BROCCOLI: HARI PHOOL GHOBI: BROCCOLI BENEFITS, USES AND HISTORY: BROCCOLI IN CHEESE SAUCE RECIPE

BROCCOLI, HARI PHOOL GHOBI, (BRASSICA OLERACEA CAPITATA DC/ CONICA {H})

Broccoli is in the same family as Brussel sprouts and cabbage, and is as good for your health as the Brussel sprout. It is full of healthy nutrients and can inhibit the growth of some cancers including of the colon, breast, stomach, and prostate. It is an important source of vitamin K which inhibits the growth of cancerous tumours in the stomach and colon. It is  also good for the heart’s normal functioning and contain beta-carotene which the body converts to Vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant, that combats the free radicals in the body which weaken cell defences.

   Broccoli helps lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, aids in the treatment and prevention of diabetes, calcium deficiencies (the vitamin C content is high and this aids the body’s absorption of calcium and iron), arthritis and also helps in combating the ageing process. The potassium it contains helps to lower blood pressure and the folic acid is useful in pregnancy as it helps a normal delivery and promotes bone formation.  It also lowers cholesterol levels and is best eaten steamed so that the nutrients are preserved. You can also eat it raw or blanched. Raw stems can be grated and included in salads.

Pakistani Broccoli ( phool ghobi)

   Many people don’t like the taste; the former US president George W Bush reportedly hates it. But you don’t have to serve it plain. It’s good stir fried and with pasta, break it up into small florets and drizzle the quickly steamed ones with olive oil, Parmesan cheese and pine nuts lightly fried in oil.

   It is believed that broccoli was grown in Italy by the Etruscans, and then cultivation continued under the Roman conquerors. Apicius includes it in his cookery book, so it was clearly much used as a vegetable in Roman times. Clearly it continued to be cultivated in Italy, but little is written about it until Catherine de’ Medici took it to France with her in 1533 when she married King Henry II of France. If the French and Italians liked it then so did the English aristocracy, therefore  it was being cultivated in Britain by 1721 and was called Italian Asparagus. However it is not in the same family as this, but is in the same family as mooli and other radishes.

   The name ‘broccoli’ comes from the Italian, “brocco” meaning arm or branch. The then President Thomas Jefferson wrote in his gardening journal that he planted broccoli in 1767 along with lettuce, radishes and cauliflower. However broccoli really took off in the US when it was used by Italian immigrants.

BROCCOLI IN CHEESE SAUCE

Ingredients

3 -4 large heads of broccoli, broken into smaller florets

2 oz pine nuts dry fried

1 onion, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

oil for frying

a bunch parsley, shredded

4 oz cheese, grated

2 oz butter

1 oz flour

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Blanch the florets of broccoli for two mins along with the roughly chopped stems.

Fry the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent in a little oil.

Make the cheese sauce by melting he butter over a low heat then add the flour and making a roux. Add the milk slowly to prevent lumps forming (if they do blend the sauce to get the lumps out). When the sauce boils add the grated cheese and stir well.

Put everything including the fresh parsley into and oven-proof dish, top with more grated cheese and cook in a preheated moderate oven for 20 mins or until the top is golden and the cheese has melted.

Serve with a baked potato or as a side dish to meat.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

MOOLI: WHAT IS MOOLI? DAIKON (RAPHANUS SATIVUS): MOOLI BENEFITS ,USES AND HISTORY: MOOLI STUFFED PARATHA RECIPE

MOOLI, DAIKON, (RAPHANUS SATIVUS)

Mooli is a large white radish, an elongated one. It is mooli season now in Pakistan and we are eating a lot of them - which is good for us and we like the slightly peppery taste. They are not as pungent as the smaller radishes and have a high water content. The seed pods are called mongray, and these are eaten as a vegetable too. (They look like thin runner beans.)

