WHAT IS CHERVIL? CHERVIL SAUCE FOR PASTA RECIPE

CHERVIL

Chervil is native to Eastern Europe, and grew in the Caucasus region. Chervil was spread by the Romans, who, according to Pliny, used it as a green vegetable, and also used the roots as a vegetable. The ancient Greeks referred to chervil as the ‘herb of joy’ and used to make wreaths to put on heads, when a cheerful event was celebrated. It was once called ‘myrrhis’ because its volatile oil smells like myrrh, one of the gifts the magi gave to the baby Jesus according to the Bible. Because of this association it is often used at Easter, and it is also in evidence then, because it symbolizes new growth after winter and the beginning of spring. The oil comes from the seeds and other parts of the plant.

Chervil is one of the ‘fines herbes’ and is also used in bouquet garni along with a bay leaf, a sprig of rosemary and a twig of thyme. It is also one of the herbs used along with lavender in herbes de Provence. When chervil is used to flavour sauces or stews it should be added about 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, as if it is exposed to too much heat, it loses its flavour. It is known as ‘gourmet’s parsley’, but with its mild liquorice and pepper taste, it doesn’t taste like parsley. It enhances the flavours of the other herbs it is cooked with, and has been cultivated in France for centuries.

The ancient Greeks combined it with dandelion leaves and watercress as a way to combat nutrient deficiency in winter, when there were few green vegetables to be found. Culpeper believed that it was good for digestion, and in folklore it was believed to make men ‘merry’ and sharpen the wit as well as making old people feel young again. In the language of flowers, it symbolizes sincerity.

Chervil has been used in medicine to aid digestion and stimulate the appetite, as a blood purifier and eye tonic. Chervil juice has been used to treat eczema and lower blood pressure. In the Middle Ages the boiled roots were thought to ward off plague, and if you had hiccups, they would stop if you ate the whole plant. It has also been used as an ingredient in dyes and perfumes. Washing your face with chervil water is supposed to maintain the suppleness of the skin and to keep wrinkles at bay.

To make an eye tonic for tired eyes, pour a cup of boiling water over 1 tbsp of fresh chopped chervil, and keep it covered to keep in the volatile oil. Let the chervil steep for 20 minutes and then put some of the liquid on cotton wool and place it on the eyes and leave for 10 minutes. This infusion is also supposed to be good for the skin.

In cookery chervil makes a useful addition to salads, light sauces, chicken, fish and seafood dishes. In Norway and France it is used as a condiment and bowls of freshly chopped chervil are place on the table, to add to meals. It can also be used in herb butters.

CHERVIL SAUCE FOR PASTA


Ingredients

1 cup fresh chervil, chopped

¼ cup pecorino cheese

¼ cup toasted pine nuts (or ones that have been lightly fried in olive oil)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tbsps olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

Method

Blend all the ingredients together in a blender and store in the fridge until you want to use the sauce. It will keep for up to 3 days.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

STAR ANISE: STAR ANISE STIR FRIED RICE RECIPE

star anise

STAR ANISE (ILLICIUM VERUM)


Star anise originated in China and Vietnam, and is still mainly grown there and in Japan. Japanese star anise caused a scare back in 2006 when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about drinking teas and tisanes made with Japanese star anise. This was after reports of people suffering from vomiting, jitteriness, rapid eye movement, and even seizures after drinking a tea or tisane made with it. It’s virtually impossible to tell the difference between Japanese and Chinese star anise just by looking at it, so unless you are certain the star anise you have is Chinese, don’t drink a tisane made with it; put it on your skin instead as it’s good for skin diseases.

Star anise is so called because of its stellate shape; it’s a very attractive spice with a pungent aroma so is good in pot pourris. It is actually the fruit of a tree which in Japan is an ornamental tree, and often planted on tombs and in temples. This fruit is picked before it is ripe and dried. The powdered bark of the tree is used for incense. The oil is used in the West in alcoholic drinks such as anisette. It has a strong liquorice-like taste and is stronger than anise, or aniseed.

It doesn’t grow on the Indian subcontinent, but is used there, particularly in Bengali cuisine. You have probably encountered it if you use Chinese Five Spice powder as it is one of the ingredients. Other ingredients include ground fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and Szechwan peppercorns; powdered dried orange peel may also be included.

It has been used in traditional medicine for centuries to treat infant colic and rheumatism, and is also used to treat headaches, coughs, chills, bronchitis, digestive problems and flatulence. People also use it as a stimulant when they need energy. Small amounts of seeds from the dried star-shaped fruit are chewed to freshen the breath. The fatty oil can be found in some soaps.

In modern medicine, the shikimic acid contained in the fruit is extracted and used as the base of the drug Tamiflu which was made to fight avian flu (H5N1). Once again, modern medical research has found that the traditional use for a spice is effective. To make the drug the pharmaceutical giant Roche uses star anise only from four of China’s provinces.

In folklore, one star of star anise is put under a pillow to banish nightmares, and it is also said that if you do this you will dream of someone who is far away. It is carried around whole for good luck and burnt to aid clairvoyant powers and psychic awareness.

It’s also good to cook with and here’s a recipe for a quick stir fry dish using it.





