Sunrise Spice

http://www.MelJoulwan.com/2014/08/05/sunrise-spice/

In my Austin kitchen, I had my spices in two cabinets above my stove; I wrote about it in great detail. In my new kitchen, my spices now live in a wide, deep drawer. I slapped labels on the lids and arranged them in very, very rough alphabetical clusters. I’m slowly learning where things are so I can put my hands on them without thinking about it too much. Note that salt and garlic powder, which I use all the time, are just plunked in the lower right hand corner. Conveniently, the drawer directly above this one holds my measuring spoons. My new kitchen is so efficient!

spices
In honor of my new Vermont kitchen, I thought I’d share one of my favorite spice blends from Well Fed 2: Sunrise Spice. It tastes great mixed into ground pork or beef to make a quick “sausage,” or sprinkled into sautéed cabbage for an Eastern European touch. I recently used it to season a batch of salmon cakes which I then drizzled with a tiny bit of Vermont maple syrup when I ate them. Delectable!

A little bit Russian, a little bit Central European, this spice blend is cozy and spicy-sweet without being hot. Think of it as a jazzed-up version of cinnamon—the Catherine the Great of your spice cabinet, bestowing a touch of the Golden Age on whatever you’re cooking.

From scrambled eggs to sweet potatoes to beef stew, sprinkle it generously whenever you want to add a regal touch to savory dishes.

sunrise_spice

Sunrise Spice from Well Fed 2

Makes 1/4 cup | Prep 5 minutes | Whole30 compliant

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

  • 2 teaspoons ground marjoram

  • 1 teaspoon coarse (granulated) garlic powder

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions:
1

Measure all of the spices into a medium bowl and mix with a fork until combined.

2

Transfer the spice blend to an airtight container and sprinkle into your cooking for a sweet touch of spice to brighten your day.

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Comments

  • Suzanne Garrett says:

    This blend sounds similar to Penzey’s ‘Tsardust Memories’, which you also introduced me too, and is a favorite for the warmth it adds to the meal. I especially love it on sautéed cabbage in coconut oil and pork tenderloin, combined with Trader Joe’s ’21 Seasoning Salute’.

    • It was inspired by Penzey’s Tsardust Memories! I was using their blend so much, I decided to try my hand at my own version. Enjoy!

      • Martha Edmundson says:

        I am almost out of Tsardust Memories, which I learned about from your book. I will now make this instead!!

        Tsardust Memories totally changed the way my husband and I felt about cooked cabbage. We make the Eastern European Hot Plate featured on p. 36 of Well Fed. Now it is one of our go-to meals. Thank you!!

  • Adrienne says:

    Ooooh I am jealous of your spice drawer! I have a spice used-to-be-a-CD-rack which is not actually big enough or efficient. But my apartment kitchen only has three drawers. One day I will find a better system.

  • Roni says:

    I really need to get more creative with spices than I have been in the past. I always seem to reach for the same ones and then complain that I’m stuck in a rut. Will try this. Sounds interesting and I bought some ground pork to make my own sausage so here’s my perfect shot at it.:) Thanks, Mel!

  • Anne says:

    This is so good in the breakfast scramble from the same book. It has become my go to for steam sauteed sweet potatoes!

  • I love this sprinkled on chicken and broccoli before roasting.

  • How convenient! I’ve just thawed out a pound of ground pork yesterday… and I do have all the herbs and spices (except the marjoram, but I can adapt).

  • Abby says:

    This is my go-to spice blend from Well Fed 2 – I love it on my breakfast “hashes”!

    I just started my first Whole30 a week ago and your recipes from WF and WF2 (I’ve had both books for awhile now, just always too timid to commit to a Whole30 before now!) are really inspiring me in the kitchen! I just love how I can pretty much cook up any recipe from either book and know it’s compliant, it makes meal planning so much easier! Thank you for all of the hard work and thoughtfulness you put into your books!

    • I just had some of this on ground beef and yellow summer squash with a sprinkling of scallions. YUM! So glad this blend is a go-to for you; that’s awesome. And I’m happy that you’re feeling inspired in the kitchen. We have to cook every day, it may as well be fun 🙂

  • Jess says:

    We just moved from CA to MO and sprung for a spice rack. Less kitchen space here, but we use it so much more efficiently. Moving provides a blank slate in so many ways!

  • I used this spice this weekend in my scrambled eggs with leftover pork and sweet potatoes; a little Lizard sauce and fried plantains on the side – it was unbelievably delicious!

  • Mary Margolis says:

    Love your mix of spices. My family raves about everything I have made from your Well Fed cookbook. Unfortunately, I need to avoid the nightshade spices like paprika and anything in the pepper family. Anything I can substitute?

    • There’s no direct substitute for paprika — and it’s what gives this blend a little bit of edge. BUT… this will work OK without the nightshades. To add a kick to it and cut the sweetness, try replacing the paprika with powdered ginger. Having said that, you might want to cut the recipe in half the first time you make it, just to be sure you like it.

  • Tash says:

    Our spices live in a deep drawer too!! But it took me over a year of lifting the jars to see the label on the side before I finally got around to labeling the tops of the jars… BRILLIANT!!

  • Linda Makiej says:

    I love this Sunrise spice mixture! But I went one further…. I doubled the recipe and added 1.5 ounces dried Shiitake mushrooms… sort of a really fancy mushroom dust – it is HEAVENLY!

  • Jeni says:

    I love this mixture, it might be my favourite from WF2! It’s especially good in your sweet potato soup (which I often make with butternut squash). Thanks for posting here for easy reference 🙂

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