Semiserious Chefs

This colorful blend offers many of the favorite seasoning flavors we all crave. Just the right amount of garlic, a splash of chive to go with onion flakes, plenty of green herbs, and one very special ingredient; dried tomato!

Dried tomato flakes can be found at a lot of herb and spice shops, and on-line. I know that Frontier Co-Op sells it, a very common brand used to fill the herb and spice bulk bins in many health food departments, but that doesn’t mean your health food department carries it. In fact, mine doesn’t. If you can’t find plane ‘ole dried tomato flakes, don’t worry. Just use sun-dried tomatoes! Those, I know, are pretty commonly sold. But you probably don’t want to use the oil packed kind. Look for the dry kind. It will probably be shelved with the other pre-packaged dried fruit.

As for the dried chives, they are becoming more popular. Places like Costco sell jars, and any spice shop should carry it. You could also probably use fresh chives just as well if you plan to use the blend the same day.

My last word of advice is about the lemon. I used crystallized lemon for it’s simple ease. It’s readily available at most grocery stores and very versatile for other uses in the kitchen. I suppose a ‘purest’ might use dried lemon zest instead, and this is fine. You’ll going to need more than the pinch listed below, but herb blends, after all, are up for adaption to one’s personal taste.

About that pinch, I mean just that, a pinch. (Unless you want more.) Crystallized lemon really immerses itself into whatever you are making. Give your blend a taste right-off-the-bat and then again after 5 minutes. You’ll know immediately what I’m talking about. Start with just a pinch.

This mix is perfect for a lot of applications. It’s great on any kind of grilled or pan fried meat; beef, pork, chicken, or fish. It’s also great for steamed vegetables. As for roasted dinner, you can use it as a rub for poultry or beef as well as the accompanying vegetables. It’s just as great sprinkled on pasta with some olive oil and bit of parmesan cheese.