STAR ANISE STIR-FRIED RICE
Ingredients
250 gr rice, cleaned, washed and soaked for 15 mins (or leftover cooked rice)
water

oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ inch piece of ginger root, finely chopped
1 head broccoli cut into florets
1 carrot cut into thin strips
1 tomato peeled and finely chopped
assorted vegetables either fresh or frozen, cooked
2 tbsps soy sauce (dark)
¼ tsp paprika pepper
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp Chinese chilli paste

Method
Cook the rice and drain it well, or use leftover rice.
Fry the onion, garlic, ginger for a few mins then lower the heat and add the vegetables and rice.
Stir well and add all the other ingredients.
Cook for about 5 mins, and serve.
You can eat this cold as a salad too if you keep it in the fridge overnight.
Break an egg or two into the rice mixture and stir continuously until the egg is cooked for egg fried rice.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

INDIAN ALMOND or DESI BADEM: RECIPE MACKEREL with GREEN BEANS and ALMONDS

THE INDIAN ALMOND TREE (TERMINALIA CATAPPA) OR DESI BADEM
The Indian Almond tree, or Desi Badem in Urdu, is not a relative of the almond tree you probably know, Prunus dulcis,(sweet almond tree) which is related to the peach tree, so please don’t try any of the remedies below with the almond tree in your garden. They won’t work. The Indian Almond (Terminalia catappa) is also known as the Sea Almond, because it has a high tolerance of salt, or the Tropical Almond. Actually it is related to Terminalia arjuna or arjuna and Terminalia chebula or hareer. It is believed to have originated in south western Asia, but it grows in South East Asia too, as well as in parts of South America. The nuts, which like other almonds are the seeds of the tree, are edible, and can be eaten raw, whereas the ones we know have to be treated before eating. In South America, the oil from the seeds is used in cooking, but on the subcontinent it is mainly used in medicine, and is sometimes used as hair oil.
The sap from the leaves has been used to treat skin diseases, ranging from mild itching and rashes, to leprosy. The leaves can be boiled and made into a mushy paste which is put on rheumatic joints to help ease the pain. The sap or gum from the tree is good to treat dysentery and to get rid of intestinal parasites. Because the leaves and seeds are rich in tannin, they have been used in South East Asia to produce dark dyes, for centuries.
Nigerian and Indian medical researchers have been investigating the medical properties of this plant, and have discovered that the traditional medical practitioners were right about its uses. They now believe that the seeds and leaves have properties which could help in the treatment of HIV, they have anti-clastogenic properties, which means they can prevent chromosomes breaking. They are also astringent and can help staunch the flow of blood from a wound. They also have antioxidant properties and there are hopes that they can help in the treatment of diseases associated with diabetes, as they assist the liver and pancreas to function properly and protect the liver from acute damage. Eating the kernel or ‘almond’ will, say medical practitioners, help men with sexual dysfunctional problems, such as premature ejaculation, or impotence.
Traditionally the leaves have been used to relieve headaches, and are said to be refreshing. Like the Neem tree, the Kikar tree and the banyan, this tree is important for medicine, and you can eat the ‘nuts’.
The recipe below however is for almonds (Prunus dulcis) which are readily available wherever you are.



MACKEREL WITH GREEN BEANS AND ALMONDS
Ingredients
4 mackerel, cleaned
1 glass white wine
500gr green beans, topped, tailed and sliced length ways
75 gr blanched almonds, roughly chopped
1 tbsp oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
Preheat oven to a medium heat. Put silver foil on a baking tray and the sliced beans and almonds, in a layer, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil (olive is best) and cook for 10 mins.
Now add the fish, on top of the beans and almonds and pour the white wine over them. Cover with another tight fitting piece of foil and cook for a further 45 mins.
Serve hot.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

JAGGERY OR GUR: GUR WALAY CHAWAL: JAGGERY RICE RECIPE

GUR OR JAGGERY IS MADE FROM SUGAR CANE

Gur or Jaggery is called panela in Mexico and South America. It is made from boiling sugar cane juice, although the process of obtaining gur from sugar cane juice is more complex than just boiling the juice. It contains the minerals magnesium and potassium and is also rich in iron. It has been known in India for thousands of years, and in the Sushruta Sanhita medical text from 2500 years ago, it says that it purifies the blood, prevents rheumatism and is good for the digestion. It is also good to eat if you have a cough.

Modern medical research does not yet have evidence to support these beliefs, but a study conducted in France showed that eating gur can protect the lungs from silicosis, which is caused by dust or smoke in the environment, so it’s good for traffic police to eat gur, for example.
In India, people will eat a few pieces of gur for luck when starting a new venture, as they believe that doing this will bring them luck, especially in business.
Gur can also be made from the date palm, coconut palm and sago palm, but in India and Pakistan it is made only from sugar cane. It is sold in hard, solid blocks and in lumps with the consistency of dough.
It can be used to make a good nut brittle, either with peanuts or other nuts as a praline, or with sesame seeds.



GUR WALAY CHARWAL (RICE WITH GUR)

Ingredients

225 gr basmati rice (cleaned and soaked for 30 mins)

2½ glasses water
200gr gur, broken into small pieces
¼ cup oil or ghee
1 tsp fennel seeds
8 green cardamom seeds (from 1 or 2 pods), crushed
4 cloves
100gr blanched almonds, chopped
50gr unsalted pistachios, chopped
40 gr sultanas
1 tsp fresh lemon juice


Method
Put water and gur in a pan and boil for 2 mins. Strain.
Heat oil and add cardamoms seeds, fennel seeds and cloves, stirring constantly for a few seconds. Add rice and syrup. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer.
Add nuts, sultanas and lemon juice, stir once cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for approx. 30 mins or until the syrup has been completely absorbed.
Serve hot with natural yoghurt if you like it.
This is a traditional recipe and there are some variations. When you add the nuts, you can also add ½ cup of grated carrots, OR channa dhal which has already been boiled. However we prefer the plain one given.
This has Taste and is a Treat.