I’m defining cupboard staples here as things that are so useful you should always have them in your kitchen. They can be used to rustle up almost instant meals with whatever else you happen to have to hand or make the ordinary a bit less ordinary with pretty much no effort from you.

Puszta Spice Mix is definitely one of those things. I don’t use it all that often, but it’s a very handy thing to have around.

Some the things I use it for include:

• Spicy Potato Wedges
  Cut scrubbed but unpeeled potatoes into wedges, toss in olive oil, sprinkle with Putza. Spead on a baking tray and bake for 25-30 mins, turning halfway through, in a hot (about 210-220 C) oven, it’ll depend on the size of the wedges. Kids love these and they are definitely healthier as well as a lot cheaper then the packaged frozen ones.
• Quick Chicken Wings
  Cook just like the wedges – toss in oil, then in Putza and then into the oven. Simple, quick and tasty.
• Spicy Cheese Toasties
  Toast sliced bread or rolls on one side only. On the untoasted side spread some grated cheddar and sprinkle with Putza. Grill until bubbling and eat immediately.

You get the picture – it basically just spices things up with minimal effort from you.

I find it less salty than other spice mixtures, though it does contain salt and also MSG, so if those things worry you give it a miss. I don’t really mind about these since it’s not like I use the stuff everyday. The other ingredients are paprika, onion, pepper, mustard seeds, parsley, garlic, celery, thyme, chive, dill, basil and curry.

You don’t need to use very much – 1 pack costs 99c and lasts me for months.

There is a Puszta Herb Mix also, in similar but green packaging. I’ve never bought it – I’m not really big on dried herbs – and I don’t seem to be alone since there will often be boxes of the herb mix left when the spice mix is almost sold out.

This Spicy Cauliflower Cheese was made with Puszta.

It’s made like this:

1. Put evenly sized florets from one large cauliflower into a large pot of boiling water and boil for 3 mins, then drain well and cool completely. It won’t be cooked, just slightly softened.
2. Toss the cooled florets in a bowl containing one beaten egg until well coated, then in a large bowl containing 3-4oz of finely grated cheese, I used a mixture of 3 parts cheddar to 1 part Parmesan.
3. Arrange in a single layer on a lightly oiled oven tray, sprinkle with Puszta.
4. Cook in a hot oven (about 200 C) for 15 mins or so, until the cheese is nicely browning.
5. Serve immediately – there will be enough for 4 people.

Cost: Cauliflower €1.49, Cheese €1.20, Egg 25c, Spice 3c (wild guess!)
Total: €2.97

Tags: Products, Spicy, Staples

Posted on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 at 10:07 am in Best Buys, Staples
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