The Bisbee Cooking School

Some Great Ingredients

These are some of the special spices that I always keep in my kitchen.  Some of them I use every day.  You may may not know about some of them, as they are either not widely used in American cooking, or, as in the case of Saigon Cinnamon, not referred to as such in recipes.
I hope you find this listing helpful.  You can find most of these only in import food stores.  Good luck. The search will be worth it.

Chipotle chili powder
From Mexico and often found in Mexican grocery stores.
    This is a mild, smoky chili, sold either whole or ground, that is perfect for salsas, meat rubs and marinades. I add it to anything where it is ok to have a little spice and I want that smokey flavor, such as bar-b-q sauce. Also make chipotle butter. Chipotle chilis are Jalapeño chili peppers that are allowed to fully ripen and then are smoked dry, usually over mesquite wood, for several days. If you visit the big traditional market in Oaxaca, Mexico, you can walk into a big hall where there many, many grates of chiles roasting over the coals.  The smell is divine.  The result of this process yields a chili that lends a mildly hot and earthy spiciness to dishes.  Chipotle powder is best stored in the refrigerator to retain color and flavor.  About 40,000 heat on the Scoville scale.
          For chipotle butter, simply combine chipotle powder with melted butter and a little bit of lime juice.  Allow the butter to cool and reharden. Then use on seafood or grilled corn. or  put on grilled meats or fish, maybe even try on pasta with a roast chicken entre. 

Paprika
       Hungary is a major source of high-quality paprika, in grades ranging from very sweet with a deep bright red color (különleges "special") to rather hot with a brownish orange color (erős "strong"). And, there are two types: simply dried, and smoked (hard to obtain in the U.S.)
       Paprika is used as an ingredient in a broad variety of dishes throughout the world. Paprika is principally used to season and color rices, stews, and soups, such as goulash, and in the preparation of sausages as an ingredient that is mixed with meats and other spices.                       What I discovered in the kitchens of New Orleans is that it is used in very large quantities in making gumbo.  As the spices are being added to the roux, I watched cooks literally dumping paprika into the pot.  When asked why such large quantities were being used when they do not show in printed recipes, I heard "secret ingredient" and "for the REAL flavor".   
    In Spain, paprika is known as pimentón, and is quite different in taste; pimentón has a distinct, smokey flavor and aroma, as it is dried by smoking, typically using oak wood. Outside of Spain pimentón is often referred to as simply "smoked paprika" and can be found in varying intensities from sweet and mild (dulce), medium hot (agridulce), or very hot and spicy (picante).
    Smoked Paprika has a delicious robust aroma and flavour. Use Smoked paprika to give added depth of flavor to a variety of dishes, including stews, casseroles, pasta dishes and pizza. I keep it on the table with the salt and pepper

Sumac powder
Botanical name     Rhus coriaria  From various middle eastern countries.
        Sumac comes as a dark reddish flake or powder from sumac berries, which have a characteristic peppery, tart taste.  Traditional use includes sprinkling over rice, or mixing with freshly cut onions in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a lemony taste to salads or meat.  In Arabic cuisine, its is used as a garnish on meze dishes such as hummus and is added on salads.  In Iranian (Persian and Kurdish) cuisine, sumac is added to rice or kabobs. In Turkish cuisine it is added to  kebabs.

Aleppo Pepper
The Aleppo pepper is a variety of Capsicum annum named after the town of Aleppo in northern Syria. considered one of the culinary meccas of the Mediterranean. Most Aleppo peppers are grown in Syria.
    When I first smelled and tasted Aleppo pepper, I thought it must be from heaven.  When I was asked by an agent from the FDA who had walked into my store and saw I was selling it, where I had obtained it, I discovered that it was an extremely difficult spice to come by legally - at that time.  (I got to keep mine if I took it off the shelf.) Since then I can get it from legal sources and keep it all the time.
    Aleppo pepper has a moderate heat level wth some fruitiness and mild, cumin-like undertones, a hint of vinegar, and a salty taste and some say a slightly raisin-like flavor. The most common form found is crushed flakes, which are typically slightly milder and more oily than conventional crushed red peppers,
    Aleppo peppers can be used to provide flavor and body to soups, stews, and sauces. Crushed Aleppo peppers can be used as a substitute for crushed red peppers or paprika on pizza, pasta, whatever.

Marash Chili Flakes
Botanical name     Capsicum annum
    From Turkey, these deep red, fine chili flakes have a fruity, hot tart flavor. If you can find them, use them instead of the usual chili pepper flakes available everywhere. Perfect in soups, sauces, sandwiches, and a myriad of other dishes, especially for finishing.  Heat is about 35,000 on Scoville scale.  Marash chili flakes are very similar to Aleppo chili flakes from Syria, but are free from the slight acidic taste that Aleppo peppers have.
    Marash chili flakes seem moist due to their high oil content. They are best stored in the refrigerator.

Anatto, sometimes called Achiote
Mexico
    Anatto seed is also known, when in a powder, as achiote. This seed grows on the anatto tree. It is used primarily in Mexican and Caribbean cooking to impart a rich yellow/orange color. It has a mild but distinct flavor, typically described as having a slightly peppery taste with a hint of nutmeg.
    In Mayan cooking the seeds are ground and used to flavor various foods cooked in a pibil.  You can buy anatto in packages, but more usefully in a brick, in many Mexican markets.  The brick is marketed as Achiote Paste.  Be sure to buy the red brick, not the green one which is not the same thing at all.
    Anatto seed makes a good substitute for saffron's golden coloring, at a fraction of the cost. It does NOT, however, duplicate saffron’s unique flavor!  For coloring make anatto oil by cooking the seeds in hot oil until their skin dissolves. When the oil turns bright yellow, discard the seeds and use the oil for cooking.

Saigon Cinnamon Powder
Botanical name     Cinnamomum loureiroi
    Saigon cinnamon, from Viet Nam,  is an extraordinarily intense and flavorful cinnamon, with a huge 5% essential oil content (as opposed to most other cinnamons which have about 2.5% oil content).  It packs a full punch of cinnamon intensity, and features well in dishes where cinnamon is key, such as in desserts, cinnamon rolls, etc.  I really recommend it for baking, but it is too strong to use in your own curry powder, for example.

MORE WILL BE ADDED IN THE NEAR FUTURE