The Relationship Between Coriander & Cilantro

May 2, 2006 | Posted by Allison as The Facts / History at 9:51 am | (2) Comments »

Coriander & Cilantro Plant.jpg So, what is the relationship between coriander & cilantro? That’s what I’ve been wondering and I think I’ve tracked down the answer. The word ‘coriander’ can be used to describe the whole of an annual plant in the parsley family: leaves, stems, seeds & all.

However, when speaking of coriander, most are referring to the spice produced from the seeds of the herb. The leaves of the plant are called cilantro, which derives from the Spanish word for coriander. Ahhh, this makes sense, since the leaves and the ripened seeds taste quite different from each other.

Coriander seems to get a better rap than its counterpart cilantro. Coriander has a pleasing lemon-like flavor accompanied by a sweet aroma. Cilantro, on the other hand, is quite a different story. I found it hilarious that there is actually a site out there that bears much hatred to the wonderful leaf- IHateCilantro.com. You should really browse around, it’s pretty cute. Make sure you check out the graphs that indicates what cilantro tastes like, it ranges from doll hair to stink bugs.

Maybe cilantro is like caviar & Scotch whiskey, you have to develop a taste for it. I must be a quick developer, because cilantro is rarely not in my kitchen. It goes in my couscous, guacamole, salsa and bruschetta. Cilantro is my pal, maybe I should think on starting IHeartCilantro.com.

Coriander & its cilantro leaves are native to the Mediterranean and parts of southwestern Europe. The plant dates back to at least 5,000 BC. Coriander references have been found in Sanskrit writings and the seeds were placed in Egyptian tombs. The Greek physician believed ingesting coriander would heighten a man’s sexual potency. They were always saying that, weren’t they?

Today cilantro & coriander both are flourishing in kitchens worldwide. Stay tuned for the upcoming ‘I Heart Cilantro Avocado Chicken Wrap’ recipe.

Eat well & Laugh often!

The Key to Hispanic Cooking is the Cheese & Cotija Cheese Gazpacho Recipe

May 1, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Recipe, The Facts / History, Tid Bits & News at 11:58 am | Comments »

Cotija Cheese Gazpacho.jpg With today being “Day Without Immigrants” & Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, I thought we might step into Hispanic kitchens and discover a world of good food that does not breathe without cheese. I found this fascinating article from the South Bend Tribune on Hispanic food and wanted to share.

“Most cuisines do not look nor taste as good as they should unless the right types of ingredients are used.

This is particularly true of Mexican and Caribbean cuisines, especially where the cheese is concerned. Mexican or Hispanic cheeses not only look and taste different from American or European cheeses, but they also act differently when heated, making it worth the effort to learn a little about the hidden secrets of Hispanic cheeses.

These cheeses are divided into three main groups: soft (non-melting), melting and hard.

The soft, fresh cheeses have a unique ability to not melt when heated. That’s right! They don’t run, they don’t drip and they don’t error. They stay put, and this characteristic makes this mild-tasting cheese group well-suited for hot dishes.

An easy way to enjoy this cheese is to simply cube it and fry it in a hot skillet. Soft cheese varieties include queso blanco, panela, queso para freir and queso fresco. They are all mild-tasting and perfect in dishes where you want the cheese to stay put, such as enchiladas and burritos.

The second group, melting cheeses, are also unique in that they have the ability to not separate into oil and solids when heated, making them perfect for dishes where you want an “oohy-gooey” factor, as with quesadillas, tacos, pizzas, grilled cheese or even cheeseburgers. This mild-tasting group includes: queso quesadilla, asadero, queso de papa, Oaxaca and queso para derritier.

The third and final group is the hard, grating-style cheeses with strong flavors and dry, crumbly textures. These include cotija, anejo enchilado and duroblando. Cotija is used much like Parmesan. Anejo enchilado is rolled in paprika and used for topping or stuffing enchiladas and burritos. And duro- blando’s mild smoked flavor is often substituted for cotija.”

Let’s take our knowledge of cheese a little further with this Cotija Cheese Gazpacho recipe.

Ingredients:

2 quarts tomatoes, peeled & chopped
1 quart cucumber, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 large sweet onion, minced
1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded & minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups veggie juice cocktail
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon cumin
S & P, to taste
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 pound Cotija Cheese, crumbled
1/2 pound Manchego Cheese, shredded
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

What’s Next:

In a large bowl- combine all the ingredients except cheeses.

Place mixture into bowls & top with cheeses & cilantro garnish.

Eat well & Laugh often.

A History of Cumin, The Spice of My Life

April 28, 2006 | Posted by Allison as The Facts / History at 10:17 am | (4) Comments »

Cumin is an annual, herbaceous flowering plant with slender stems native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The leaves of the cumin plant are 5-10 cm long with thread-like leaflets. The flowers are small and bloom in pink or white. The seeds are similar to that of fennel but are smaller & darker. Cumin seeds are used as a spice in North African, Middle Eastern, western Chinese, Indian and Mexican cuisine. Preferring a hot climate, cumin is mostly grown today in Iran, Morocco, Egypt, India, Syria, Mexico & Chile.

