Tuscan Seasoning Mix - Two Ways

A few month ago, I watched a travel & food show on Tuscany and the herbs, spices, flavors and aromas of the Tuscan region and was inspired to create my own Tuscan Seasoning Mix.  I truly believe that all seasoning mixes are based on a taste preference to a particular herb or spice. You may like more basil and less rosemary and yes, it's quite all right to change anything to suit your palette. After all that is what eating is all about ... your palette! The mix that I developed features a dry and fresh ratio. And by that I mean, that a portion of the mix you can bottle (for up to 6 months) and the other portion uses fresh herbs, which I think adds an extra layer of freshness and "bounce" to the mix. But I know not everyone has fresh herbs available, so I've also included an all dry mix further below.

8 teaspoons dried oregano

4 teaspoons sweet smoked Spanish paprika

2 teaspoons ground fennel

4 teaspoons granulated garlic

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

Place all ingredients in a coffee grinder, and grind until its a fine powder. Transfer to airtight container or spice bottle. Add fresh rosemary, thyme and basil, to capture and infuse the flavors of fresh Tuscan cooking.


All Dry Mix: 
8 teaspoons dried oregano

4 teaspoons sweet smoked Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons rosemary
3 teaspoons thyme
3 teaspoons basil

2 teaspoons ground fennel

4 teaspoons granulated garlic

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste

2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Place all ingredients in a coffee grinder, and grind until its a fine powder. Transfer to airtight container or spice bottle. Store for up to 6 months. ENJOY!

Recipe Notes: 

Feel free to adjust the portions of the herbs in the ALL Dry Mix to suit your particular palette. 

I use dried oregano, because I find the fresh c sometimes be a bit overpowering, but if you'd like to use fresh ... go for it!