Spice Smuggler Gets A Second Chance

I’m a big Food Network fan. One of my favorite shows this season was The Next Food Network Star. Jeffrey Saad was a favorite from the first episode. I appreciated both his up-beat personality and his cooking expertise.

Jeffrey ended up being first runner-up, losing to Mellisa d’Arabian.  Bob Tuschman, a Food Network big-wig and one of the judges on The Next Food Network Star, announced via his blog that the network has developed some web-only versions of Jeffrey’s show, the Spice Smuggler. Big Jeffrey-fan cheer here, “Yay!!”

The webisodes, currently numbering 5, feature Jeffrey making the most of his spice knowledge with dishes like Smoked Paprika Lasagna, Garam Masala Chicken Pot Pie, 5 Spice Stir-Fry Chicken Soup, Tiliapia Tacos with Anise Seed.

I watched the Tilapia Taco episode and right off the bat I learned two things from Jeffrey; Anise Seed can be used anywhere that you would also use a lemon flavor and if you want to see if pan-fried fish is done, slip a spatula half-way under the fish and lift slightly to  see if it flakes apart. If it does, it’s done. If it’s not, give it a few more minutes and try again.

You can watch the episode, along with the other Spice Smuggler webisodes here.

Image credit: Amazon.com