Spices

I promise you this isn't a story about dog treats. If you've been dining out at some of L.A.'s hippest chef-driven restaurants lately, you might have noticed a recurring ingredient on the menu. Pig ears. You heard me, pig ears. Recently, at the L.A. Times Taste event, I decided to serve a pig ear terrine dish from my restaurant Lukshon. Cold, thinly sliced pig ears marinated in black vinegar, Sichuan spices and white sesame oil with thin slices of pickled carrots and scallions.

Total time: 40 minutes, plus at least 4 hours' chilling time Servings: 6 to 8 Note: This slightly sweet soup is an adaptation of a classic Hungarian dish. It makes an elegant first course for an early-summer dinner. 8 whole cloves 12 whole allspice 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick 12 whole black peppercorns 1 (750-ml) bottle rose wine 1/3 cup sugar 2 pounds cherries, stemmed and pitted 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 3/4 cup creme fraiche or yogurt, plus 1/2 cup more for serving 1. Cut a piece of cheesecloth about 5 inches square.

If you thought peanut allergies were bad, meet what may be a far worse affliction: Approximately 2% to 3% of the population suffers from severe allergies to spices, according to a presentation Friday at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting in Anaheim by its past president, Dr. Sami Bahna. Spices are everywhere. So while it may be possible to avoid peanuts and other common allergens when dining at restaurants, the ubiquity of spices makes eating out extremely difficult, and can also restrict the use of store-bought and processed foods, as spices are not always listed on packaging.

INDIO -- "I feel like I'm in 'Lawrence of Arabia,' " Anthony Kiedis said Sunday night, not long after Red Hot Chili Peppers had taken the main stage at Coachella for the final headlining performance of the three-day festival. Kiedis was referring to the dust storm that blew up Sunday afternoon and quickly turned the Empire Polo Club into a wind-swept sandbox. But the frontman might also have felt like Lawrence because he was standing before a crowd the size of an army, easily the biggest any one act played to at Coachella.

Nothing can kill a good recipe faster than a lack of spice. Even kitchen staples such as dried herbs and spices have an expiration date and can lose their potency over time. Properly stored, spices can last a year or two at most, with whole spices generally lasting longer than ground. Store your spices in a cool, dry place, away from moisture and keep them tightly sealed. Whenever I open a new spice jar, I date the back so I can keep tabs on how long it's been open. Once a year, I'll rummage through the collection and check on them.

There were many responses to the story on spice prices ("What Price Spice?" Nov. 10), offering alternatives to supermarket prices. Here is a selection: Your article caught my eye because I use those spices all the time in cooking and crafting (great stuff for potpourri and cinnamon ornaments). I have found the ultimate source for cinnamon and cloves and others: Cost Plus. It has a food section and all the spices you can think of and more. The spices come in cellophane bags. The store also has barrels full of glass containers, which they sell for 99 cents.

Re " 'Little India' Fights for Recognition," Aug. 26: It's too bad that the Artesia City Council and several of its community groups don't want to give this thriving commercial corridor the recognition it truly deserves. Little India is a joy to walk through and to shop and dine in; it is one of our favorite neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area. If they won't put up a sign, if they want to pretend that it's not there, we'll just have to keep following the rich, invisible scent of spices in the air that calls us there every time.

Dear SOS: At a recent party I tasted a delicious chicken dish called five spice chicken. I can't find a recipe in my cookbooks, so I would appreciate it if you could obtain it from Kay's Gourmet Catering in Westlake, who prepared it. --ANITA Dear Anita: Five spice chicken uses a combination of spices with an Oriental touch. The chicken is great for picnics or noshing at a party. You can adjust the spices as desired.

Question: I don't have a complete line of herbs and spices in my pantry and I know there are a million of them. Can you please tell me what different herbs are interchangeable, if any at all? For instance what can I use for mace or marjoram? Also, what is quatre epices? There's also seasoning blend, which I have been finding in quite a few recipes lately. I would like to know who makes it, so I'd know what to look for in the stores.

Chef Merito Inc., a Chatsworth-based company that processes Mexican-style spices, would relocate to Lancaster and bring more than 50 new jobs to the community under a proposal accepted Monday night by the Lancaster City Council. Council members, sitting as the city's redevelopment directors, agreed to open negotiations to sell the Chatsworth company a 1.3-acre site at Yucca Avenue and Norberry Street. The company first sought the city's help in relocating in April.

