Simply Cookbooks

Cardamom is one of those spices that you receive when you get a gift box of spices.   I have never been sure what to do with it, as it wasn’t something my mother or grandmother used on a regular basis.

But I became curious as to what its uses were when I looked in my spice cupboard and saw four containers of the spice. Naturally the freshness of these spices came into question and I hesitated to use them before knowing anything about them.   That is the “thing” about spices—you really should know something about them before putting them on food.

So I opened my little handy-dandy spice book to learn more about Cardamom and its uses.
Like most spices Cardamom originates in the Far East, primarily in India’s rain forest and has been used in Indian dishes for more than 2000 years.  Over time it has spread throughout the world and is now the primary export of Guatemala.

“The aroma of Cardamom is strong but mellow, fruity and penetrating.  The taste is lemony and flowery, with a note of camphor or eucalypt due to cineole in the essential oil; it is pungent and smoky with a warm, bittersweet note, yet is also clean and fresh”

This is what the book says about its smell, but what about its uses in a recipe?

The spice enhances both sweet and savory flavors.  In India, it is one of the essential components in many spice mixes.  It goes into sweetmeats, pastries, puddings and ice creams, and is used in a digestive and breath-freshening item with fennel and anise seeds and areca nuts.   In India it is also used to flavor tea, while in Arab countries coffee is flavored with cardamom, often by pouring it over pods put in the spout of the pot.

Although Cardamom is an essential ingredient in most Middle East cuisines, Scandinavia is still the biggest importer in Europe; there and in Germany and Russia, cardamom is widely used for spiced cakes, pastries, and breads, and occasionally also in hamburgers and meat loaf.

Whole pods lightly crushed, can be used to flavor rice, poached or braised dishes, and casseroles.  The pods are an important ingredient in many Indian slow-braised meat dishes, which use a thing marinating liquid to develop a creamy sauce.  Hulled seeds can be either lightly bruised or fried, or toasted and ground, before being added to a dish.  Cardamom is a good in baked apples, poached pears, and fruit salads.  It combines well with orange and coffee desserts, but its equally at home with roast duck or poached chicken, in marinades or spiced wine.  It is also useful in pickles.

Cardamom combines well with other spices such as caraway, chili, cinnamon, cloves, coffee, coriander (which is another I will have to investigate) cumin, ginger, paprika, pepper, saffron, and yogurt.

So the next time you get that gift pack, don’t throw the Cardamom away without exploring all of its uses.

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Everyone has a recipe for Bruschetta, or you should.  This is such an easy dish and there are so many varieties that I really believe you could make a different recipe everyday for a year and still have some leftover, recipes that is.

We didn’t feel like eating a big meal tonite, it was just my husband and I, so we usually eat lighter when the family is not around.   I hope you enjoy it as much as we did and if you have a special Bruschetta recipe I urge you to share it with us.

1 loaf of either Italian or French Baquette unsliced

• Fresh Tomatoes (I used 6 for this recipe)
• 3 slices of sweet onion finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• Fresh Italian Oregano (about 1 tbsp)
• Fresh Italian Parsley (about 1 tbsp)
• 2 tbsp of Olive Oil
• Salt to taste
• Just before serving mix in crumbled Feta Cheese about 1/4 cup

Combine all the ingredients, except cheese, and let sit about an hour.  If you want to make it the day before and let it sit the flavors will “pop”.  Just be sure to serve this at room temperature.

Slice your Baquette about 1/2-3/4 inch thick diagonally and put under your broiler until crisp, but not burned.

Now get a spoon and put some of the mixture on top of the bread and enjoy a very favorable meal.

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So what is a stone fruit? Apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches and plums are five of the most common stone fruits. These tasty fruits get their names from the stone or pit that rests in their centers. Stone fruits are bountiful during the summer months, but can be purchased any time of year if your local market wants to pay and charge you the higher price to import them. Either way, when buying these types of fruit, look for ones that are ripe. A stone fruit is ripe when the flesh is tender to the touch and the smell makes your mouth water! If you don’t want to eat them right away, buying them hard and letting them ripen at room temperature might be a better option.

Here is some helpful information on the five most common stone fruits:

Apricots

The best apricots are plump and golden-orange in color, with flesh that yields slightly when touched with your finger. You can peel apricots by putting them in boiling water for 30 seconds and peeling them with a sharp knife under cold running water. Eat this fruit fresh or in desserts. Apricots have 52 calories per 3 medium fruits, 11.8 grams of carbohydrates and 2.6 grams of fiber.

Cherries

Cherries are one of Mother Nature’s most yummy fruits. Unfortunately, the cherry season only runs for three months during the summer—June through August, so you should enjoy them while you can. When purchasing cherries the colors should be bright red, yellow with a hint of red, reddish-brown or black, depending on the type you are buying. Cherries go bad quickly so plan on buying only what you can eat in two or three day’s time. One cup of cherries has 90 calories, 19 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber.

Nectarines

Nectarines are often mistaken for peaches because of the cross pollination that has gone on over the years, but the nectarine is a unique fruit in its own right. Because of cross pollination, nectarines are no longer white or pale yellow, but golden-red in color. The flesh of a nectarine is not as firm or as juicy as a peach. You can buy nectarines at their peak from late spring to early fall. One medium nectarine has 67 calories, 16 grams of carbohydrates and 1.8 grams of fiber.

Peaches

The majority of peaches sold fresh in super markets are the freestone One reason they are so popular is because they are easier to eat due to the fact that the flesh separates itself from the stone effortlessly. Another reason they are so popular is because they are sweet and juicy. Peaches can be purchased from mid-spring to mid-fall. Look for peaches that have a distinct crease with no green tint in the coloring. You know a peach is ripe by the smell. Never buy a peach that is rock hard because it will probably never ripen to the point that it can be eaten. One small peach has 37 calories, 9.7 grams of carbohydrates and 1.8 grams of fiber.

Plums

Did you know that there are over 200 varieties of plums? The skin tones range from purple, black, red, blue, yellow and green. The flesh of a plum can be orange, red, green or yellow. When you chose a plum make sure the coloring is deep and bright. A ripe plum will be tender to the touch and slightly soft. Plums come with a protective covering so be sure to wash them before eating. Two medium plums contain 72 calories, 17.2 grams of carbohydrates and 2.5 grams of fiber.

Now that you know a little more about stone fruits, why don’t you try them out in a recipe or two? Here is a wonderful cake recipe that uses fresh ripe peaches. Enjoy!

Peach Cake

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of margarine (softened)
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups of soymilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
5 large peaches (peeled and neatly sliced)
2 tablespoons of margarine (melted)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray a jelly roll pan measuring 15″ x 10″ with cooking spray. If you prefer a thicker cake, you can use a 13 x 9 pan.

3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Add the softened margarine, cup of sugar, soymilk, and vanilla.

5. Use an electric mixer at low speed to mix.

6. Spread the mixture into the jelly roll pan.

7. Mix together the 3/4 cup of sugar and the cinnamon.

8. Sprinkle 1/2 of this mixture over the cake batter in pan.

9. On top of this, layer the peach slices in even rows – lengthwise.

10. Next, sprinkle with remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture.

11. Drizzle the two tablespoons of melted margarine over this.

12. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until the cake rising through the peaches and has turned golden brown.

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