Experimenting With Spices-Kefta Spice Mix

I use several spice mixes in my cooking. 7 Spice Mix(Middle Eastern), Greek Seasoning, Herbes de Provence, Italian Seasoning,Tony Chacheres's Creole Seasoning, Adobo, and Sazon with Culantro and Achiote. Each can be used in multiple dishes, in a myriad of ways.


Kefta Spice Mix is different. Moroccan cooks use it to flavor lamb meat balls in a traditional dish called "Kefta".

I bought this spice at K&S World Market to experiment with it. I have used it to flavor shrimp sauteed in olive oil.

I have used it on Roasted Tomatoes.

I have cooked couscous with diced carrots seasoned with Kefta.


Each dish was superb! The shrimp, simply sauteed in olive oil flavored with Greek seasoning and sea salt, then dusted with Kefta Spice Mix and topped with crumbled Feta, is one of my best recipes for shrimp. The photo shows it accompanied by Ratatouille and Rosemary Garlic Baked potatoes . A meal from both sides of the Mediterranean-


The tomatoes(3 sliced Bradleys from Howell's Farm here in Nashville), were fried briefly on both sides in olive oil and flavored with sea salt. I then moved them to a baking dish, drizzled a bit of red vinegar over them, and dusted them with Kefta Spice. I added some sliced garlic, then baked them at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes. What a unique flavor from the allspice, pepper, and secret herbs and spices.


I think cooks should strive to be fearless in the kitchen.Cooks from the past were. The first Italian to experiment with the tomato,the first Europeans to cook with chocolate- the New World's gifts to the Old. Nowhere is it written that spices belong to just one dish.

Use them bravely!



My other blog-Tales of a Nashville Gardener at Wordpress.com