Spiced Pantry November 2015 Subscription Box Review & Black Friday Coupon Code – Lebanon

Spiced Pantry is a new bimonthly cooking and spices subscription! Every other month you’ll get full-sized cooking ingredients and spices to make the included authentic recipes – and you’ll get enough supplies to make them again or experiment with new flavor profiles. Spiced Pantry boxes include easy-to-follow, flavor-packed recipes that exemplify the country’s cuisine.

We were excited to see Lebanon as this month’s country!

Every item in our Spiced Pantry box (six of them!) was full sized!  We loved that the selections were ones which both held a central place in the cuisine of the region, and were largely uncommon in Western cuisine.

Recipes for Kibbeh Bil Sanieh (meat pie), Tabbouleh (parsley salad), and Baba Ghanouj (eggplant dip).

Recipes for Fattoush (bread salad), Magmour (eggplant stew), and Shish Tawook (Chicken Kebabs).

The information card described the features of Lebanese cuisine, and the pantry staples usually involved, as well as the top dishes and the mezze tradition – similar to tapas – small plates are served together family style.

The card also listed the items included.

Al wadi Tahina:  Tahini is ground sesame seeds, and it is used to make sauces and dips, adding a nutty, smoky flavor.  This jar is more than just full sized — it contains a full pound of tahini (which is a ton for an ingredient used by the tablespoon)!

Adonis Spices Allspice:  Allspice is most familiar in the West from its use in Jamaican cuisine and some baking, but it is a very central spice in savory dishes in Lebanon, and throughout the region.  This jar has over 3.5 ounces of Lebanese-made allspice.

Sadaf Ground Sumac:  Sharply tangy, sumac is often used to season meats and breads.  It is also a component of spice blends, imparting a lemony flavor.  Again, this bag is huge, particular given the small quantity of this powerful spice that would be needed to season any single dish.

Sadaf Green Zatar Mix:  Thyme, sumac, and sesame combine in this herb blend.  The bag is large, but this blend is used liberally to season breads served with each meal.

Sahadi Fine Bulgur:   A resilient grain used as a salad ingredient, filling, and more, bulgur wheat holds its granular form (the texture is similar to a fine couscous, but with a heartier flavor and fuzzier mouth feel) and resists turning gummy or mushy, making it perfect for tabouleh and other salads.  A full pound was provided!

Cortas Pomegranate Molasses:  This is perhaps the most exotic of all the ingredients, and one with which I was not previously familiar.  Pomegranate juice is cooked down, concentrating its sweet, tangy berry-like flavor into a thin syrup.  I was surprised at its great v versatility, it being called for in savory dishes, as well as sweet.

We didn’t get a chance to test out the recipes yet, but we’re planning to and hopefully can write another “what we made” post.  I reviewed each recipe carefully and didn’t find any errors – in fact, they were very well paced in terms of what prep to do when (in fact – much better than the meal boxes we get!).  Some may prefer a bit less salt, but we find this is true of 100% of the recipes in any box or elsewhere. This is a nice introduction to Lebanon’s unique, fresh, and flavorful cuisine, and the items in the box will make it easy to go to the store and select typical fresh ingredients without worrying about where to find specialty ingredients (we wouldn’t even know where to begin with pomegranate molasses!).  After I’ve tested the recipes, I think many of these dishes would make truly impressive dishes to take to prepare for a potluck or other party, and they are wonderfully portionable and sharable.

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deal! Take 20% off your first box! Use coupon code HELLOSUB20. Valid on both regular and gift subscriptions. Expires 12-01-2015

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