World Food Culture Wednesday - Ras El Hanout

Are You Actually Bored With Your Food?

Can I ask you something?

When was the last time dinner surprised you?

Not a holiday meal. Not a dinner party. Just a regular Wednesday.

Because if we’re being honest… most of us rotate the same five meals. We salt, we pepper, maybe we add garlic powder, and then we wonder why everything tastes fine — but not exciting.

It’s not that you’ve forgotten how to cook.

It’s just that your food might need a new conversation.

And that’s where Ras el Hanout comes in.

First — Don’t Let the Name Intimidate You

Ras el Hanout means “Head of the Shop.”

Historically, it was the spice merchant’s best blend — the one he was most proud of. Not strange. Not complicated. Just his finest mix.

My blend contains:

• Allspice

• Black Pepper

• Cayenne

• Cinnamon

• Cloves

• Coriander

• Cumin

• Ginger

Nothing mysterious. Nothing unapproachable.

These are spices you already know — they’re simply working together instead of sitting alone in the cabinet.

So Why Does It Feel Different?

Because it layers.

You get warmth from cinnamon and clove. Earthiness from cumin and coriander. A gentle lift from ginger. A quiet heat from cayenne. That soft sweetness from allspice tying it together.

It’s not “hot.”

It’s dimensional.

And most weeknight food isn’t dimensional. It’s flat and efficient.

That’s the boredom.

Here’s What I Love About It

You don’t have to learn Moroccan cooking.

You don’t need a tagine.

You don’t need a free afternoon.

You just take what you’re already making — and shift it.

Rub it on chicken thighs with olive oil and salt and roast them. Toss it with carrots and a drizzle of honey. Stir a teaspoon into ground beef. Mix it into yogurt with lemon for a sauce. Add it to rice while it cooks.

Same food.

Different mood.

And suddenly the kitchen smells warm — cinnamon and cumin blooming in olive oil — and dinner feels intentional again.

That’s not complicated.

That’s alive.

A Simple Starting Point

Honey–Ras el Hanout Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

• 1–2 teaspoons Ras el Hanout

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon honey

• Salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Stir together olive oil, honey, and Ras el Hanout.

3. Rub it over the chicken.

4. Roast 35–40 minutes until golden and crisp.

Dinner, elevated.

Maybe you’re not bored with cooking.

Maybe your spices are.

Flavor is memory in motion.

And sometimes, all it takes is one new blend to remind you why you loved cooking in the first place.

Ras El Hanout - Try it - SO GOOD!!!

$11.00

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