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by Mary K. Morgan
St. Louis has a reputation as a socially conservative, lights-out-after-10 kind of town. Sure, we’ve got downtown lofts and Washington Avenue has been transformed into a toney club venue. Four Missouri casinos have managed to pop up in spite of our careful, loss-limit mentality. We can brag of a new, improved retro-style Busch Stadium, even if the promised Ball Park Village has yet to spring from the ashes of demolition.
Laclede’s Landing is still alive and well. Forest Park, now back to its “glory days” condition, is a showcase for what can be done to spruce up the city using private funds. Restaurants and bars in The Loop and the Central West End are going strong. The Metro system can get you to most tourist attractions. But the question remains, how do you spice things up around here?
Local chefs know the answer — gather the finest spices from around the globe and some of the freshest home-grown herbs, use them in just the correct proportion and voila, a signature recipe is born. And as to obtaining the spices, we in St. Louis are fortunate to have two well-stocked suppliers.
When it comes to finding exotic spices, one only has to visit the historic Schmitz Spice Shop at Soulard Market, one of a few, select spots here in town, to find the very best in rare spices and herbs so necessary to the art of fine cooking. This small shop is filled with jars and various containers, as well as an overpowering scent of its many offerings. Most can be purchased in small quantities for use at home, as well as larger amounts for commercial use. Fresh, fragrant and full of flavor, these are the magic culinary compounds that transform the mundane into the magnificent. And if you happen to need something that you do not spot on the shelf, just ask.
Another option is to visit Penzeys Spices in Maplewood. A delightful, well-stocked shop, filled with exotic smells and hundreds of jars and containers holding treasured ingredients gathered from around the world. Today’s fresh spices are just hours away by plane, but imagine the trek involved in transporting them several hundred years ago. Ships, caravans and travelers gathered and carried the spices from the far corners of the world, and many were literally worth their weight in gold. Empires were built on the spice trade with the East.
Today, St. Louis shoppers can find even the most obscure spices by driving just a few miles from home. Some prefer to order from Penzeys famous catalog, famous for its wonderful recipes. But as a rule, even the rarest of seasonings can be purchased locally at Penzeys.
Professional and amateur chefs agree that nothing gives a dish that “specialty” taste more than the careful use of herbs and spices. Avid spice shopper and home chef Earl Birkicht was recently seen at Penzeys stocking up on some staples for his kitchen stash. “Shopping here is a pleasure, like going to an old-fashioned mom and pop grocery store,” said Birkicht. “The people are helpful and anxious to share their cooking savvy. The many “sniffing” samples that are provided certainly enhance the experience of shopping for spices. The fact that I can buy in small quantities is also a plus. Since freshness is so important, I can use up what I buy rather quickly. And, of course, that translates into another trip to Penzeys.”
Herbs and spices are the building blocks of some of St. Louis’ finest fare. A few local chefs have been kind enough to comment on the use and procurement of these very essential elements of fine cooking.
Meriwether’s Restaurant at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park is managed by a St. Louis favorite, Patti Long Catering. The restaurant is located on the top level of the Emerson Center and boasts a spectacular view of Forest Park. Recently featured on The Food Network for a feature, “The Best of Museum Restaurants,” Meriwether’s hasn’t let success go to its head. Its offerings are unique and top-notch, made with the freshest of ingredients and carefully prepared with its own special touch.
Chef Michael McCoy informed Java Journal that many of the herbs used at Meriwether’s are fresh and locally grown, including oregano, basil and mint. Much of the produce in their offerings is seasonal and is often purchased at Soulard Market. So next time you bask in the delightful flavor of fresh produce, thank a local farmer.
St. Louis Science Center food manager Dan Ball has a secret ingredient, a famous New Orleans specialty blend of spices, Montreal Steak Seasoning. Remember, I said “secret” ingredient, but you are welcome to give it a try. Soon you’ll be hearing comments like, “This hamburger tastes great! What’s your secret?”
At Dierberg’s School of Cooking, culinary arts instructor Katie Moen recently shared her thoughts about the benefits of spicing up St. Louis. “Spices and herbs are a wonderful way to cut back on the use of sugar and salt and still have plenty of flavor in your recipes. Since Dierberg’s carries a very complete line of spices and herbs from which to choose, we seldom need to shop elsewhere. On occasion, a trip to Penzeys is necessary, but we try to research the practice of using substitutes (for exotics), using what we have in stock.”
Harvest Restaurant chef Nick Miller is an expert in making the most of fresh, seasonal offerings. Most herbs are delivered to the restaurant from local farms. On occasion, a trip to Penzeys in Maplewood is necessary. Jay’s in south St. Louis is the source for many of their Asian seasonings and ingredients that are used from time to time.
Fresh Mushroom Farm located in Imperial, Mo., is their supplier of choice for locally-grown mushrooms and a variety of dry products. According to chef Miller, “You can’t get a tomato and basil salad at Harvest in the winter. We are a seasonal restaurant. We cook what is in season and locally grown. Right now, the herbs are blooming and blossoming like crazy, and it’s great.”
If all this talk about the flavor of fresh herbs has you thinking about planting an herb garden, don’t hesitate. Plants can be purchased from most garden shops and are not particularly difficult to grow. Some can even be cultivated right on your kitchen window sill in small clay pots. Consider how convenient it would be to reach up and pluck a sprig of dill weed or basil at will.
A little more pricey and high-tech approach to growing your own herbs is the AeroGarden, an indoor “smart” garden. A computerized growing system, this twenty-first century minigarden is computerized. The built in microprocessor tells you when it’s time to add water and nutrients, adjusts their flow and turns grow lights on and off to mimic intervals of sunshine. It has the look of a miniature domed space ship and is definitely a conversation piece.
Do you need it to grow your own herbs? Definitely not, but it’s quite an elaborate set-up to have and looks great when everything is growing. No dirt is used in its process as it’s aerophonic — another plus for meticulous housekeepers.
Whether you take a traditional path and put a few herb plants in the yard, go the more sophisticated route with the AeroGarden system, or simply buy your herbs and spices from a local source, here’s hoping you will opt to put a little more spice in your life this summer.
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