seasoning

Seasoning food is not hard when you learn a few basic flavor combinations for the different types of cooking.

italian
always use: basil, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and oregano
also use: bellpepper, onion, black olives, celery, bay leaf, fennel seed, marjoram, pimiento, red pepper flakes. parmesan, mushrooms

italian white
use cream, butter parmesan, and a little nutmeg, mushrooms

tex mex
always use: chili powder, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes,tomato
also use: tobasco, cilantro, bell pepper, jalapenos, onion, celery, black olives, salsa, cheddar and jack cheese

southwest
always use: chili powder, garlic, cumin, pepper flakes
also use: jack cheese, onion, bell pepper, tomatillo

creole
Tony' Chacheres (i didnt spell it right) and Zatarain's make good creole seasoning mixes - but if you want to season your own you can.
always use: roux and creole seasoning of the following combo - garlic, thyme, black pepper, tobasco, tomato, bell pepper, celery
also use: okra, rice, gumbo file, sugar, red pepper flakes

roux-(pronounced 'roo') is a mixture of flour and fat (bacon grease, veg oil or butter) The fat is heated and (somewhere around) an equal amount of white flour is added to the fat under low heat - prefreably in a heavy pot. The fat and flour are slowly browned to the desired color. Light color for light sauces, med brown for chicken, or dark nutty brown for beef and gumbos. Roux is used to thicken a wide variety of soups,sauces and gravies in many kinds of cooking beside creole. When you get good at it you can make a big batch of roux to keep in the fridge for adding to things.

oriental
always use: ginger, soy, sugar, garlic, pepper flakes
also use: curry powder, five spices powder, teriaki sauce, cinnamon stick, star anise, lemon grass

savory - this means just a good seasoning for roast meats and stews.
always use: onion,garlic,celery,
also use: black pepper, bell pepper, mushrooms
use 1 or two: sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, savory

The idea with making your own seasoning is to compliment the food instead of covering it up.
Start by experimenting with just 1 or two of the dried herbs and then you can see which blend you like. Go easy on dried herbs - no more than 1/2 -1 tsp for a large roast or stew. you can always add more later. Rosemary goes well with beef, lamb and other strong meats. Dill and lemony things go well with strong fish. Celery and parsley go well with chicken in soups.

You can see that there are different flavor categories that different seasonings belong to. Sometimes mixing things from different categories can make for some interesting flavor combinations. But not all of them good - so be careful mixing things like cinnamon and rosemary or ginger and chili powder.

Find out what basics to have on hand to cook from scratch
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