After Margaret Thatcher met the then-USSR’s rising star, Mikhail Gorbachev, in 1984 she famously declared, “He’s a man we can do business with.” When it comes to salt-free seasonings, Mural of Flavor is my Gorbachev.
I’ve tried so many others over the years. Either they were bitter or too bland or just tasted like what they were: a bunch of dried herbs. Blerg.
When I was at Penzey’s a couple weeks ago, I spotted this proprietary blend of more than a dozen herbs and spices and took a sniff. It wasn’t a strong, overwhelming smell but deep. My first thought (after getting beyond the name, which brought to mind Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound) was how good it might be on fish and in vinaigrettes. I bought the smallest size, one of those stubby jars half the size of standard spice jars, and used it that night on a grilled center-cut pork chop. It was flavorful and robust and I didn’t miss the salt one bit. Since then I’ve used it on grilled steak and chicken breasts, in scrambled eggs and vinaigrette. It hasn’t let me down.
What’s in it? Penzey’s online listing says, “Hand mixed from shallots, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, basil, coriander, lemon peel, citric acid, black pepper, chives, green peppercorns, dill weed, and orange peel.” It’s a winning combination that doesn’t overtake the flavor of the food, like some do.
If you’re watching your salt intake, I can recommend this without reservation. It comes in four sizes, from the 1/4 cup that I bought for $3.29 to 2 cups for $19.99. A little goes a long way. Penzey’s did mail order long before they went online and they do it right, so if there’s no store near you it’s not out of reach. And you’ll get their fun catalogs with recipes.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Mural of Flavor is one of our favorite blends. We bought a big jar of it to bring with us to Malaysia.
I like to sprinkle it on potato chips.
Have you tried their other blends like Adobo seasoning? Another favorite of ours.
Nate´s last blog ..Homemade Pho Ga (Chicken Pho Noodle Soup)
Ooh, on spuds, yes! And you reminded me to add that a little goes a long way.
I also bought the Old World Blend but haven’t used it yet. I walked in there with a list of 5 spices to replenish or replace and walked out with 10 jars. Oy! I love chicken Adobo so I will try that one too. Thanks for the tip.
Penzey’s FTW! Haven’t tried the Mural of Flavor, but I want to. Word on the street here in Buffalo NY is that we’re getting an actual store location, so I can go in and sniff everything before buying!
I’ve been loving their Pasta Sprinkle. The Northwoods Seasoning is also great — it’s not salt-free, but it doesn’t taste too salt-heavy either.
(also, everyone needs to use blerg more often
)
Oh, I hope you get one, Stella. I probably wouldn’t have taken a chance on this without sniffing it, after throwing away so many others. But it actually smells different, fresh and not all dried. Blerg.
I have some in a beef stew that’s simmering in the oven right now, along with a bit of kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper. I will have to give your favorites a sniff next time I’m there. Thanks for the recommendations!
Hi Ella, I took your advice and ordered the Mural of Flavor from Penzy’s. I’d actually never heard of them, but I discovered there’s a Penzy’s store about 45 minutes away, in a busy mall. I figured it would be cheaper to pay the shipping and order online. Which I did, along with about 8 other interesting sounding herb and spice mixtures. I’m sure having fun experimenting with them. I expecially like the Trinidad Lemon-Garlic mixture. I also ordered smoked Paprika, a barbecue rub, Asian 5-spice powder among other fun things. And you’re right, they do send a really fun catalog. Thanks for leading me in the right direction, dear Ella! XOXOXOX
Hi, Sunny! Oooh, what a good assortment you chose! Thanks for letting me know. This Mural of Flavor stuff is just amazing, isn’t it? (I have a recipe here for Cornish hens using 5-spice powder. Search on ‘toaster oven’ and you should be able to find it easily.)
I totally understand the online ordering. I needed some stuff from Sephora the other day — there’s a store close by — but with my right ankle pretty much out of commission and knowing the mall would be packed, I ordered online. Got free shipping and it came from Baltimore so it arrived the next day! Toss in my mrrebates rebate (currently at 10% for Sephora) and the free samples and I’m going to do it this way again.
If you get nto the city, there’s a Penzey’s in Grand Central. It’s just a mini-Penzey’s but it smells as good as the bigger stores!
Good to see you, my fellow furry friend…hee!