Girlchef Spice Company Blends: LOVE DUST

Back in the early days of Girlchef, we took a month long trip starting in Omaha, winding up to Seattle and then down the California coast and back east to Kansas.  We stopped at state and national parks the entire way.  One thing that emerged from that trip was a series of spice blends designed to compliment the different foods we found in those regions.

This one is a modern take on Harissa, a Tunisian chili paste.  Ours is unique because it integrates Urfa Biber, an dark red Turkish pepper that has an almost raisin taste to it.  These peppers are covered with fabric when they are dried, which gives them a unique, more robust flavor.  Because they "sweat" under the cloth they retain a moisture that gives this pepper a more mellow heat that sun dried peppers like guajillo.  Of course, we throw in some ancho and a bit of coriander, which gives this spice blend a floral note.

I personally love this as a dry rub on flank or sirloin.  However, it's great on seafood and vegetables as well.  It's not very spicy, but it does add a bit of heat to whatever you put it on.

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