Joseph Littleshoes wrote:

Oy! my poor back, after spending the day in bed, barely able to move, i
made a hesitant attempt to stand up and ... succeeded.

So here i am around midnight with nothing i could do, even if there were
something to do.

Pot of coffee and a chicken sandwich were about as much culinary effort
as i made in constant agonizing pain, then i sat down and turned my
computer on.

I remember when i was writing above about how the curry powder "rounds
out or tops off layers of flavour" i re wrote it several times, as i
wanted to use the analogy of a spectrum of flavours but in my perverse
mind i have a spectrum of notes in mind rather than a spectrum of light.
Thus the analogy got too complicated to straighten out in the few
minutes i devoted to the above response.

On review i thought i would try to expand on the original comment i
wanted to make.

Most food of any complex nature, of various ingredients cooked for more
than a few minutes are a complex spectrum of flavours.

Often i would make food that seemed to be missing notes in this
spectrum, as if there were holes, or empty spaces in the food where
flavour should be.

Often times this problem in complex foods is solved by time, in as
little as 24 hours many complex foods will taste better, their flavours
will "marry" and produce new and better complexes.

But sometimes one wants something right off the top of the stove to be
as fully flavour full as it ever will be, one does not want to serve
something that will be better the next day. Though in some cases for
some specific foods this is a recommend part of the recipe.

In my experience there are any number of individual herbs and spices and
other flavouring ingredients that can fill these holes in the spectrum
of flavours of any dish, but to discuss those individually would get in
to personal taste.

However, a hint of curry in many a complex dish will round out or top
off or even, unify, all the other flavours of the dish quickly.

Unfortunately there are so many different curries that one has to find
what one likes among the curries offered. Vindaloo and Madras being
favourites of mine.

Herbs de quartre, de Paris, de Proveance, and many more herbal
combinations exist, Chinese 5 spices comes to mind, that are
combinations of spices that go well in just about anything, are regional
versions of spice and herbal combinations, as is curry and the north
indian tandoori version i cant recall the name of.

I routinely make a spice combination made of 5 different peppers
(counting paprika) as well as oregano, sage, garlic, chilli & onion powders.

It seems to me these strongly flavoured spice mixes can be used
judiciously to finish a dish, curry is really very good for this, a
scant pinch of a good fresh curry in just about any dish will add a
fullness to the flavours that might otherwise be missing. As will many
spice mixes. Its just a matter of finding what one likes.

It is so good in creme of broccoli soup that i now days just go ahead
and make curried creme of broccoli soup rather than using the curry subtly.

If anybody does stuffed tomatoes try sprinkling a bit of the inside of
the tomato with a light dusting of curry powder. For a stuffed onion or
bell pepper i would flavour the stuffing with the curry and the "elderly
relative" likes it when i rub potatoes to be baked with butter, garlic
and a light dusting of curry.

I was in so much pain earlier to day i could not get up to get my pain
pills from the b'room, im better now and they seem to be taking effect,
thus, in the words of the diarist ... "and so to bed."