Rub in or Paste on Flavor

One of the quickest and easiest ways to add flavor to food is with a dry rub or a paste. The distinction between the two lies in the name: rubs use drier ingredients while pastes employ moisture. The moisture can come from the ingredients themselves, such as from a fresh herb, or from a binder (such as oil, wine or yogurt) that holds ingredients together in a pasty consistency. Pastes and rubs are delightful vehicles for bringing flavor to fish, poultry, meat, or firm vegetables.

Dry rubs impart the greatest flavor punch if the (dried) spices are fairly fresh. When concocting a rub, an electric coffee mill, an electric blender, or a mortar and pestle are used to coax additional flavor out of the dry ingredients while compounding them. If you use one electric mill for both coffee and spices, you will want to clean the mill between jobs. Whirr a couple of tablespoons of either dry breadcrumbs or dry (uncooked) rice in the mill. The starches clean by collecting the food oils. Dispose of the starch afterwards. My mortar of choice is a suribachi, a Japanese bowl with textured ceramic ridges that help grip the herbs and spices as you grind them with a wooden pestle.

When you grind your spice or herb ingredients, you do not want to pulverize them into fine powder. You simply want to grind them sufficiently enough to release flavor. If you use an electric mill, only pulse the dry ingredients briefly. Don't grind so long that the blades heat the herb or spice. If you make more rub than you will use immediately, you can store leftovers in a dark airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Brown glass supplement jars make good containers for rub mixtures. Label and date the jar before storing it in the refrigerator. Spice rubs will keep in a cool environment for about three months.

Most dry rub recipes suggest you coat the food from 2 to 8 hours before cooking. But I've been known to apply a rub right before cooking and still have enjoyed plenty of last-minute flavor.

This rosemary rub is a great way to spice up chicken thighs before popping them under the broiler or onto the grill. If your palette isn't fond of heat, decrease the amount of pepper and cayenne.

Rosemary Seasoning Rub

2 T. dried rosemary
1 1/2 t. kosher salt (or to taste)
1 T. fresh cracked black peppercorns
1/4 t. cayenne
1 t. dry mustard powder
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. garlic powder

Grind the ingredients very briefly - or - crush them in a suribachi. Clean and dry chicken pieces. Rub the chicken with a bit of olive oil, and then apply the dry rub. Store any leftover rub in an airtight jar in the refrigerator or freezer.

In public television's "In the Kitchen with Julia" series, guest chef Gordon Hamersley prepared Roast Chicken with Garlic and Lemon. The following recipe is a simplified version of that recipe. I use a food processor to prepare the paste.

Roast Chicken with Garlic and Lemon

1 large bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves only
3 large cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
3 large shallots, roughly chopped
1 T. Herbes de Provence
1 t. dried rosemary
3 T. Dijon mustard
olive oil, enough to make a paste

Wash and dry the parsley. Coarsely chop the parsley leaves and put them in the food processor bowl along with the garlic, shallots, herbs and mustard. Process until finely chopped and mixed. With the machine running, drizzle in olive oil until you have a fluid spreadable paste.

Transfer the processed mixture to a glass bowl, then mix the following ingredients in by hand:

1 ½ t. salt
plenty of freshly ground black pepper
long strips of lemon zest from one lemon

Gently separate the skin from a 3 - 4 lb. whole chicken, forming a pocket, but leaving skin attached. Smooch the paste mixture in between the chicken flesh and the skin. Spread any leftover paste on the outside of the bird with a soft spatula. Thinly slice the lemon that you'd used for zest. Place the lemon slices over and inside the bird. Roast in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 1 ½ hours, or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.

Though Pamela Lee often concocts her own pastes and rubs, she still regards Penzeys Northwoods Rub to be one of the very best. For your own Penzeys catalog, call (800) 741-7787.

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