My mortar and pestle sits on top of my kitchen bench – partly because I love the beautiful marbled finish so it doubles as a bit of a table ornament, but also because it’s something that I use often and its a great thing to have on hand to throw some spices or nuts in to crush up.
Whilst a food processor works great at chopping, especially when you have a large quantity you need to do in bulk – for smaller amounts I prefer to use my mortar and pestle as the crushing of the spices or nuts/seeds releases the natural oils and flavours which you just don’t quite get with the cutting action of food processor blades.
Not only are mortar and pestles great for making spice and seed blends, they can also be used to make pastes such as curry paste and pesto which become incredibly more flavourful than when made in a food processor – though may leave you with a very sore arm in the process!
Some of the recipes on To Her Core which utilise a mortar and pestle are
Greens + Eggs Breakfast Bowl with Dukkah
Get your own Mortar & Pestle here!