New flavors for a new year

By now it might be clear to some Star Bite readers that I'm a spice junky. Well, the spice fairy came from McCormick last week and had some cool stuff in it: garam masala, which was rubbed into some pork chops, and a three-peppercorn medley that was beautiful to look at and sniff.

One thing I've discovered as I've become more adventurous (and I realize my 'adventurous' would probably kill some people of the "chicken fingers only" mentality) is that I've sharply reduced the amount of salt I put in food. You know how the nutrition/health gurus say that using herbs and spices can eliminate some of the need for salt infusion? Turns out, they were right. I like to think that by playing with other spices, I've taken salt use back to its intent: a seasoning that enhances the flavors of foods but one that does not provide a prominent note in a dish.

Herb treasures found in the garden this past week included some flat-leaf parsley that's still chugging along and sorrel that's going into soup this weekend.