Just American News recently got a chance to interview Su Stella in regard to her book Spice and Herb Explorer. We got insights into her book, her source of inspiration and much more.
Q. The story of black pepper and its impact on trade routes is fascinating. What inspired you to explore the history of spices and herbs, particularly through the lens of the Silk Road?
Thanks for asking. On January 2, 2022, I had just finished my mural, ‘Community,’ setting the tone for the year. I had ideas for a few new projects but life happens.
About a week later, I had a Harry Potter blaze on my forehead, and it cut across my eye like a slash towards my ear. I had shingles, and no doctor appointments were available for a week, so I didn’t have any medical options for the antidote. My right eye was light-sensitive, so my only choice was to sit in a semi-dark room and think about the direction of my life. I watched YouTube for ideas. I had a stack of paper and a Sharpie so I could write then read in the dark.
It took a few weeks, and my two passions began to intertwine, traveling and eating. Since I was stuck in the house, I started deep cleaning my kitchen, and I was disappointed with my herbs and spices. I made a list of herbs that I needed and left it on the table for our next trip to Eugene. I love my husband; a few days later, a big box arrived filled with bulk herbs. I learned that six ounces of Bay leaves will last a lifetime.
I started experimenting with small batches of international herb combinations. Once we both liked the mix, we would work together, filling small mason jars with the various spices so I could begin creating recipes.
While researching on YouTube interesting black pepper videos kept coming up, like black pepper was so valuable that a handful could pay your rent. Pepper is so desired that pepper futures are traded on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX).
Yet today, people thoughtlessly toss little white paper, black pepper packets in their take-out food bags and eventually throw a few in the trash unused. This silly little thought led me down the Silk Road, and I am taking you on my journey.
Q. Your book provides practical advice on using and storing herbs. For readers just starting their spice journey, what are some essential spices or herbs you recommend they always keep on hand and why?
Spice cabinets are like journals; everyone has their own style, secrets, and favorite tales. I grew up in an Italian family. My grandparents came from Sicily to America around 1913. My spice cabinet leans entirely Mediterranean like basil, sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Garlic, onions, and chives are always plentiful in our house.
My husband was more of a meat-and-potatoes guy when we met; he brought smoked paprika, dill, and a few spices into our lives. We do not use cilantro because he is allergic. It tastes like soap to him. One night at a party, he enjoyed a helping of salsa, and the next day, his face swelled like the moon.
Over the years, I have added different spices like cumin, curry, nutmeg, allspice, and many other herbs, but I tend to reach for my usual spices. I like to buy herbs and spices on sale or from a local vendor that have different combinations, so my choices expand while I cook.
Q. You included tips for air fryer conversions and recipes from different culinary traditions. How do you see modern tools like air fryers enhancing traditional cooking with herbs and spices?
I love air frying for the simple fact that we don’t use cooking oil. We are getting older and it is easier to pack on the pounds. We do not have a coffee-pot-style air fryer. We bought a Cosori 12-1 air fryer combo, basically a counter top oven. It is excellent for guilt-free French fries and snacks, and the time-saving is impressive.
The mid-section of my book has many conversion charts with measurements, temperatures, and tips. I created them using a parchment background with easy-to-read fonts. I made these pages because I was so sick of looking up the same information online every time I needed to cook something, so I streamlined it by putting it in my book.
Q. Your recipes have many traveler’s tales attached; are they true?
Yes, those tales are true. I am very lucky because my parents knew that I had the travel bug from birth and always encouraged me to live my dreams. For graduation, they paid for me to be an exchange student for two months in Spain. My love for new tastes and exotic places grew.
When I was a junior in high school my dad got laid off from his job one week before Christmas. Later that day, he told me that companies did not have any loyalty to their employees anymore.
“Retire when you are young, work when you get old. You can start working when you turn sixty and retire when you are eighty.” Solid advice from Frank, my dad. I am ‘working age’ and I dream of having a book tour. I plan on writing a book every year.
