unfortunately, in most cases the cob will be chucked in the garbage before its full flavor potential is set free. Ultimately when the corn kernels are shaved from the cob there is a good chance that 10% of the corn remains attached to the cob, thus still containing hearty flavor potentials.

Personally, I’ve always used two easy fail-safe methods to extract every bit of flavor from the cob that can be used in other culinary preparations.

#1 A simple corn stock: Add a dozen or so fresh/raw corn cobs to 1.5 gallons of water + a few sprigs of thyme + 1/4 onion + 6 peppercorns + fire. Simmer for about an hour and strain; leaving a vibrant corn flavored stock.

#2 An easy corn cream: Add a dozen or so fresh/raw corn cobs to 4 qt heavy cream + Thyme, onion, & peppercorns in the amounts listed in #1 + fire. Gently simmer for 30 minutes, allow cobs to steep in the cream during the cooling process; strain to reveal a subtle corn scented cream

Corn Stock: Use in soups/consommé, for corn puree, in pasta dishes, in Pho

Corn Cream: Cream corn, Pasta sauces, Cream for mashed potatoes, infuse with Parmesan cheese and use for a mac & cheese or in a custard.

Photo courtesy of John Joh

Featuring Fire Braised® turkey breast, pecan wood smoked shoulder bacon and a medium-boiled egg on herb focaccia with a luxurious maple feta dressing.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 5 oz. Hormel, Fire Braised Turkey Breast sliced 1/4″ thick (Item #9003)
• 4 slices Hormel, Pecan Wood Smoked Shoulder Bacon (Item #16283)
• 2 ea. focaccia roll, toasted and seasoned with herbs & sea salt
• For the dressing, 2 oz. feta cheese,1 tsp. mustard,1 tblsp. mayonnaise, 2 tbsp maple syrup, salt & pepper to taste
• 2 ea. soft to medium boiled egg

Build it:

1. Dress and grill the focaccia / warm the turkey and bacon on your griddle or skillet.
2. Layer the focaccia with shoulder bacon, turkey, maple feta aioli and egg.
3. Lightly press sandwich together to burst the egg.
4. Cut in half, serve with house fried chips, or french fries, and pickle.

We all grew up with tomato soup firmly established as comfort food item, a cold day offering, or as an easily prepared dish to serve when life was too busy for cooking, usually from a can… add water and serve.

Tomato soup is a staple offering that can be easily morphed from old-school ordinary to a crown jewel in your soup arsenal. And it can be used in all outlets, from the dinning room to buffets. The key to elevating the flavor profile of tomato soup is to properly roast your tomatoes, garlic, and onions… thus adding a richness of flavor not found in the canned version.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 lbs of tomatoes, washed and cut in 1/4s
• 1 cup whole garlic cloves
• 2 lbs yellow onions or shallots, rough cut
• 1 cup oil blend, to coat vegetables
• 1/2 gal of vegetable stock
• 1 cup red cooking
• 16 oz tomato paste
• 1/2 oz of fresh oregano
• 1/2 oz of thyme
• 1/2 oz fresh basil
• salt & pepper to taste

VISUAL DIRECTIONS