I was looking for lentil soup recipes and found one from Alto Brown that calls for grains of paradis

[Arkansas Granny]

also known as alligator pepper. Has anyone hear ever used this? It sounds interesting.

Aframomum melegueta is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and closely related to cardamom. Its seeds are used as a spice; it imparts a pungent, black-pepper-like flavor with hints of citrus. It is commonly known as grains of paradise, melegueta pepper, alligator pepper, Guinea grains, ossame, or fom wisa. Wikipedia

[Warpy]

1. Grains of Paradise are not necessary.

The flavor is probably closest to white pepper, so if you have a pepper grinder, use a bit less pepper than the recipe calls for. I got some as an experiment a few years ago and wasn't particularly impressed with the flavor.

Now Sichuan pepper is completely different and packs a punch.

[mopinko]

5. hey stranger! how the heck are ya?

dang. missed your ass around here.

[Warpy]

9. Stranger and stranger, thanks.

I needed a long time off, getting too pissed off and had to do some health things. I was still out and about, but you had to look pretty hard to find me.

Do you agree about grains of paradise? The spice isn't bad, it was just given a fancy name as a marketing gimmick because the source was a lot closer to northern Europe and they could market it to poor folks as "just as good as black pepper from India," which it wasn't.

I find the flavor fades very quickly, it just doesn't have the nice burn of freshly ground black pepper.

Then again, I live in the southwest, where flavors are not subtle.

[leftieNanner]

2. I made lentil soup last night!

With carrots, celery root, red bell pepper, onion, celery, and butternut squash. Added some thyme, S&P, and leftover sausage at the end. It was YUM! Along with homemade GF biscuits - it was a feast.

Don't know about paradis. Sorry.

[Arkansas Granny]

3. I found a bottle with grinder online that I think ill try.

I'm looking at a sausage, lentil, kale soup. I like to make a big pot of soup (because I can't seem to make a small one) and freeze it in meal sized portions.

[leftieNanner]

6. I am also the Queen of Leftovers

We used to call is smorgasbord at our house so our kids didn't know they were eating leftovers!

Please report back on your soup success! I'm always looking for new cooking ideas.

[Warpy]

10. Back in New England, we called it Portuguese penicillin

only we made it with white beans instead of lentils. Online recipes all look like heresy to me, they use kielbasa when any self respecting eastern Masshole would only use chourico or linguica for the sausage. Other than that, it's onions, garlic, olive oil, kale, potatoes, white beans, and black pepper. It was a cheap way to get through a winter and people I know who lived on it were remarkably healthy.

Kale and yogurt soup is also pretty nice, the yogurt seems to tame the aggressively green taste of kale.

I've been craving soups lately because it's been so cold here in the high desert.

Aha! Found a recipe that looks close to what I used to do: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/portuguese-chourico-and-kale-soup-recipe-1939580

[Arkansas Granny]

11. I cook a lot of soups in cold weather.

I can't think of anything more warming and comforting when the weather turns cold.

I'm not familiar with chourico or linguica sausage. I'll probably use either an Italian sausage or andouille.

[Warpy]

12. I'd probably go with the Italian sausage

Around here, we can get that and chorizo. It just seemed weird that a lot of online recipes used kielbasa, the flavor is all wrong, in my fusspot opinion.

[magicarpet]

4. Lentil stew,

Lentils, (Incredible fiber),
Spinach, chop fine,
Lamb, cook then chop to dice size cubes,

Have fun adding favorites and/or leftovers,

Onion
Lots of garlic, mashed,
Mushrooms chop up,

..........

[nilram]

7. wow, sounds intriguing!

Bookmarked & keeping my eye out for it.

[Arkansas Granny]

8. I'll report back. It might be a week or so.

[rsdsharp]

13. The only thing I've ever had it in (that I know of)

is Sam Adams Summer Ale.