Cumin is usually found in Indian & Mexican food & always in my chili. Cumin can be found in some Dutch cheeses, which I recently tasted & loved, and in some traditional French breads. You can add cumin to just about anything. It is traditionally added to curries, tacos & Cuban dishes. For an excellent salsa, add a dash of cumin & enjoy the sweet flavor.

As for the history, cumin has been grown as a spice since ancient times. The spice was originally cultivated in Iran and made its way to the good life in Greece & Italy. The Greeks keep cumin as many keep salt & pepper, always on the table for ready-to-go use. The name cumin has an interesting history. The English form of the word goes back to the Latin ‘cuminum’. Yet the Greek word seems to have been borrowed from a Semitic source, as is attested in Akkadian.

Folklore weds the word to the Persian city of Kerman. The story goes that most of ancient Persia’s cumin was cultivated in this city and thus the Persian expression “carrying cumin to Kerman” which has the same meaning as the English phrase “carrying coals to Newcastle“. Kerman, locally called Kermun, would have became Kumun and then cumin in the European languages.

Fascinating. I love digging up the history.

Stay tuned for my ‘Cumin-Infused Rice Recipe’.

Eat well & Laugh often

Tom Bridge Reinvents the Welsh Rarebit & Food Network Recipe

April 24, 2006 | Posted by Allison as The Facts / History, Tid Bits & News at 11:00 am | Comments »

Welsh Rarebit.jpg According to Times Online, a rare invention will hit the eBay market soon, thanks to the master chef & historian Tom Bridge. Bridge has reinvented the Welsh rarebit and it is not a wee bit rarer at $605 a slice.

The Welsh rarebit snack dates from the 18th century and is also known as toasted cheese or cheese on toast. The snack is made by blending grated cheese with beer or a little milk and butter adding some seasoning (usually mustard) and spreading the mixture onto hot toast and then grilled.

The cheeses most often used in the Welsh rarebit are Lancashire, Cheddar or Double Gloucester. Tom Bridge will use the finest of ingredients for his Welsh rarebit, including Umbrian truffles and matsutake mushrooms which are so valuable that they are harvested under armed guard. Bridge has opted to use Warburtons Toastie bread and Lancashire cheese. The chef will be just in time for National Cheese on Toast Day on April 27.

A version of the snack is to be auctioned on eBay and the winner wll get a personal visit from the chef, who will cook the dish in the winner’s home. Wow, that is something I would love to see. Good luck & start bidding!

Here is a Food Network Welsh Rarebit Recipe for your eating pleasure:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup porter beer
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 ounces (approximately 1 1/2 cups) shredded Cheddar
2 drops hot sauce
4 slices toasted rye bread

In a medium saucepan over low heat- melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to brown the flour.

Whisk in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add beer and whisk to combine. Pour in cream and whisk until well combined and smooth. Gradually add cheese, stirring constantly, until cheese melts and sauce is smooth; this will take 4 to 5 minutes.

Add hot sauce. Pour over toast and serve immediately.

Eat well & Laugh often.

A History of Creme Brulee & Trinity College Burnt Cream Recipe

April 24, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Dessert Recipes, Recipe, The Facts / History at 9:47 am | (9) Comments »

Creme Brulee Burnt Cream.jpg I feel like we left creme brulee a little short last Friday, so I thought we’d revisit with a short history and another delectable recipe.

Creme brulee which means ‘burnt cream’ in French, is a dessert with a rich custard base topped with a layer of sugar which is then burned using a salamander and becomes a hard caramel. What an interesting dessert, who would have thunk this one up?

We first see the recipe for creme brulee in Massialot’s cookbook in 1691 in France, however, Trinity College in Cambridge, England also lays claim to the origin of the sweet custard. They contend to be the first producer of the dessert in the 1600’s where they named it ‘Cambridge Burnt Cream’ or ‘Trinity Cream’ and have a special branding iron with the official college crest which is used to burn the sugar top.

Here is the Trinity College Burnt Cream / Creme Brulee Recipe, I wish I could have found a pic of the branding iron.

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
8 tablespoons sugar

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 325 F, or 110 C.

In a small saucepan – put the cream & vanilla extract extract over the lowest possible heat. Slowly, bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.

In a large bowl- beat the eggs, yolks & 2 tablespoons of sugar until the mix is thoroughly blended. Pour the hot cream onto this mixture, whisking all the time. Pour this mixture through a sieve back into the saucepan and place over very low heat.

Cook without letting the mixture boil until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour into 6 custard cups and place these in a shallow baking dish into which they fit with plenty of room to spare. Cover each one with foil, then add water to the baking dish so it comes halfway up the sides of the cups.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and insert a knife blade into the center of the custards. If it comes out clean, they are done. If not, replace the foil and cook until they are ready.

Cool, then chill for 3 hours. An hour before serving, preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and sprinkle 2-3 teaspoons of sugar in an even layer over the surface of each custard. Place under the hot broiler and leave it until the sugar melts into a layer of golden-brown caramel.

This takes between 3 and 5 minutes, depending on the temperature of the broiler and the thickness of the sugar layer. Watch it carefully; once the sugar begins to melt, it can easily burn. Leave for 3 to 4 minutes to cool the caramel before serving. Serve with a few berries as garnish.

I hope you enjoyed this age-old recipe.

Eat well & Laugh often.

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