  In Pakistan they are used as a digestive aid to get rid of intestinal parasites; and there’s a Punjabi saying which roughly translated means: - “If you eat mooli you won’t need any medicine for the stomach.” The seeds are used in traditional medicine along with carrot, or ajwain, or fennel seeds, among others to treat amenorrhoea or the absence of menstruation either in young girls who have reached 16 without having a period, or for those whose periods stop for no apparent reason. They are also used for other gynaecological problems.

mooli field

  Mooli and other radishes, including the black (round) Spanish variety, are full of vitamins and minerals which are essential for our health. Mooli is known as ‘white ginseng’ in China, so is known for its invigorating properties. They purify the blood and can detoxify the organs and are great for hangovers. Mooli leaves are boiled and used in the treatment of jaundice, and the root when eaten helps to increase oxygen in the blood stream which prevents the destruction of red blood cells. Moolis contain fibre and can cure constipation so are also used in the treatment of piles, as they aid digestion and stop the build of waste products in the body which contributes to the formation of piles. They can be used for their diuretic properties and help in urinary infections, easing the pain of urinating when you have cystitis.

   Because they have a high fibre content they can help weight loss as they fill the stomach, but contain few calories, so would be good in a weight-loss diet.

   They are also rich in vitamins A, B, C, D and E and also contain vitamin K, so they help the body to produce interferon which inhibits cancer. They are good for the skin too and you can puree them and use as a facial cleanser or as a face mask for oily skin and to help soothe rashes. They are also effective if you get bitten or sung by an insect as the juice will help soothe the pain and reduce swelling. Mooli juice with black salt is given to bring down the temperature of a fever and to soothe the inflammation caused by one.

   In some rural areas of Pakistan they are cultivated for both food and medicine along with other plants such as aloe vera, ajwain, okra, fennel, nightshade (for ear infections) and Mentha sylvestris.

   They are easy to juice and good with carrots, apples, celery, white cabbage, pears, pineapple and ginger root. Just make a fruit cocktail you like.

   You can make saag with the leaves by boiling them, then throwing the water away and cooking some more as in out saag recipe. Chewing a piece of raw mooli will help stop a cough and ease congestion of the bronchial and nasal passages. You can make a mooli salad by grating a mooli (peel it first) and squeezing the juice out of it, then adding 2 finely chopped green chillies, a handful of shredded coriander leaves, lemon juice and pepper to taste.

   Here people make paratha stuffed with mooli on Sundays and holidays for breakfast. It takes to long to make these for a family during the week.

MOOLI STUFFED PARATHA

Ingredients

(makes 2 paratha)

½  kilo mooli, peeled, grated and squeezed to remove water

250 gr plain flour

warm water

1 tbsp cumin seeds

½ tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ajwain or thyme

1 tbsp garam masala

½ tsp turmeric

1 tbsp pomegranate seeds (anar dana) soaked for ½ hour before use

1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, shredded

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

ghee or oil for frying

Method

Mix the flour with a little warm water to a doughy consistency then allow to stand for ½ hour.

Mix the other ingredients except the ghee together thoroughly.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each into a round.

Place half of the mixture on two rounds and cover with the others. Use water or egg white to seal the two pieces of dough together.

Fry in ghee on both sides until a golden brown. Serve immediately.

These have Taste and are a Treat.

 

SWEET CICELY HERB - BENEFITS , USES AND HISTORY: PRAWN AND SWEET CICELY RISOTTO RECIPE

SWEET CICELY (MYRRHIS ODORATA)

This Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) is native to the British Isles, and should not be confused with the herbs of the Osmorhiza family which are native to Asia and the American continent. It actually looks a little like cow parsley or Queen Anne’s Lace about which there is also confusion in names between Britain and the US. Sweet Cicely is sometimes confused with hemlock as is cow parsley, but as Culpeper wrote “It is so harmless you cannot use it amiss.” It is a much brighter green than hemlock and doesn’t have the purple blotches on its stems. It was formerly used as a salad herb or the root was boiled and used as a vegetable. Its leaves taste sweet and are used with tart fruit such as rhubarb. If you use sweet cicely in cooking, reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe. You can use its seeds instead of cloves in apple pies, or grind them and add them to spice mixtures. If you chew a leaf the flavour is reminiscent of anise or liquorice, and smells like lovage, another bee plant.

   Sweet cicely used to be grown in kitchen gardens near the door, and it is famously used by Carthusian monks to make the liqueur, Chartreuse. In the plague years it was used to prevent infection as was angelica. All parts of the plant can be used and it has been used in cookery and medicine for centuries. It has some associations with the Virgin Mary and Saint Cecilia, and the pagan summer goddesses of the Celts, but the benign ones only.

