You voted!

Cumin roasted cauliflower and tomatoes

We’ve gotten lots of responses to “what’s your favorite spice?” What came back? Mint, rosemary, cinnamon, curry, saffron and cumin. Cumin was hands down the winner, receiving the most votes.

Cumin is so versatile. You can use the plain seeds, toasted seeds or the seeds finely ground into a powder. I love to sprinkle ground cumin on cauliflower before roasting it. When sprinkled on store-bought hummus, with a little drizzle of olive oil, that hummus perks right up. People will think it’s homemade, but it’s just adding a little love to a store bought brand! Cumin works on pork, yummy on grilled skirt or hanger steak and chicken. I have never tried it on fish but you know, I think it’d be great on roasted tilapia fillets. One reader wrote that her husband even sprinkles it on his eggs and omelets! Recently I made a steamed rice recipe with cumin, mustard seeds and butternut squash and it was heavenly! I love the smell of it roasting and steaming. I’ll have to share that recipe later.

Our lovely Project Manager, Caitlin, told me about the favorite Mother Goose nursery rhyme that her parents rewrote for her and her 3 sisters, because they were all girls. (I LOVED hearing this story coming from a family of five boys and me!) Here it is.

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, bakers’ women
Bake me a cake with spices and cumin
Pat it and roll it and mark it with a “C”
And put it in the oven for baby and me!

Isn’t that great?