  Total time: About 1 hour, plus cooling time for the chiles Servings: 6 to 8 2 poblano chiles 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter 2 tablespoons oil 2 onions, diced 5 pounds butternut squash (2 medium, or 1 large), peeled, seeded and cut into ½-inch cubes 1/3 cup dry white wine 6 cups vegetable broth 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon New Mexico chile powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg Freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup maple syrup, divided 1/2 cup raisins, coarsely chopped 6 to 8 pieces stale bread, preferably dark whole-grain, coarsely chopped 1 cup heavy cream Fine sea salt Tabasco sauce, optional 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced on the bias 1. Roast the poblano chiles over high heat on a rack over a stove-top burner.

Mel B., best known for her time as the Spice Girl "Scary Spice," has been announced as the new judge for the NBC reality competition series "America's Got Talent. " She's replacing Sharon Osbourne, who left the show after last season following a dispute with the network and the producers of another NBC reality competition series, "Stars Earn Stripes. " She said she felt they had discriminated against her son, Jack, after he disclosed his multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Mel B. (real name Melanie Brown)

SANTA FE, N.M. - It's fair to call me a chocoholic, but it wasn't until a trip to Santa Fe that I realized I'd never had the good stuff. What was supposed to be a casual late-December exploration of this New Mexican cultural hub wound up becoming a full-on chocolate extravaganza in which I dragged my husband, Jay, to a new exhibit, "New World Cuisine: The Histories of Chocolate, Mate y Más," at Santa Fe's Museum of International Folk Art, and...

Cocktails at Kate Mantilini: Kate Mantilini, celebrating its 25th year, announced a new cocktail program. The Beverly Hills restaurant -- founded by Harry Lewis, who also started the Hamburger Hamlet chain in 1950 -- has tapped Devon Espinosa to create a golden-age-of-Hollywood cocktail menu. All cocktails are $12 and include: Key Largo , made with Sailor Jerry's spiced rum, coconut, lime and falernum; Cardinali with Bombay dry gin, Dolin Blanc and Campari; Don Draper, an old-fashioned of Buffalo Trace bourbon, Carpano Antica vermouth, Jelnick Fernet and Allspice Dram; Table 24 -- Dewar's White Label, St-Germain, lemon, ginger, honey and blackberries; Passion for Hamlet with Russian Standard vodka, passionfruit, lemon and house-made grenadine; Cucumber Ricky with El Jimador tequila, lime, cucumbers and soda; Chartreuse Swizzle with green Chartreuse, lime, pineapple and falernum; and Winter Julep -- Apple Jack, spiced syrup, mulled apple cider and mint.

So when should you use fresh herbs in a recipe? And when do you go for the dried? It can be a perplexing question, especially if the recipe is not specific. I usually use fresh herbs and spices in recipes where I need them to impart flavor quickly, such as salads and recipes where there is no cooking involved, or when the herb or spice is added at the very end (folded into a sauce before serving, or added at the last minute to a slow-simmered stew). I tend to stay away from fresh herbs if I have a recipe that requires them to cook for longer than 45 minutes.

Nothing can kill a good recipe faster than a lack of spice. Even kitchen staples such as dried herbs and spices have an expiration date and can lose their potency over time. Properly stored, spices can last a year or two at most, with whole spices generally lasting longer than ground. Store your spices in a cool, dry place, away from moisture, and keep them tightly sealed. Whenever I open a new spice jar I date the back so I can keep tabs on how long it's been open. Once a year, I'll rummage through the collection and check on them.

Panforte 's name translates to "strong bread," but it is more confection than cake or bread, barely bound with flour and heavy with preserved fruit and honey that dissolve together as they cook. It's studded with toasted nuts and spiced with black pepper, cloves, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon and cocoa. Maybe it's because panforte is so often compared with fruitcake and confused with panettone - the raisin- and candied fruit-studded, brioche-like Italian bread - that we don't see enough of the traditional Tuscan cake during the holidays.

Theater critics will tell you what they hate. What they really, really hate. In London, it's a new stage musical called "Viva Forever!" that uses songs from the British pop group Spice Girls. With a book written by Jennifer Saunders, of "Ab Fab" fame, the musical is backed by Judy Craymer, the producer who brought us another pop-jukebox musical, the blockbuster "Mamma Mia!" "Viva Forever!" opened over the weekend at the Picadilly Theatre on London's West End. The musical doesn't feature any of the original members of the Spice Girls, though the five singers -- including Victoria Beckham -- appeared at a curtain call on opening night.