Intoxicating Cardamom

Intoxicating Cardamom

The sweetly aromatic cardamom is the fruit of a tropical plant related to ginger, and is one of the world's most expensive spices, after saffron and vanilla. Growing cardamom is extremely labor intensive. The tall plants, grown on plantations in Guatemala or India, flower for eight or nine months of the year. Each pod, or capsule, ripens slowly, but must be plucked when it is three-quarters ripe. After harvest, the pods are washed and dried. The method of drying dictates the final color. White indicates the pods have been dried for many days in the sun leaving them bleached. Green pods have been dried for one day and night in a heated room. It is the three seeds inside each pod, however, that are considered the spice.   Elettaria cardamomum is a member of the ginger (Zinziberaceae) family. The name cardamom (sometimes spelled cardamon or cardamum) means "grains of Paradise."  Not to be confused with Grains of paradise originating from West Africa used for its peppery flavor.

Cardamom is used in different ways by different cultures: In Great Britain and the United States Cardamoms are employed to a small extent as an ingredient of curry powder, and in Russia, Sweden, Norway, and parts of Germany are largely used for flavoring cakes and in the preparation of liqueurs, etc.  In Egypt they are ground and put in coffee, and in the East Indies are used both as a condiment and for chewing with betel. Their use was known to the ancients.  (There are constant references to Cardamom Seeds in The Arabian Nights.) In France and America the oil is used in perfumery.

In India it is a savory spice for curries.  Cardamom is essential to the cuisines of the Middle East. Cardamom coffee or gahwa is a symbol of Arab hospitality. Cardamom flavors ground meat in Norway and baked goods in Sweden. Cooks all over the world combine cardamom with cloves and cinnamon.  Cardamom lends its distinctive flavor to chai.  This versatile spice is prized by Indian, Scandinavian and Middle Eastern cooks. Sweet and spicy, warm and aromatic, cardamom adds a distinctive touch to cakes, pastries and breads and is equally compatible with meat dishes, curries, sweet potatoes and beans.

Delicious, aromatic, and therapeutic, cardamom has long been appreciated. Ayurvedic writings from the fourth century B.C. discuss the healing properties of cardamom, and the ancient Greeks and Romans used it in foods and for medicines and perfumes. 

Cardamom has been used medicinally for centuries in India and China as a carminative, stimulant, and to treat urinary problems. The Egyptians chewed the seed as a tooth cleaner. In the Middle East it was considered an aphrodisiac, and is mentioned frequently in One Thousand and One Nights. In India it was known as the "Queen of spices" to black pepper's title as the "King of spices". Also in India, during the 11th century, it was listed as one of the ingredients in the "Five fragrance betel chew" in the Book of Splendour. The Ayurvedic formula Unmadnashak Ghrita, cardamom, along with brahmi, gardenia, asafetida, and ghee, may be a mild sedative. Cardamom oil is used to flavor pharmaceuticals, and as a fragrance in soaps, detergents, perfumes and other body care products.

You can find cardamom in the market in several forms. You can purchase whole pods and remove the seeds as needed. This form of the herb retains its aroma and flavor longest. You can also buy cardamom seeds (decorticated cardamom) or cardamom powder, but they do not keep as long as the pods.

Cardamom seeds are procured through the process of Decortication, in which the seed(s) shell or pod is removed. Recipes usually call for the whole or ground seeds rather than whole pods. The best quality cardamom seeds are fully ripe, hard, and dark brown in color. The strong, sharply aromatic flavor is often described as anise or eucalyptus-like.

Cardamom is a native of Southern India, and grows abundantly in forests 2,500 to 5,000 feet above sea-level in North Canara Coorgi and Wynaad.  It is also commercially grown in Central America.

Traditional Bahraini Coffee

4 cups water

3 tablespoons gulf coffee

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon saffron

2 tablespoons rose water

-Bring water to boil.

Add the coffee, cardamom, and saffron .simmer uncovered on low heat for 3 minutes.

Strain mixture into jug.

Bring mixture up to the boil again then remove from the heat. Add the rose water & pour into a coffee pot.

Serve coffee with dates, mixed nuts or pastries.

Norwegian Cardamom-Almond Tart

Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, preferably freshly ground

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons whole milk or heavy cream

Filling and assembly

Unsalted butter (for pan)

2 cups slivered almonds

1 cup powdered sugar

3/4 teaspoons ground cardamom, preferably freshly ground

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg yolk

Special Equipment: 9-inch-diameter fluted tart pan with removable bottom; decorative cookie cutters

-Crust

Whisk flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat  1/2 cup butter and sugar in a medium bowl until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolk and milk. With mixer running on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients and beat just until thoroughly combined.

Pat dough into a ball; break off one-quarter of dough. Form each piece into a ball. Flatten balls into disks. Cover separately and chill dough disks for at least 2 hours or overnight.

-Filling and Assembly

Butter tart pan. Break larger dough disk into small pieces and scatter over bottom of tart pan. Using your fingertips, press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan. Use the flat bottom of a measuring cup to smooth the surface and trim the edges. Roll out smaller dough disk to about 1/8 inches thick. Using decorative cookie cutters, cut out shapes and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and chill crust and cutouts for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°. Pulse almonds, powdered sugar, cardamom, and nutmeg in a food processor until nuts are finely ground. Transfer dry ingredients to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and vanilla in a medium bowl until medium peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into dry ingredients.

Whisk egg yolk and 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl to blend. Fill chilled crust with almond mixture; smooth top.   Arrange cutouts on top and brush cutouts with egg wash.

Bake tart until crust and cutouts are golden brown and filling is set, 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool.

Mulled Wine

20 whole cloves

2 tangerines, clementines, or small oranges

2 750-ml bottles Merlot

3 cups fresh apple cider

8 Lady apples (optional)

2 cinnamon sticks plus 8 for garnish (garnish optional)

2 green cardamom pods, cracked

2 cups tawny Port

-Press stem (pointed) end of 10 cloves into each tangerine, piercing through the skin. Place tangerines, wine, cider, Lady apples (if using), 2 cinnamon sticks, and cardamom pods in a large pot. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-low heat; cook gently for 20 minutes. DO AHEAD: Mulled wine can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature. Rewarm gently over medium-low heat before continuing.

Stir in Port. Divide among glasses; garnish each with a cinnamon stick and a Lady apple, if desired.

Shrimp Coconut Curry

2 T Butter

1 Onion chopped

1 Green Chili Pepper, finely chopped

1 Garlic Clove, crushed or minced

1 tsp freshly grated Ginger

½ tsp Turmeric

½ tsp Ground Cardamom

½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 cup Coconut Milk

1 Strip of Lemon Rind

½ Green Bell pepper, cut into strips

½ Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips

¼ Large Cauliflower, cut into florets

2 zucchini, thickly sliced

½ c Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks

2 Large Potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes

1 c Coconut Cream

1 T freshly chopped Coriander

1 lb. Shrimp de-veined with tails off

DO NOT let the coconut curry boil, the coconut milk will curdle

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the onion, chili, garlic and ginger and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are soft.

Add the cardamom, turmeric and cinnamon and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the coconut milk and lemon rind and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Add all the vegetables and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes until the vegetables are just tender.

Add the coconut cream and Shrimp and stir well.  Simmer for a further 5-10 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through. Serve hot.