Spice up your life
Virginia Highland's Savory Spice Shop offers a wealth of fall flavors for the holidays
Marvin-Jacobs says she initially turned to spices to add zest to healthy eating, but now believes they can practically do the cooking for you. “You don’t have to learn every seasoning element and pairing,” she explains. “Blends let you toss in some of this and some of that. You can’t go wrong if your seasoning is right.”
Finding a suitable blend is easy with the help of Marvin-Jacobs and her fellow onsite spice experts, trained by Savory Spice corporate. Customers with special dietary restrictions can request recipes tailored to meet their needs. The shop sells prepackaged mixes and individual spices by the ounce, offering teeny zip bags for those who just need a pinch. This can be helpful for single-family home chefs, given the fact that many fresh ground spices lose potency over just a couple of months. Buying in bulk is not always best.
For those attempting to cook up their own Thanksgiving feasts this year, Savory Spice is a good place to start. The shop’s Turkey Brining Kit ($13.95) contains just the right amount of salt, sugar, and seasoning to brine a 12-15 pound turkey. The top-selling spice continues to be their Bohemian Forest European style seasoning, a fall and winter mustard-based blend that works on all types of poultry and adds flavors of Mediterranean thyme and lavender. “The seasoning kicks up a lot of things, including leftover turkey sandwiches,” Marvin-Jacobs says.
Though Savory Spice’s national footprint spans from Pennsylvania to California, each location strives to capture provincial flavors. Many of the VaHi shop’s signature blends have been specially created for Atlanta patrons. The Taste of ATL flavor package ($19.95 — stocking stuffer alert!) includes Georgia Peach Spice, Georgia Boys All-Purpose BBQ Rub, Stone Mountain Grits and Gravy, and Beltline Dill Pickle Salt. A subscription to the Spice Club (starting at $49) offers monthly spice deliveries with accompanying recipes.
Marvin-Jacobs notes that spices aren’t only for food. She suggests fortifying wine or apple cider with mulling spice, a robust blend of Saigon cinnamon, allspice, and ceylon and Madagascar cloves. “Mulling spice seems special, but it’s really a magic trick you can do when company comes,” she says. Drinking it can also aid a good night’s sleep.
Top spice? When in doubt, add nutmeg, says Marvin-Jacobs. She tells me that gastro-guru Alton Brown always carries some in his pocket because it’s the ultimate “cheat” ingredient, bringing depth and complexity to even the most basic dishes. “You can add interest to so many foods with nutmeg," she says. "As a whole spice, nutmeg will practically last forever.”
That’s a tip we can all put in our back pockets.
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Apple-Ginger Wild Rice
A worthy addition to any Thanksgiving table, this recipe from Savory Spice’s test kitchen pairs well with proteins and veggies.
Ingredients
1 cup wild rice or wild rice blend
2 cups apple cider or apple juice
1/2 tsp.organic ground Peruvian ginger
Directions
Rinse rice in cold water. Combine rice and apple cider in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook, covered, for about 45 minutes. until liquid is absorbed and rice is toothy but tender. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Remove cover and stir in ground ginger. Serve warm or at room temperature. Toss in fresh chopped apples, dried cranberries and/or nuts if desired.
Yields: 3 cups
Savory Spice Shop. 1048 North Highland Ave. N.E. 678-515-3999. www.savoryspiceshop.com