Shire Seasoning

Recipe by Astrid Winegar

I invented this dry seasoning mix to flavor many of the recipes in my original cookbook, though I have ended up using it in so many other dishes. You probably have these seasonings already in your pantry. Make up a batch and you’ll be ready to make all sorts of hobbity delicacies. As a substitute, you could use Morton’s Nature’s Seasons. However, this mix is very easy to make, more natural, and fresher. I like to leave some of the peppercorns almost whole and I use this in many other non-hobbit recipes as well as sprinkling it on various foods, such as steaks or pork chops, eggs or vegetables. Shire Seasoning has less sodium as well.

Shire Seasoning

Sometimes one needs more complex flavors than just salt and pepper and sometimes one doesn’t have access to different varieties of fresh herbs growing in the garden. Perhaps one of Bilbo’s resourceful ancestors came up with a convenient dry mix to solve this particular problem. This mix is used throughout the Middle-earth regions where hobbits live.

2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns (all black or a mix of colors)
1 tablespoon dry parsley
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dry thyme
½ teaspoon dry marjoram
½ teaspoon dry sage
½ teaspoon dry rosemary
½ teaspoon celery seed

Combine the salt and peppercorns in a blender or a small food processor. Pulse until peppercorns are mostly broken; this will take about a minute. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse another 30 seconds or so. Keep in a tightly covered container in your pantry. Shake or stir before using. Makes about ⅓ cup and retains pungency for three to four months.

Shire Seasoning

Sometimes one needs more complex flavors than just salt and pepper and sometimes one doesn’t have access to different varieties of fresh herbs growing in the garden. Perhaps one of Bilbo’s resourceful ancestors came up with a convenient dry mix to solve this particular problem. This mix is used throughout the Middle-earth regions where hobbits live.