I was very lucky to grow up just outside of Boston because back in the 1980s, you could purchase last-minute flights to Europe for less than $100. Every time I saved a few thousand dollars, I was on an airplane. I usually stayed for a few months since youth hostels and Eurail tickets were cheap too. I was that no-frills backpacker. I traveled all over Europe over a dozen times. I spent six months in in Greece and another six months in Turkey.
I planned on traveling every country in South America. I met my ex Erich in Venezuela, and we traveled thru Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, but we got food poisoning in Peru, we recouped in Colombia, spending six months on the continent. Erich was Swiss and we spend a year there. We traveled back to the US and traveled in an RV for three years, then we split up.
For the last twenty six years, Curt and I have been living and traveling the US together. We met in northern Mississippi, and moved to Biloxi on the Gulf Coast. We both learned how to cook new dishes from our Cajun and Creole friends. Hurricane Katrina sent us all over the place. We lived in three states in two years trying to relocate, we settled inland to Shreveport, Louisiana for another ten years.
We were full-time artists. We sold our art in New Orleans, and online all over the world. Our lives were non-stop creativity. I was painting murals with top artists like Ali Bahler, I helped her complete her two block long mural ‘Call to Action’ in Shreveport.
Curt and I were starting to make a name for ourselves backstage in the movies. I was ‘Set Decoration and Props’ for two local theaters. I got gig jobs with LA House of Props, Moonbot Movies and even Cirque du Soleil. Everything was on target until Governor Jindahl destroyed the movie industry and Shreveport with the stroke of a pen. I could not find a job flipping eggs.
Fate smiled on me, I got a lucky scratch card and enough money for us to move to Oregon. We have taken countless road trips, and if you visit HippieDayTripper.com you can enjoy our seven free online travel magazines.
In 2023, Curt and I took the adventure of a lifetime, which will be my third book in a three year trifecta, Sizzling Hot Pizza To Go. I am testing recipes and finishing the layout. I hope to have it published before July 4th, 2025.
Q. What do you hope readers—whether beginners or advanced home cooks—gain from reading your book? And do you have plans to explore any other food-related topics in future projects?
I consider myself an adventure and recipe writer. My books are meant to be read from cover to cover. I hope my readers will join me, and enjoy the quirky facts and myths that I unearth, and then end the day make a tasty meal from my books.
My ‘Spice and Herb Explorer’ starts with the myth that dragons guarded pepper plants and pepper forests needed to be burnt to the ground to get the valuable spice. As you continue reading I give you facts and information to make your kitchen tasks easier.
In May of 2023, I published ‘Sizzling Hot Pizza’. This tale starts with the rumor that Queen Margherita got food poisoning while visiting Naples. Chef Esposito stepped up and delivered three pizzas to the ailing queen. Two pies were okay, but the red, white, and green pizza was a success. Think of Queen Margherita every time you order her namesake.
My third book in three years, Sizzling Hot Pizza To Go begins on Amtrak from October 17 to December 4, 2023. My husband Curt and I traveled for 49 days on nine Amtrak and two ViaRail trains. We logged 8244 rail miles and 186 train hours. We ate 32 pizzas from 21 locations. I am editing my manuscript and hope to have a copy of ‘Sizzling Hot Pizza To Go’ available before the 4th of July.
Visit www.Highway58Herald.com every Tuesday for new recipes. If you wait until the end of this year, this collection will be compiled into a tailgating or snack book. I am doing a fun series on the history of classic salads and sandwiches. Last weeks exciting article is titled, ‘Booze, Guns, Affairs, and the Caesar Salad?’
Last November, I received a small FEAST grant from our local food pantry. I committed myself to writing and printing 52 recipes this year. I am printing colorful recipe and food guides to put into our local food boxes every other week. At year’s end these recipes will be compiled as a free ebook for everyone in the world. I try to provide recipes, tips and ideas for all those products that they may not be used to using or they get all the time like canned green beans.
One last thing. I strive to write recipes that a sixth grader could follow. Every sixth grader in our our middle school learned how to cook. I want latch key kids to have the skills to make themselves a warm meal after school. I hope that my adventure cookbooks, recipes in the newspaper or in a food box brighten people’s day.
Visit my newest website www.AdventuresAndRecipes.com for this project.
Always be a creative eater. S*
