Summary
Spices are nature's gift to the home cook. They add depth, aroma and complexity to the simplest of foods, turning a barbecue into a feast and a family roast into a culinary event. Lyndey Milan, much-loved food and wine personality, and Ian 'Herbie' Hemphill, the king of spice, join forces to show you how to give ordinary dishes a flavour renovation with the simple addition of spice. Using nothing more exotic than the contents of the average spice rack, you will learn how to pep up pumpkin soup with curry paste and ginger; reinvent scrambled eggs with chilli and chorizo; and turn up the heat with a robust vindaloo curry. Learn how to match spices with ingredients, and unlock the secrets of successful spice mixes, such as garam masala, dukkah and Chinese five-spice. Discover the properties of different spices: the sweetness of cinnamon, the pungency of star anise, and the fieriness of chilli. And see how different cooking methods, from a slow simmer to a quick pan-fry, draw out these wonderful tastes and aromas. Follow the 'grog' notes to achieve what many of us find so difficult - the successful matching of spicy food with wine and beer. Beautifully photographed and packed with practical information, Just Add Spice is your guide to creating sophisticated, restaurant-style flavours with a minimum of fuss, expense and time.
Ian Hemphill is the younger son of John and Rosemary Hemphill, who pioneered Australia's love of herbs and spices in the 1950's. Ian worked with his parents for many years, managed a spice company in Singapore and was a senior manager for a multinational food company in Australia.
In 1997 Ian and his wife Liz opened a specialty spice shop in Sydney, which bears the nickname Ian has had since school days.....Herbie's. Herbie's Spices was founded to fill a need in the community of cooks and food lovers who wanted to access hard-to-find herbs and spices.
In 2000 Herbie's Spices was the winner of the Gourmet Traveller Jaguar award for excellence for Innovation in Produce.
Ian's first book "Spice Notes" A cook's compendium of herbs and spices was received with wide acclaim. In 2001 Spice Notes won the coveted Food Media Club Food Writer's award for best hard cover food related book in Australia. Shortly after at "Tasting Australia" in Adelaide, Spice Notes was one of eight nominees for the Jacobs Creek award for best hard cover food related book in the world.
Ian's other books include Herbaceous, The Spice and Herb Bible and The Spice and Herb Bible: A Cook's Guide.
(Bowker Author Biography)