  Culpeper and Gerard both agree that the roots, when boiled and then dressed with oil and vinegar are “…very good for old people that are dull and without courage; it rejoiceth and comforteth the heart and increaseth their lust and strength.” A tisane can be made with 1 tsp of dried (1tbsp fresh) leaves to 1 cup of boiling water. Steep the leaves in the water for 10-15 minutes then strain and drink a small cup three times a day to help with anaemia and menstrual pains. It will also lift the spirits, and banish gloomy thoughts.

   Sweet Cicely is good for the digestive system and if you add finely chopped ginger to the boiling water you make the tisane with, it will relieve flatulence and aid digestion. The root in a decoction is mildly stimulating and relaxing as it has antispasmodic properties. It is used in cough medicines as an expectorant. The volatile oils and flavonoids in the plant are antiseptic, and will purify the blood, act as a carminative and will improve appetite. You can boil the root with the leaves to make a tisane too. You won’t need to use sugar or a sweetener such as honey.

  Cook the roots as you would parsnips and use them to flavour soups and stews, and use the leaves as a garnish and in salads. Use the root to make a decoction in wine, brandy or water and use for all the ailments mentioned above. Apparently these decoctions are good for bites from vipers (the only venomous snake in Britain) and for cleaning putrid wounds that are not healing. The decoction made with wine was often given to people with consumption.

  If you make a paste with the roots and leaves and apply it to the skin, it will cure skin problems. The seeds when pounded into a paste have been used to make a sweet-smelling furniture polish. You can chew the fresh seeds to aid digestion too. They taste like liquorice.

  These photos of the plant were taken by Aldo De Bastiano.

  

PRAWN AND SWEET CICELY RISOTTO

Ingredients

500 gr prawns, shelled and the shells reserved

1.25 litres chicken stock (or water or vegetable stock)

75 gr butter or oil for frying

1 glass of white wine (dry)

300 gr Arborio rice

300 gr tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

3 tbsp sweet cicely leaves, shredded

1 sprig rosemary

1 bay leaf, torn

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 large onion, finely sliced

2 tbsp flat-leaved parsley, finely chopped

freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Sweet cicely leaves to garnish

Method

Make a stock with the shells and heads of the prawns adding a little brandy if you wish. You won’t need to add salt. Reserve ¼ pint of it for this recipe and freeze the rest.

Melt butter and fry garlic and onion. Add the prawns and then the rice with the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil, then simmer on a low heat for 20-25 mins until the rice is cooked.

Garnish with sweet cicely leaves and serve.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

WHAT IS HALWA KADU? PUMPKIN: KIA KADU (CUCURBITA): PUMPKIN SOUP RECIPE

PUMPKIN, HALWA KADU, KIA KADU (CUCURBITA) 

Pumpkins are members of the Cucurbita family which includes melons and gourds. The word pumpkin comes from the Greek “pepon” meaning large melon. They are native to North America, and pumpkin seeds dating from between 7000 and 5500 BC have been found in Mexico. They were cultivated by the Native Americans who used them for food and medicine and dried the fibres to make mats.

  The heaviest pumpkin in the world (so far) according to the Guinness World Records was grown by Chris Stevens of New Richmond, Wisconsin, USA, and went on display with two less heavy ones in New York’s Botanical Gardens in the Bronx in October 2010.It weighed 1,810 ½ lbs and the others weighed 1,725 lbs and 1,674½ lbs.

turnip carving

   Pumpkins are associated with Halloween when people carve faces in them and place lighted candles in them. Although pumpkins come from the New World, the tradition of carving faces into them actually comes from very ancient Celtic traditions when people carved faces and put lights into hollowed out turnips and beets. These were especially used for Samhain, pronounced “sow-ween” which occurred at the end of the old year and marked the transition from summer to winter and the start of the New Year. The Celts believed that the days between the seasons were a time of transition, when the thin veil between the corporeal world we live in and the spirit world was at its thinnest. Such times were the day of Beltane (May 1^st) and Samhain at the end of October. So time did not exist on these days particularly on Samhain, which was when fairies, souls of the dead and other spirits wandered the Earth freely. It was a time for divination and there are many superstitions regarding this, but the Celts would put milk and food outside their houses for the fairies and the souls and light their way to it with Jack o’lanterns. They believed that they could communicate with their dead loved ones on Samhain nights.

