Get your palates ready for these easy and delicious recipes that use the spices in the Spice Tribe Chile Box:
1. Ancient Halaby: Sumac Tomato Flatbread with Garlic Yogurt Spread
A go-to no-bake appetizer by "lindseyeatsla"
TOMATO SEASON FOREVER!
These toasted naan flatbreads with a garlicky sumac yogurt spread topped with farmers market heirloom tomatoes are seriously my dream! SO easy, no fuss meal for these hot summer days.
I am absolutely in love with this recipe. It starts with a homemade garlicky yogurt sauce with garlic cloves, lemon zest, lemon juice and sherry vinegar – literally so simple. I recommend making extra and saving in the fridge. It can be used to make homemade naan, marinate chicken or even just a dip for veggies. (and to make these heirloom toasts of course)!
After you make your yogurt sauce, you go in with slicing heirloom tomatoes – if you don’t have these on hand, then any tomato works – roma, cherry, whatever you can get your hands on. Right now though, at my local farmer’s markets, the heirloom tomatoes are absolutely beautiful – I seriously cannot tell you how many tomatoes I eat every day during this summer season. Just SO good.
Once you have all your prep done, you’re going to toast your flatbread/naan and lather on your yogurt sauce and top with your heirloom tomatoes – slice, serve, and enjoy! It’s a dream for sure. I think what really elevates this dish is the awesome Spice Tribe Ancient Halaby Middle Eastern blend mixed with sumac and aleppo pepper – it just takes this to the next level.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: no cooking involved! (unless you want to make your own flatbread!)
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1/2 lemon zest
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (or may we suggest our Ethical Pantry Espresso Balsamic Vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon Spice Tribe Ancient Halaby Middle Eastern blend from the Chile Box
- salt and pepper to taste
- 5-6 assorted heirloom tomatoes
- 3-4 large pieces of naan/flatbread
Steps
- In a bowl, add your yogurt, garlic cloves, lemon zest, lemon, sherry vinegar (or Espresso Balsamic Vinegar), Spice Tribe Ancient Halaby Middle Eastern blend, salt and pepper, mix well and set aside.
- Next cube and slice your heirloom tomatoes and lay on paper towels with a drizzle of salt to get the moisture out. (This helps so there isn’t sogginess on the naan).
- Toast your naan/flatbread, layer on your yogurt spread then your tomatoes and top with more Spice Tribe Ancient Halaby, salt and pepper. Slice and serve.
2. Kissed by Binchotan: Miso Shiitake Mushrooms
An umami rich side dish to any grilled protein, or great on its own over rice by Spice Tribe's Trent Blodgett
The featured Kissed by Binchotan spice blend in this recipe has its history in Trent's travels to Japan. Their Shichimi Togarashi is a red chile pepper blend translating to “seven spice,” and centering around the fruity yet spicy Togarashi chile. Each producer uses slightly different ingredients to balance the Capsicum annuum, the Japanese red chile pepper that forms the central backbone to the mix. Most add Sansho — a mild japanese green peppercorn, dried citrus peel and a variety of other seasonings such as dried garlic, sesame seeds, seaweed, and in some cases, hemp seed. My love for chiles already established, I was immediately taken by the toasted layers of flavor of this quintessentially Japanese blend.
Experiencing their dedication to perfection in every moment during my trip to Japan gave me great insight into their culture and in turn, a deeper appreciation. This is true even for the Binchotan charcoal, made from Ubame oak branches in the Kishi Prefecture, and carefully tended in fig shaped kilns for several days by masters using a technique in place for thousands of years. “Kissed by Binchotan” an unlikely name for a chile blend, but rightfully so, as my yakitori that day that was literally kissed by the magic charcoal smoke, and my world was opened further by the wonderful shichimi I sprinkled over the top.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2-4
Equipment: Small mixing bowl, Large sauté pan, Wooden spoon
Ingredients
Miso Compound Butter:- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 tbsp Shiro (white) miso
- 1 tsp Tamari
- ½ tsp Mirin (sweet rice wine) or rice vinegar
- 240 grams of shiitake, stems removed and sliced into half inch strips
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil plus more as needed depending on size of pan
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 cup scallion, white part only, cut into 1” sticks; keep green tips to use for garnish
- 2 tbsp Miso Compound Butter
- ¼ cup sake
- 1 tsp Spice Tribe Kissed by Binchotan Japanese Chile Blend
Steps
Miso Compound Butter:
- In small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly
- Set aside for immediate use, or place in sealed container in refrigerator — will keep for several weeks
- Heat pan to medium high and then add oil.
- Add mushrooms, taking care not to overcrowd.
- Stir occasionally and reduce heat if necessary so mushrooms don’t over brown and dry out.
- Stir in garlic and white part of scallion.
- Continue to cook for 2–3 min until scallions are slightly browned.
- Add sake and reduce for 1 minute.
- Turn off heat and stir in miso butter.
- Sprinkle with Kissed by Binchotan Japanese Chile Blend and sliced scallion tops.
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Shiro or white miso is mild, less salty and more sweet than red or yellow miso
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Mirin is sweet cooking sake; for the regular sake, buy a lower priced version of drinking sake and it will last for months in your cabinet or refrigerator
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Depending on the flavor you are trying to achieve, mirin will add sweetness and rice vinegar will add more acidity.
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Soy sauce can be used instead of tamari if you aren’t concerned with wheat/gluten consumption
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The stems of the shiitake are quite tough, but set them aside to dry and use for a vegetarian stock
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This recipe also works with baby shiitakes and you do not need to remove the entire stem.
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Canola or other neutral oil with a high smoke point is recommended.
3. California Love: Hot Sauce
Making your own hot sauce is so easy! Recipe by Spice Tribe's Trent Blodgett
SPICE IT UP!
Growing up in Northern California, the kitchen was the heartbeat of my house. I often found myself wandering in, drawn there by the amazing smells that made their way to my room. My Dad was the cook of the family, and he never hesitated to put me to work chopping, slicing and doing the dishes. I loved our time there together. His favorite cuisines were the heat packed flavors of New Mexico and New Orleans. Open the pantry on any given day, and bags of dried chiles in every size and color would literally spill out. To say he was a fanatic is an understatement, he loved his chiles and loved to cook for us, so they made it into practically every meal we ate.
California Love — All Purpose Chile Blend is definitely not as hot as what I grew up with, but instead is perfect for family taco night or a pot of chile con carne; bold in flavor and not too spicy. Use it in any recipe that calls for chile powder. Inspired by the flavors of my childhood, this blend is dedicated to my Dad, whose passion in the kitchen set me on my path of spreading love through food.
This is a keeper to spice up any recipe. Blend ingredients and you're ready to go. A vinegar-based hot sauce reminiscent of Puerto Rican Pique sauce as well as Crystal or Tabasco.
Ingredients
- 6oz habanero, Seeded
- 1 Tbsp California Love
- 1.5 cup white vinegar
- 1 orange, peeled
- 1 small shallot
- Salt to taste
Steps
- Blend it all up till smooth and thats it!
- Shake before you use it.
- Keep refrigerated.
Check out all of the fabulous kits from Spice Tribe in our Ethical Pantry. Created by Trent Blodgett, a passionate foodie who grew up in both the family kitchen and as a professional in restaurants. Discover gourmet, Chef-driven and travel-inspired spice blends and single-origin spices, herbs and seasonings. A world of flavor for your table, and imaginative gifts that celebrate the beautiful cultures that make up our global communities.