Is there an ingredient you have never used?

Sea urchin is something I've wanted to try for years. For some reason, despite the fact the sea around the UK has plenty they are impossible to buy. In fact, they are very rarely seen on restaurant menus either.

Sea urchin is hard to find, but right now, it is available in the US, but very expensive, about $50 USD for 4 oz.. It appears to be seasonal. Uni harvested off the west coast of California just started showing up as not 'Out of Stock'. I've been wanting some for nigiri sushi.
 
Sea urchins are plentiful off the Venezuelan coast; but I´ve never seen them on any menu. Wierd.
I remember a holiday in Mykonos, Greece, where the fishermen would come in with their catch around 10.30 in the morning. They´d go over to the Taberna, crack a few bottles of retsina, and eat sea urchins and all sorts of other seafood.
I´ve never tried it - couldn´t do so then, because I don´t speak Greek!
 
Earwig-ho
Ketcap Manis
Yu could also use them in Bumbu Rudjak, which is fish or prawns, enveloped in a banana leaf(you could probably use greaseproof paper), covered with a sweet-sour-spicy sauce (tamarind, fish sauce, chiles, garlic,sugar) and adorned with WHOLE spices: star anise, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.
 
Sea urchins are plentiful off the Venezuelan coast; but I´ve never seen them on any menu. Wierd.
I remember a holiday in Mykonos, Greece, where the fishermen would come in with their catch around 10.30 in the morning. They´d go over to the Taberna, crack a few bottles of retsina, and eat sea urchins and all sorts of other seafood.
I´ve never tried it - couldn´t do so then, because I don´t speak Greek!

I was snorkeling near a small island off the East coast of Puerto Rico once, and there were sea urchins the size of basketballs. We were warned to stay clear of them, as the spikes were extremely painful. :eek:

CD
 
I bought star anise pods today. Never used those before.

Good with glazed carrots. Actually there loads of ways to use them in all sorts of dishes... both sweet and savoury. Here are a few from some top chefs: Star Anise Recipes

I thought you might like the mulled wine hot chocolate recipe....
 
sumach, pimiento de espelette and za'tar.
Sumac is primarily used in Turkey & Iran - it´s a tart, acidic (dried) fruit. It´s also an ingredient in za´ataar, I believe, which is a spice/herb mixture containing sumac, sesame seeds and oregano. Piment d´Espelette is basically a mild chile pepper, highly popular in Basque cuisine.
 
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