The Santa Fe New Mexican
Date:  09/21/2005

OIL TRADE

By Patricia West-Barker


Kris Wrede, an aromatherapist and natural perfumer, also uses essential oils in her cooking.

Oil: Our reaction to scent stimulates both memories and emotions

It's that special blending of food and scent that differentiates Wrede not only from other Scandinavians, but also from most other cooks. An aromatherapist and natural perfumer by trade and training, Wrede uses the same plant- and flower-based essential oils that make up her products and potions to enhance the flavor and sensual experience of the dishes she prepares.

While many people understand that our sense of smell is an important part of our ability to taste and enjoy food, many don't realize that scents go directly to an ancient part of the brain associated with emotions and memory. When that part of the brain is stimulated by just a tiny amount of a highly aromatic essential oil, Wrede says, it creates a heightened response -- and lifts a familiar food from ordinary to extraordinary, from ho-hum to haunting.

"People have to realize the intensity of adding high-quality, naturally derived essential oils to food -- why it makes the food taste so different," Wrede says. "It takes approximately 200 pounds of raw rosemary to make 1 pound of rosemary essential oil; it takes about 1,000 pounds of rose petals to make 1 pound of rose essential oil."

The distillation process that makes the oils so effective is also what makes them so expensive, Wrede says. An organic, food-grade essential oil can range from $10 to $800 per ounce, with high-yielding citrus oils at the lower end and delicate rose oils at the higher end of the spectrum. Fortunately, Wrede says, because you use only a few drops at a time, a 10-milliliter bottle of an essential oil (about one-third of an ounce) lasts a very long time. If you're making an omelet, she says, you can add just one drop of black pepper essential oil, a drop of oregano, and maybe a drop of lemon to the oil in your pan.

At a dinner with a group of Santa Fe aromatherapists, Wrede recalls, a woman took just one drop of peppermint oil and rubbed around the edge of the bowl in which she was serving a cold soup -- and it was enough to scent and flavor the entire concoction.

While there are hundreds of essential oils available, only a few -- maybe 30 to 50 -- are suitable for cooking, Wrede says.

"In my classes," she says, "I stick with pretty basic oils that most people are already familiar with as spices. But then I foray into more unusual ones like bergamot -- which some people are familiar with from Earl Grey tea -- but it's also an ingredient in a lot of men's colognes."

Does everyone react the same way to the same scents? Yes and no, Wrede says. Our sense of smell is deeply programmed into our memories, she says, and while most are associated with happy experiences -- the smell of cookies baking in the oven, for example -- others can trigger more unpleasant emotions.

While culture and personal experience can influence individual reactions to various scents, aromatherapists believe the effects of some of the more basic essential oils is universal. Orange, lemon and grapefruit, for example, are almost always perceived as refreshing, uplifting and clean. Peppermint is usually energizing, lavender calming, vanilla sensual and cinnamon warming.

Will people who are sensitive or allergic to perfumes be able to eat foods prepared with essential oils? Wrede says that in the 16 years she's been working with them, only 5 out of the thousands of people she's taught have been sensitive to certain oils -- and that was when they smelled the oils. No one has yet been sensitive to oils in foods she has prepared.

"Some people," she says, "just don't like any kind of fragrance, natural or synthetic. But most of the time what I see is people saying, 'Wow! I've just never realized how fresh something like that can be.' "

The key, though, Wrede emphasizes, is to use only true essential oils -- not chemically derived or treated oils. "It's like the difference between McDonalds and Geronimo," she laughs.

That's why, Wrede says, she buys the best organic or wild-harvested oils she can find -- black pepper from Madagascar, lavender from Kashmir and petitgrain sur fleur (a co-distillate of the leaves and blossoms of the orange tree) from Morocco, for example.

"I buy the finest quality I can possibly get," she says, "because I know that I am going to be using them too, for myself, my family and friends as well as my clients."


Recipes

These are two of Kris Wrede's favorite fall recipes. Each owes its bright flavor to a few drops of sweet, spicy or savory essential oils.

"This chili," Wrede says, "is so delectable it will start a fire in the heart of even the most icy souls. It is so rich and spicy you will be warm and aromatic yourself for days afterward." Vegetarians can leave out the meat and enjoy this variation on a local favorite, she says.


LICK YOUR LIPS CHILI

(Serves 15-20)

1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped Hatch green chile (or more to taste)
1 cup chopped poblano peppers
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons Chimays red chile powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
7 drops cardamom essential oil
4 drops black pepper essential oil
1/2 pound ground white turkey breast
Olive oil for sauteing
5 slices prosciutto
21/2-3 ounces dark semi-sweet chocolate
15-ounce can great northern or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
46 ounces tomato juice, canned or fresh
28 ounces diced tomatoes, fresh or canned (about 31/2 cups)*
For serving: sour cream, goat yogurt or asiago cheese; cinnamon or chile powder

In a large pot, sauti the ground turkey over medium heat in a little olive oil and all the essential oils. When it has cooked a little, add peppers, onions, garlic, spices and the chocolate. Cook 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Sauti prosciutto in a skillet until almost crispy; chop when cool, then add to pot. Add tomato juice and diced tomatoes to pot and stir. Add beans and bring to almost boiling. Reduce heat to low and cover, stirring occasionally.

Simmer for two or three hours if you have time; if you don't, an hour will do. Open the pot at the end of the cooking time to fill the house with the intense aromas.

Serve in spicy-colored bowls and top with sour cream, goat yogurt or asiago cheese -- and a dash of cinnamon or chili powder if desired.

 The chile is even better the second day, and leftovers freeze well.

* Wrede likes the flavor of Muir Glen brand fire-roasted tomatoes.

At high altitudes, Wrede says, if you use a glass baking dish, no adjustments are needed. If you use a cast-iron skillet or metal pan, increase heat to 425 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes. You also can decrease the baking powder to 1 1/2 teaspoons.


CINNAMON BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD

(Makes 1 (9-inch) pan or 12 muffins)

3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) butter, melted
1 cup finely ground cornmeal*
2 cups flour
Scant 3/4 cup sugar**
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 drops cinnamon essential oil
Toasted Cumin and Cardamom Essential Oil Honey Butter, for serving (recipe follows)

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until well-combined. Add buttermilk, melted butter and cinnamon essential oil and blend until smooth. (Remember that cinnamon essential oil is very strong; if you get more than 3 drops in the batter, take it out with a spoon.)

In another bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add dry ingredients to wet ones in the large bowl. Pour into a greased 9-inch cast-iron skillet, a greased square glass or metal baking pan or 12 greased muffin tins.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes for skillet or pan. For muffins, bake about 15 minutes.

* Wrede likes Bob's Red Mill brand.

** This recipe is a little sweeter than most; if you prefer, use only 1/2 cup of sugar.


TOASTED CUMIN AND CARDAMOM ESSENTIAL OIL HONEY BUTTER

(Makes 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
3 tablespoons honey
7 drops cardamom essential oil
11/4 teaspoon whole cumin seed

Put cumin seed in a pan over medium heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan until you can smell the seed toasting. Remove from heat and crush seeds with a mortar and pestle.

Mix toasted cumin powder with remaining ingredients. Smear on warm cornbread.