   There is another Irish legend which was taken with the Irish immigrants to the US about “Stingy Jack” who thought he could outwit the Devil. This man Jack met the Devil in a bar and offered to buy him a drink. Of course the Devil accepted the offer with alacrity, but Jack wasn’t nicknamed “Stingy” for nothing. When the time came to pay for the drinks, Jack managed to persuade the Devil to turn into a coin and instead of paying for the drinks with it Jack put it into his pocket next to a silver crucifix. This prevented the Devil from changing back into himself and Jack struck a deal with the Devil, that if he freed him the Devil wouldn’t bother him or take his soul if he died, for a year.
   The Devil kept his side of the bargain and returned to Jack after the year was up. This time, Jack persuaded the Devil to climb a tree to pick an apple, and while he was in the tree, Jack carved a cross into the bark so the Devil couldn’t descend. He and the Devil struck another bargain similar to the first except that the time was extended to ten years. During those years Jack died and God wouldn’t have such a man in heaven and the Devil, who was sticking to his side of the bargain, refused to have Jack in Hell. Instead he gave Jack a burning coal to light his way and sent him out into the world. Jack put the coal in a hollowed out turnip and has been roaming the world ever since, unable to go to either heaven or hell. In Ireland and Scotland people made scary faces out of turnips and beets and put candles inside them to keep Jack away from their homes. This tradition was taken to the US and Halloween was born. The turnip was replaced by the ubiquitous pumpkin and now pumpkin contests along with scarecrow ones take place all over America in autumn.

   The colonists in America made the precursor to the pumpkin pie which is served at Thanksgiving meals in the US in November by removing the seeds from pumpkins, filling the cavity with milk, spices and honey and baking them in hot coals in their fires.

  Pumpkins are 90% water, but are high in dietary fibre and low in calories, making them ideal for dieters. The orange colour indicates that they have a high carotene content and they are also packed full of minerals and vitamins, making them one of nature’s superfoods. They contain Alpha and Beta-carotene which are powerful antioxidants and the body converts beta-carotene to vitamin A which boosts the immune system. Beta-carotene reverses damage to the skin and protects from sunburn (as so orange-fleshed sweet potatoes) and is also an anti-inflammatory. Alpha-carotene is believed to slow the ageing process and reduce the threat of cataract growth in the lens of the eyes and reduce the risk of heart disease.

  The fibre in pumpkins ensures the body regularly dispels waste materials, so preventing constipation. It also lowers cholesterol levels, controls blood sugar levels and protects against heart disease .It aids digestion and plays a role in weight loss.

  Vitamin C which is also found in pumpkins, also boosts the immune system, reduces the risk of high blood pressure and lowers cholesterol levels. Vitamin E in pumpkins promotes healthy skin, protects from sun damage to it and may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as some cancers.

  Pumpkins also have a high potassium level and this helps balance the fluids in the body, promotes healthy bones and helps control blood pressure. Pumpkins can also be used as a diuretic. The magnesium in a pumpkin again helps the immune system and bones and is good for the heart. Pantothenic acid, or vitamin B6, helps reduce stress and balances the hormone levels in the body. So pumpkins are very good for you and a healthy winter diet should include them, as they will help to stave off colds and flu.

   Pumpkin is a fruit not a vegetable, and can be used in sweet or savoury dishes. Its flesh can be pulped and used as a face mask and this is said to be good to get rid of pimples and too many freckles. It is an emollient and is also good to put on burns.

  The pumpkin featured in the fairy tale Cinderella, which was changed into her coach, and this nursery rhyme which American children all know:

     “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin eater

     Had a wife and couldn’t keep her.

     He put her in a pumpkin shell,

     And there he kept her very well.”

PUMPKIN SOUP

Ingredients

1 lb pumpkin flesh, pureed

2 large onions, finely sliced

4 sticks celery, finely chopped

3 green chillies, finely chopped

4 spring onions, finely chopped

½ cup vegetable oil

1½ litres chicken stock

1 bay leaf, torn

1 tsp ground cumin

small carton of single cream or use milk

salt and pepper

parsley

Parmesan cheese

Method

 Fry the onions, celery and chillies in the oil, then when the onions are transparent, add the chicken stock, pureed pumpkin, bay leaf and cumin.

Stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 mins. Stir occasionally.

Add the cream and stir in well, then cook for another 5 mins on a very low heat, not allowing the mixture to boil.

Remove from the heat and serve garnished with parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

This has Taste and is a Treat.