>From: "T. Matthew Evans" <matt.evans@ce.gatech.edu> >A little closer to home, take a >guess as to the main ingredient in Old Bay >Seasoning....mmmmmmmm.....crabs.... I always thought that distinctive flavor and aroma came mainly from the celery seed. When I want to imitate Old Bay, I start with celery salt and paprika. Since the original has a lot of pepper powder in it anyway, you can drive the recipe with just about any kind of ground chiles you like. I like bay leaf, though; years ago I made salads for a trendy little restaurant, and they had to tell me to lighten up on the bay leaf when I parboiled chicken breasts to make a chicken salad. I always put it in my soup stocks, and often I'll slip a few leaves under the rack when I roast meat. - A then I pull them out, put them on a chair, and rest on my laurels. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp