Temperatures may be dropping outside, but in the kitchen, things are heating up with the craving for warm, spicy comfort food during cold winter nights! With some produce out of season, home chefs look for rich and filling fragrances to add to their recipes and often rely on winter spices for great flavor and taste. Also commonly referred to as pie spices, winter spices include star anise, allspice, nutmeg, mace, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and ginger.
At Shamrock Foodservice Warehouse, we proudly offer customers Katy’s Kitchen spices to serve as a foundation for recipe success. Here we break down four winter spices you can shop for on your next visit.
1. Allspice
When it first arrived on the shores of Great Britain, this spice got its name because people thought it was a blend made up of several spices. Instead, it comes from a single berry harvested from an evergreen tree native to Jamaica. Allspice adds a warming flavor to sweet baked goods such as cookies and cakes, and can also be used for more savory applications like barbecue sauce or curries.
2. Cloves
Cloves often remind people of the holidays and are a dried flower bud of an evergreen tree native to Indonesia. Producing a pungent, sweet and bitter flavor, cloves should be used sparingly and are great in both sweet and savory recipes.
3. Cinnamon
An American classic, cinnamon has a distinctive flavor that is commonly used in sweet dishes like cookies, cakes, and cereals. But its culinary magic doesn't end there. Adding it to a vegetable curry can unveil warm, comforting flavors, and it can transform chicken dishes with a winter spice twist. Try a new spin on chicken with this recipe featuring the winter spice.
4. Ginger
Ginger is a root commonly grown in Asia but has been used in European cooking for a long time. Ginger, with its versatility as dried, pickled, fresh, or even roasted, stands out as one of the world's favorite spices due to its adaptability in various culinary uses. Along with the warming sensation, ginger often packs a fiery aftertaste and outside of gingerbread and ginger cake is also used in Indian, Chinese and Thai cooking. If you need some menu inspiration, check out this Upside-Down Gingerbread-Pear Torte here.
Try experimenting with these winter spices to warm up your kitchen and bellies no matter what the temp is outside. Stop by and shop Katy’s Kitchen and other recipe ingredients on your next visit to the store!
