There are countless dishes you can make from the same main ingredient just by changing the spices and seasonings. Which ones? The options are wide. Some spices are sold in grocery stores, while others turn up in pharmacies (yes — dried juniper berries, sage, mint, coriander seeds, dill, and the like have long been used as remedies), and many home cooks preserve herbs and spices during the summer. Before you expand your spice cabinet, remember one key point: add spices and seasonings carefully and follow a few simple rules. A little honey can overwhelm a dish, and the same goes for ingredients with strong aromas or sharp flavors.
Bay Leaf. Bay leaf is familiar, but don’t overdo it — it can mute the aroma of game, and too many leaves boiled for too long will make a dish bitter. Add 3–4 leaves to soups about 5 minutes before serving, and add them to main dishes about 10 minutes before they’re done; remove the leaves at the end.
Coriander. Crushed coriander seeds work well in milk-based fish soups, stews, marinated fish, and sauerkraut.
Lemon Balm or lemon mint. This herb grows at forest edges and can also be cultivated in gardens. The whole plant smells of lemon before flowering, while the root has a clove-like scent. Use fresh or dried leaves in salads, soups, and borscht; dried leaves are great for compotes and tea.
Juniper. Crush whole dried juniper berries, mix them with mint and other spices, wrap the mixture in cheesecloth, and steep it in boiling water. Once cooled, make a marinade with onions, garlic, and red wine and soak the meat for 2–5 hours before braising. A good guideline is 6–8 berries per kilogram of meat. You can also add crushed berries directly to sauces.
Dill. Dried dill brightens stewed or fried fish. Sprinkle prepared fish with dill, black pepper, parsley, and onions before frying. Dried dill seeds can be added to garlic bread, fish soup, marinades, and boiled or stewed fish. Dill oil is useful in cooking, but use it sparingly — about one drop for every two servings of borscht or soup.
Thyme. Use the tops of the thyme plant with buds, dry and grind them into powder, and add the powder gradually to meat and vegetable soups. In larger amounts, thyme is excellent for fish dishes, especially in stuffings.
Blue Cornflowers. Dried blue cornflower leaves are very aromatic. Crush them and add to dishes with eggs, chicken, fish, and meat (but not potatoes). Combine basil with thyme for extra flavor.
Sage. Harvest the tops of the sage plant before flowering, dry and grind them into powder, then sprinkle over chicken broth, scrambled eggs, boiled fatty fish, or braised beef. Add sage to meat mixtures for cutlets, meatballs, and rolls.
Cardamom. Cardamom is widely used in baking — think cakes and cookies — and also works well in fruit marinades, jellies, and compotes. It can be added to fish soups and sauces, too. Remove the seeds from the pods and crush or grind them. Use cardamom sparingly: no more than one pod per liter of liquid or per kilogram of dough.
