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Does anyone grind allspice in a pepper grinder - does that work?

Also any ideas for using it would be appreciated. I had a good batch of potato sausage with lots of allspice in it and was reminded how much I like it. Am going to try to use more of it. Right now I have none in the cupboard.

Lynn,

I've never tried to grind it that way, so cannot comment. If your mill can grind very fine, it might be fine.

I too love allspice. Just a pinch in things like tomato sauce or many braises adds that "what am I tasting?" factor we all adore. I'd say just try adding it to things and see how you like it. I frequently do this by taking a little bit of whatever it is I'm making and adding a little bit of the spice, etc. I then decide if the dish benefits or not. This means you don't flavor the entire dish before you know if you like it. Nothing worse than trying something in a quart or two of perfectly good food and discovering it makes the dish doodoo.

Amy

Thanks Amy. I like your tip on trying a bit of spice in a tasting dish rather than going after the whole thing with an experiment. I'll report in on the grinding thing.

Lynn

EB,

Allspice is used both in Syrian/Arab spice mixes, and in Caribbean (Jamaican, etc.) spicing. It's also used pretty heavily in Norweigian food, including in pickled herring.

I use it a lot in baking and it's a major player in my favorite pumpkin soup.

I purchased some preground and whole allspice. Today it was added to my baked beans. Fantastic in those. The hubby really loved the beans and could not pin it down. He thought for sure I had added jalapeno. (none)

It gave it sort of a warm sweetness.

Have not tried grinding the whole ones yet, more to come.

After being fed quite a few chocolate cakes with allspice in them, and finding it quite objectionable (I do not like the flavour, at least when I can taste it in that context), I more or less swore off allspice; i've used it in a rub (though I usually cut the quantity) maybe once or twice in a decade. Now you make me wonder if it might have a place after all.

Middle Eastern 5-Spice Mix, from the cookbook Spice:

2 tablespoons whole allspice berries
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Lightly toast the allspice, cloves and peppercorns. Grind them fine using a coffee grinder, Preethi or Vita-Mix. Mix in the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Add to kibbeh, dolmas, brik, or other Middle Eastern pies and casseroles. Or sprinkle over fish or chicken before cooking.

Thanks for posting that Fuzzy. I'm going to make some today! Allspice is just suddenly so appealing to me.