INGREDIENTS
15 ml (1 tablespoon) fenugreek or curry seeds
The seeds of three star anise pods
15 ml (1 tablespoon) black peppercorns
7,5 ml (1/2 tablespoon) ground cloves
7,5 ml (1/2 tablespoon) ground cinnamon
15 ml (1 tablespoon) sea salt
60 ml (4 tablespoons) brown sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat a thick-bottomed pan and dry-roast the fenugreek or curry seeds until they become fragrant. Keep them constantly moving to avoid burning them. Set aside.
- In a mortar, finely grind the fenugreek seeds, the seeds from the star anise pods (discard the husk) and black peppercorns. You can also use a spice mill.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ground spices with the cloves and cinnamon, salt and brown sugar and mix thoroughly.
- Rinse and pat dry your piece of meat.
- Thoroughly rub a generous amount of the spice mix on the meat before grilling it.
Aromatic Trail
The preferred wines to pair with this recipe are syrah-, grenache- and mourvèdre-based reds, as a vast majority of barrel-aged reds. The lesser ones will become great, and the greater ones will become even greater!
Aromatic Tricks
Star anise has this uncanny power to give an unbelievable length to syrah-based wines, just as licorice does too. A simple way of doing this is to simply add anise to your homemade or store bought steak spice mix.