Any suggestions for a substitute for Pernod. It is tooooo expensive to buy for one paella recipe.

I've never put Pernod into Paella, although I do use it in Bouillabaisse. EatArt's suggestion of adding fennel to the dish is a very viable sub for the Pernod. Just be sure to replace the liquid. Could be in the form of more stock, water, wine, whatever you choose.

love the small bottle and making ice cubes with remaining alcohol ideas!

What you want is that anise herby flavor. For paella, I would recommend adding diced fennel stalks and fronds and either vermouth or gin as liquid. You could up your paella game with this combo! Although a bottle of Pernod in your pantry will definitely come in handy -- and it doesn't spoil, so.... you might want to spring for one anyway.

What you want is that anise herby flavor. For paella, I would recommend adding diced fennel stalks and fronds and either vermouth or gin as liquid. You could up your paella game with this combo! Although a bottle of Pernod in your pantry will definitely come in handy -- and it doesn't spoil, so.... you might want to spring for one anyway.

If I need wine for cooking and I don't drink it (rare, haha) I'll pour it into ice cube trays and freeze it. That way if I don't have wine and need some, I can just pop a few cubes out and I'm set!

I love Pernod, I use it with escargot, mussels and oyster rock. Sometimes I slip a little in to French onion soup. Although strong and $ it does have many uses. Ditto Cointreau. This goes a long with my theory that winter cooking should almost always involve a booze of some sort. Speaking of esoteric liquors I got the most adorable airline sized bottle of St. Germain (I had to ask for it at the counter, yes as mentioned, with the smokes) and found that, yes, I do need a whole bottle.

After growing up as a chef in New Orleans...after reading all of the replies;I'd have to say the following:The best and oldest French and Spanish recipies in New Orleans use limited quantities of the stuff.I too am anise/licquorice, uh, shy if you will...Just don't like the stuff.If you're talking about "background" flavor in a recipie,however...That is a completely different matter.If you are trying to make the recipie ,as intended...Then go for it! Otherwise,I highly recommend some cooking classes or just plain and fun experimentation! Who doesn't like experimenting?Don't answer that...!Happy Mardi Gras! (It's f_ckin' Mardi Gras every day,down here...!).

As having all of the different types of spices and sauces needed for all of these wonderful recipes can be expensive and hard to track down, I have relied on substitutions until I have found enough recipes or learned how to incorporate the tastes into other foods. While substitutions are not spot on, they have been pretty good in my trials. Here are a couple of sites: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Homepage.aspx and http://www.foodsubs.com/ have helped me substitute several ingredients listed in food52 recipes.

Little 'airline' bottles are very handy for cooking - some liquor stores carry a wide variety, others not so much. Can't recall if I ever saw Pernod, Ricard, etc. in that size. Pretty sure I've seen Sambuca, but that's a lot sweeter than Pernod, if I'm not mistaken.

Disclaimer: I can't stand anything anise flavored - Pernod, Anisette, Ouzo...they all give me a bad black Good & Plenty flashback.

Having said that, not all paellas (even quite authentic ones) contain Pernod. You don't mention what paella recipe you're doing (i.e., whether it's an essential flavor) - or if you feel it just wouldn't work without it...but if you can't find a small bottle - and don't imagine drinking it, or using it up in other recipes - frankly, I'd just skip it. I've eaten several delicious paellas with nary a whiff of Pernod (trust me, I'd notice. I was traumatized as a child.) Just a thought.

Believe it or not, it DOE'S go bad. I can verify that from first hand experience at a restaurant which apparently had the Pernod on the shelf for years. It didn't cloud up when water was added and just tasted funky. As I said, most places (outside of France) don't stock it because it doesn't sell.

@RebeccaCooks - My husband had a similar idea - Order a shot at a bar, and ask them to put it in a "to go" cup.

Depending on how much you need - if you know a bar that carries it and you're friendly with the bartender, they may be able to just give you some.

Twisting your arm to go and buy a bottle of pernod - it doesn't go bad once you open it. Just don't refrigerate it, or it will develop funky-sparkly ice crystals.

Lots of recipes on the site to peruse, besides paella: http://www.food52.com/recipes/search?recipe_search=pernod

Sorry, but I'm going to pooh pooh the idea of making your own pastis; it's a very complex blend of herbs (not just anise). Anyone can make limoncello in their bathroom. Pernod is waaaayyyyy more complicated. I say this as someone who really likes drinking it with just cold water. I don't drink it often because most restaurant bars don't stock it because it's hard to sell. And even the bartender either can't find it or doesn't know how to pour it.

You could bite the bullet, buy a bottle, and develop a taste for Pernod or pastis in general, as I have. Ricard is my favorite, it seems drier and more complex than the others. It's really very nice, iced and watered on a summer afternoon and it's a wonderful aperitif year round. Fascinating to see the clear greenish liqueur become milky when water is added. Good lubrication for practicing your French, or your French accent. You can make a Sazerac if you've some bourbon in house. There are lots of luscious shrimp in Pernod cream recipes on the web, the simpler the better. Bouillabaisse too. And the bottle is even beautiful, label very classic. You may gather that I like the stuff.

Intrigued by the make-your-own-Pernod idea. Would vodka work better than plain old PGA?

http://www.food52.com/recipes/10589_culottes_on_fire_shrimp_with_capellini

I use airline size bottles all the time (Bev Mo usually has a good selection but I've never seen pastis [Pernod, Ricard]). I would not substitute Absinthe for this because it's 55% alcohol and you might have a bigger fire than you really want.

When you are looking for the little airline bottles, don't look in the liquor section. They are usually up by the cigarettes.

@sweetm

I feel your pain. I was making Oyster Rockafella for NYE ages ago. And purchased a big bottle of Pernod. (it was about 35 bucks).

I would have made some sub..but, like you, I thought I could find some bottle a bit smaller. No luck for me either. It kinda made me mad that smaller bottles were not easily available, so the Anise seed vodka sub was used last year,
Fennel as the major flavoring, Star Anise as mentioned (just one for a cup), A few cloves, and a touch of Cinnamon. (Just few crumbs of a stick for one cup).

This is probably a bit complex..because at its basic it is anise seed/fennel seed..in grain liquor. Try and taste. It's fun to experiment and make your own stuff! (you could even chop up and melt some liquorish stick candies in vodka..as an experiment).

Thanks for the amazing response! I actually tried to find the airline size bottle but to no avail, and I live in LA! That said, I was only trying to find Pernod, but will now look for the others suggested. And if that doesn't work, I'll try the first suggestion and make my own.

I love the airline size bottle idea! You can also use Absinthe, Sambuca, Ouza, Pastis...the airline size idea is brilliant!

Or star anise, if u don't have anise seeds.

Alternatively, ask at the register of your liquor store if they have and *airline size* bottle. They're tiny, inexpensive, and one or two might be just the amount you need. I use them all the time. If they don't have Pernod in that size, ask for Ouzo, or anything anise-flavored. The clerks are usually pretty knowledgeable.

It might take a few days or so to make it. But one tablespoon of anise seeds with 1 cup of vodka. Depending on the application a few drops of vanilla extract.
Let that infuse, or warm it and strain it for quick flavors. Just be careful not to flame the vodka or let it boil off.

You might want to warm the anise seeds very lightly in a dry pan to help them release flavors.