DUST AND LEAVES is a special category that I am sharing with a permanent guest blogger, Avi Taranto. For years Avi has been experimenting with both exotic and everyday herbs and spices. From parsley which is staple in Israel and in most Mediterranean cuisines to Kubeiba, Grains of Paradise and Thai Anise Pepper which add a kick to dishes that will surprise and delight most westerners. 

​

I have learned so much from him and my spicy dishes reflect his influence on me. 

 

Below is Avi's statement about how he feels about DUST AND LEAVES and why he continues to create new and exciting recipes using these ingredients.

​

"My grandmother aka, my Bubbi, referred to dry spices and herbs as “dust and leaves”. It wasn't only the herbs and spices she found confusing but Bub didn't have a very good idea of what to do with walnut oil or yuzu juice or any other flavoring that might be considered “exotic” in the first half of the 20th century.  My mother inherited and expanded upon my Bub’s repertoire by using flavors beyond the Ashkenazi palate.  

 

When I first left home I would call my mother or Aunt Susie for recipes and, more frequently, directions (what temperature do I roast the chicken?!).  In my final year at McGill, I began to cook passionately and on a nearly everyday daily.  I craved the foods and tastes of New York that were not easily found in Montreal.  

 

I began to go to grocery stores, specialty shops, butchers and bakeries.  My budget was meager so I bought ingredients, one or two at a time.  I would scour recipes across the internet and choose those items that had the best chance of satisfying my cravings.  I was particularly fascinated by those that I had never tried before: galangal, fenugreek, plum wine, keffir lime (leaves), grains of paradise, harissa… the list is quite long.

 

As I became a better cook my friends and family started to ask me to make the meal - sometimes as a collaborator but often as the primary cook. When I went to Vancouver and cooked in Bubbi’s kitchen, I had to  go out and buy everything. Inevitably I only using only a small amount and left the rest behind.  Soon enough I would hear that Bub had no idea of what to do with all the “dust and leaves” that she found in her cupboard.

 

Today, I continue to infuse my dishes with both traditional and exotic flavors.  Sometimes I follow recipes for particular components, but in general I’ve come to understand flavor profiles and how to combine certain ingredients for the dish that I’ve imagined in my mind.  At this point, I am successful more often than not.  Inspiration for savory dishes can come from my morning coffee, to smelling flowers walking down the road.  I may taste a particularly yummy pepper in a stew and decide that I want my next dish to taste mostly like that divine pepper.  In these recipes, I intend to share with you some uses for your own accumulation of “dust and leaves” and perhaps inspire you to go out and try some new ones."

 

-AJT