Substitute for Cumin?

[Liz K]

Does anyone know of a spice I can use to substitue for Cumin? I am in the middle of making the Southwestern Lasagna from the new July issue. If it's left out, do you think it will have a big effect on the overall taste of the dish?

Thanks!

[Natasha]

Hi Liz,
I don t know of a substitute for cumin, because it has such a distinctive taste. Still, I think you could probably leave it out and not miss it. It seems an odd spice to use in any type of lasagna anyway, Southwestern or not - I like cumin, but it has that kind of pungency to it, y know? Anyway, that s my opinion, for what it s worth (not much, maybe ; ) ). Enjoy the lasagna!

[Natasha]

Hi Liz,
Just wanted to qualify my response because I don t know how much cumin the recipe calls for. Is it a key spice, or just one of many added in small proportions? If it is a key spice, I might try a little bit to find a substitute; if not, I wouldn t bother. (In fact, if you re already making the recipe, you may not have time to bother anyway!)
I think somebody might have mentioned (on our old BB) a website that has suggestions for substitutions. Maybe someone will remember the URL and pass it on for future reference, as I ve forgotten it. Hope this is at least some help to you, and I m sure the lasagna will turn out great!

[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 06-23-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 06-23-2000).]

[Liz K]

Natasha, thanks for you thoughts. I left the spice out, as it just called for 2 teaspoons. The salsa I used has a chipotle flavor, so I figured that would be fine.

One thing that did not seem right to me was that the recipe called for using a 9 x 13 pan. Maybe I had really narrow lasagna noodles, but the 3 it called for did not fill up the pan. Also, the cheese mixture did not seem like it would be enough for such large layers. I ended up using my 8 x 8 dish and everything fit in there great.

Will post tomorrow or Sunday and let everyone know how it turned out, as I know not every one has the July issue yet. Also, I'll post the recipe at that time (if someone else hasn't done so). It's nearly midnight here and I've still got to finish cleaning the kitchen. Apparently, I'm a messy cook!

[Marcie]

Hi, Liz,

Two tsps seems like a lot of cumin to me, so omitting it really changed your results from the recipe's intention. I hope it was successful, but you might try it again in the future with the cumin to see the difference. As for the lasagna noodles, you do usually need some expansion room, and a 9 x 13 pan is about perfect for 3 lasagna noodles across. Do you remember what brand of noodles you used?

I can't wait to hear how yours turned out - this sounds like a recipe my family would love.

[Natasha]

Two teaspoons of cumin??! Eek! Sorry! :O
I have often seen recipes that use a number of different spices, including a meagre 1/8-1/2 tsp of cumin, which is why I thought it might not make much difference. I have to agree with Marcie that 2 tsp would affect the taste, even if it is a large recipe (as it sounds like it is). I bet the lasagna was still good, though - please do let us know.
BTW, the site I was looking for re: substitutions is Cook s Thesaurus: www.foodsubs.com.

[Liz K]

The lasagna turned out okay. Tasted fine, but the cooking time wasn't long enough to warm it all the way through. I believe that's because I stuffed it all into the 8 x 8 dish in lieu of the 9 x 13.

My boyfriend liked it, so I'll definately make it again. I'll post the recipe tomorrow, as I haven't got the magazine with me right now.