In the space of a few weeks, food shopping options in Napa have exploded with possibilities and one of the most exciting of these is a tiny shop at the new Oxbow Public Market where Shuli and Ronit Madmone are selling spices — more than 300 kinds at last count, all gloriously fresh (they grind them at their warehouse in Petaluma). The array is visually dazzling — vivid green dill, bright Hungarian paprika, pale pink Himalayan salt, lavender powder — and in addition to spices both familiar and not, the Madmones create distinctive blends for curries, tagines and other exotic creations. And they know their products. Shuli’s family in Israel has been in the spice business for many years, and he brought that expertise with him when he moved to the U.S. Ronit, also a native of Israel, who met and married Shuli in Marin County, said she’s been “doing a lot of reading” in the library to build up her own spice knowledge.

The Madmones are creating recipes to show how to use some of their spices, and have agreed to collaborate once a month with the Register on a column.

The first one coincided with our Valentine’s Day food issue, and accordingly, Shuli said, “I thought maybe we should do something — aphrodisiac, yes?”

This combination of garlic and peppers, he said, is a good one for spicing up a Valentine’s meal.

Moroccan Fish

with Peppers

Shuli and Ronit Madmone

4 salmon or halibut fish fillets

4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 red bell pepper, sliced

3 small fresh whole jalapeño peppers

2 fresh whole chili New Mexico

2 small dry chili pasilla pods

2 small dry chili California pods

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

7 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 cup water

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 Tbsp. paprika

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. ground chili pasilla

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp.)

Cook’s note: In order to shorten the cooking time, soak the dry chilis in hot water for 20 minutes before you begin cooking.

Heat a skillet large enough to hold the fish, and add olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute on medium heat. Add the tomato paste and spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. The spices will be fragrant. Add 1/2 cup of water and the chili peppers (slice only the red bell pepper); stir well and reduce heat to low. After about 20 minutes add the remaining 1/2 cup of water and the cilantro, and stir the peppers. Cover the skillet and cook sauce for 10 minutes more until peppers are soft. When sauce is ready add the fish fillets and cook for about 6 minutes on each side (very important to cook both sides of the fish).

Serve with Persian rice. Yields 4 servings.