Ras El Hanout

You picked it up because everyone calls it the underrated star of the spice rack, and now the jar is staring back at you. Here is the answer. Ras el hanout, a Moroccan blend whose name means "top of the shop," is nineteen spices built for slow, warming cooking. Start simple. Stir two teaspoons into a red lentil stew with onion, carrot, and garlic, or rub it over chicken thighs, lamb, or roasted root vegetables before they go in the oven.

No two versions of ras el hanout match, and ours is honest about that. Nineteen spices ground fresh, from rose petals and lavender to grain of paradise and cubeb, warm and floral rather than fiery. It shines in a slow Moroccan stew (tagine) with dried fruit and meat, though it never needs one to earn its place. We toast and stone-grind in small batches in Portland so the delicate florals survive.

Ingredients: Paprika, Mustard Seeds, Tellicherry Black Peppercorn, Cumin Seeds, Grain of Paradise, Turmeric, Coriander Seeds, Long Pepper, Nigella Seeds, Caraway Seeds, Star Anise, Green Cardamom, Mace, Ginger, Ceylon Cinnamon, Lavender, Cubeb, Carom Seeds, Rose petals. No salt, no sugar, no preservatives. Naturally gluten-free and vegan.