Savory Spice -- Welcome a real-life Mistress of Spice!

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Last spring, at Left Coast Crime in Denver, I took a group of readers to Savory Spice on Platte St., a branch of the Colorado-based spice company not far from the hotel. We sniffed, sampled, tasted, and shopped -- and laughed a LOT. The shop is in a historic building -- as another reader said when she saw my photos, it feels like you're walking around my fictional spice shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market! 

So I'm delighted to welcome to the blog today Rebecca Brandt, who manages the two shops in Denver, with a tale of her life in spice and a fun recipe. (And you know I love it when a spice queen raves about her job -- and sounds a lot like my Pepper Reece! Plus I can vouch for Savory Spice's ground cumin -- I'd run out, after all the recipe testing for To Err is Cumin -- I picked up a bag in the shop and it's terrific!) 

You've got to love a recipe that refers to "the guts"!

And scroll down for a special offer!

REBECCA BRANDT, SAVORY SPICE: I never would have imagined that, after 20 years behind a desk in a high-pressure office environment, I would find my new professional home in a spice shop in bustling downtown Denver, but here I am! Savory Spice Shop is a proud Colorado company, established in 2004, with shops now across the Denver Metro area and the country. I’ve been lucky enough to work here for the past nine years, eventually becoming manager of two of our Denver shop locations.

It's been exciting to work with both home cooks and professional chefs, some who are looking to re-create a flavor blend that they remember from their youth or, as is more often the case, their global travels. One of my favorite experiences was to work with a customer  to develop her own custom Shawarma spice blend as a gift for colleagues who assisted her in a successful employment search! After a few afternoons of blending and tasting, we were able to land on a perfect recipe that we blended here at the shop for her to package in bespoke jars and send off around the country. That is the perfect example of why I really love this position: I cross paths every day with people who are passionate about cooking delicious food for themselves and the ones they love. Assisting cooks of all levels and open their taste buds to new experiences has been a true gift.

My own spice story started relatively late in life. After making a lot of prepackaged and processed food throughout college and grad school, I came across a few good cookbooks that were simple and inspiring. When I moved to Denver from the East Coast, I started to become more comfortable in the kitchen and ventured out to the local spice shop (the very same one where I now work!) for ground cumin. The flavor was nothing like I had ever had from the grocery store, and I was hooked! I saw the value in buying spices in small quantities to keep them fresh and even buying whole spices to toast and grind at home.

Each location of Savory Spice Shop carries two signature blends that are unique to that location, and each signature blend is handmade locally at each shop. One of the standouts is the Northside Hatch Dip, a zingy bright green chile-based blend with onion and garlic flavors. Our goal in crafting this blend was to recreate a chile dip from a local dairy with a cult following among Denverites. While the blend is marketed as a dip, we encourage our customers to think outside of the box and use it in creative ways: in guacamole, with roasted potatoes, and to brighten up a chicken tortilla soup!

One of my favorite current spices in our shop is the Aleppo Chile Flakes, an oily fruity bright red chile flake with a medium-range heat level. When I teach our kimchi class, it is the preferred alternative to the traditional korean chile flake, gochugaru. I loosely based this recipe on one from Edward Lee, a Korean-American chef out of New York. 

Napa Cabbage Kimchi, by Rebecca Brandt of Savory Spice (adapted from Edward Lee, Smoke and Pickles) 

Makes one tightly packed gallon jar

Cabbage

1 large or 2 small Napa cabbage, about 4 to 5 pounds

1 ½ gallon water

1 cup kosher salt

Kimchi Paste (optional)

3 cups water 

¾ cup sweet (glutinous) rice flour (this is a gluten-free product)

¼ cup sugar

Guts

½ -1 cup chopped onions

½ c - 2 ½ cups Aleppo chile flakes, depending upon your taste (I use about 3/4 cup)

10 ounces grated daikon radish

4 ounces grated ginger

6 cloves of chopped garlic

1/3 cup fish sauce or vegetarian fish sauce (optional)

Add

2 cups chopped scallions before packing into jar(s)

Method

1. First slice the cabbage lengthwise into quarters. Core out the heart. Fit the cabbage into a large container and add the water and salt. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours. Drain and rinse the cabbage. Roughly chop the cabbage into about 2-inch portions following the length of the cabbage. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

2. To make the kimchi paste, combine the water, sweet rice flour and sugar in a pot and bring to a simmer. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Allow it to cool while making the guts.

3. To make the guts, add the onions, chili flakes, radish, ginger, garlic and fish sauce into a food processor or high speed blender, and puree on high until well combined.

4. Fold the guts into the cooled paste. Add the chopped scallions. Wearing clean gloves, mix this thoroughly into the cabbage and massage thoroughly. Transfer to a clean glass jar or an air-tight plastic container (reserved only for kimchi) with a tight fitting lid – but cover loosely at this time.

5. Leave this container out at room temperature for 24 hours to 4 days (covered loosely). Then store in the refrigerator with the lid screwed tightly. It will be ready to eat in several days but will keep for another 6+ months.

Suggested uses for kimchi: in Bibimbap (a Korean rice bowl with egg), kimchi fried rice, and kimchi jigae (stew), or alongside any fish or meat for a touch of bright flavor! 

Enjoy!

Doesn't that gorgeous bowl full of spices make you want to make this recipe, if for no other reason? What new recipes or spices have you tried recently?

A special offer for Mystery Lovers' Kitchen readers, call into the Savory Spice shop at Platte Street and place a phone order (or come in person) and mention Mystery Lovers' Kitchen for a 15% discount (good through 11/1/25).  And if you'd like to browse in person in another location, here's the company store directory. 

A few shots from our visit last March: