Wild Food Guide 'C'

Wild Foods Guide 'C'

This is the third of my series of 26 postings on wild foods. Each post will deal with a separate letter of the alphabet ('C' today) and will describe a wild food beginning with that letter as well as presenting a classic recipe incorporating that wild food.

Today I'm dealing with the letter 'C', the third letter of the English alphabet, which includes foods such as campion, caraway, carragen, chanterelle,cobnut, crabapple, cal, clover, ceps, chickweed, comphrey and many others. Today, however I am going to devote this page to ceps (one of my favourite mushooms) and chickwed.

Ceps as a wild food. Ceps Boletus edulis, (also known as Porcini, king bolete or Penny Bun) are edible basidiomycete mushrooms that are members of the the Boletaceae (Bolete) family. It is a native of Europe and North America and is Europe's second most sought-after fungus (after truffles). The smaller ceps are most sought-after as the whole mushroom can be consumed and they retain their flavour when dried.

With its pale stem and russet cap the cep is hard to confuse with other species, indeed it can only really be confused with other members of the same family, none of which are in the least toxic. The only one to look out for is the Bitter Bolete Tylophilus felleus which has brown stalks and cap and can be distinguished in that the gills bruise brown when pressed (it's not toxic, just too bitter to be pleasant). Because of this the cep is one of the safest fungi for the novice to forage for. Penny buns are found in woodlands (typically brich, oak beech and pine) and are available from late summer to late autumn but are most abundant in September and October. They pickle well and also dry very well. Young ceps are excellent raw, or simply fried i a little powder. Dried ceps can also be ground to provide a condiment or a flavouring for soups and stews.



The recipe blow is for a classic salad incorporating both Porcini and Rock Samphire.

Rock Samphire, Procini and Walnut Salad

Ingredients:
225g Rock samphire (sea beans), soaked in cool water for 30 minutes and drained
200g procini mushrooms, sliced
60g walnuts, chopped
50g butter
30ml olive oil
5 tbsp white wine
salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp lime juice

Method:
Add the mushrooms to a roastig pan or gratin dish along with the butter, olive oil and seasonings. Place in an oven pre-heated to 180°C and roast for about 4 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile trim and clean the rock samphire before cutting into 3cm lengths. Drop in boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. Drain and refresh under cold running water.

Bring the mushroom out of the oven, add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Arrange on a plate, then sprinkle the rock samphire on top. Mix a little of the lime juice with the pan juices to taste, season and sprinkle over the salad. Top with the walnuts and serve immediately.

This recipe is reproduced, with permission, from the Rock Samphire, Procini and Walnut Salad Recipe from the Celtnet Recipes Collection.

If you are interested in recipes for bilberries then you can find a range of cep/porcini recipes.



Chickweed as a wild food Chickweed Stellaria media is a very common and pervasive weed and a member of the Caryophyllaceae (carnation) family. It is extremely variable in its appearance, but generally it has a very slender tap root and greatly branching leafy stems, which lie along the ground. The lower leaves vary in size from 3 to 20 mm in length, they are oval in shape and have long stalks; the upper leaves tend to be larger (up to 25 mm in length) and lack stalks.

For the forager, this is an important plant as it is a rich source of copper. The greens themselves can be used as a vegetable which can be boiled or lightly fried. They can also be dried as a herb for the addition to salads. Indeed, during the middle ages chickweed used to be collected and was sold in markets as a vegetable. Plaese note that the common (edible) chickweed in light green in colour and should not be confused with its dark-green relative, hairy mouse-ear chickweed which is poisonous. If you are unsure, do not pick it.


The recipe presented below is for a classic Indian-inspired fusion dish of a kedgeree made with goosegrass and chickweed.

Goosegrass and Chickweed Kedgeree

Ingredients:
150g goosegrass (leaves only)
150g chickweed
900ml milk
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
5 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
225g basmati rice, washed
4 large eggs
1 pack flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, washed and chopped
pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
In a frying pan, gently cook the onion and garlic for 10 minutes in half the oil. Add the spices and fry for 5 minutes then remove the fish from the milk, add the fried onions and spices and stir in the rice. Cover the pan, lower the heat and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed.

Put the eggs in a pan with a lid and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Rinse under cold water, peel, then halve.

Roughly chop the goosegrass and chickweed and stir into the rice. Cook for 1 minute then remove the pan from the heat, stir in cream, add parsley and salt and pepper to taste, then serve.


This recipe is reproduced, with permission, from the Goosegrass and Chickweed Kedgeree Recipe from the Celtnet Fusion Recipes Collection.

If you are interested in recipes for bilberries then you can find a range of chickweed recipes.

This guide is brought to you in conjunction with the Celtnet Wild Food Recipes collection.

You can find more wild foods beginning with the letter 'C' on the Wild Food Guide for the letter 'C', part of the Celtnet Wild Food Guide.

Wild Food Guide 'B'

Wild Foods Guide 'B'

This is the second of my series of 26 postings on wild foods. Each post will deal with a separate letter of the alphabet ('B' today) and will describe a wild food beginning with that letter as well as presenting a classic recipe incorporating that wild food.

Today I'm dealing with the letter 'B', the second letter of the English alphabet, which includes foods such as blackberries, bilberries, bedstraw, birch, bisort, borage, beech, bog myrtle, burdock and many others. Today, however I am going to devote this page to bilberries (my favourite wild fruit) and burdock.

Bilberry as a wild food. Bilberries are the fruit of Vaccinium myrtillus (also known as blaeberry, whortleberry, whinberry, myrtle blueberry, fraughan, huckleberry) is an ericaceous (acid soil loving) shrubby bush that's a member of the Ericaceae (heath) family and is a close cousin of the familiar blueberry.

Bilberries can be used in any recipe requiring blueberries and blueberries can be substituted in any recipe for bilberries (though blueberries are typically sweeter.


The recipe blow is for a classic French bilberry tart.

French Bilberry Tart

Ingredients:
200g Pâte Sucrée
200ml Crème Patisserie
250g bilberries
80g sugar
4 tbsp apricot jam

Method:
Roll the pastry out to form a circle large enough to line a 20cm flan tin (preferably one with a removable base). Cover the base of the pastry with greaseproof paper, add baking beans and bake blind in an oven pre-heated to 180°C for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. When cold, spread a layer of the Crème Patisserie about 5mm deep over the pastry. Add the bilberries and sugar to a pan and heat gently until the bilberries soften and the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool slightly then pour over the pie.

Add the apricot jam to a saucepan and heat gently until molten. Use this to glaze the cake then allow to cool and serve.

This recipe is reproduced, with permission, from the French Bilberry Tart Recipe from the Celtnet Recipes Collection.

If you are interested in recipes for bilberries then you can find a range of bilberry recipes.



Burdock as a wild food Burdock represents a group of biennial thistles in the genus Arctium of the Asteraceae (aster/daisy) family though the term is most commonly used to refer to common Burdock (Arctium minus) which grows wild throughout most of North America, Europe and Asia. Plants of the genus Arctium are most noticeable from their leaves which are dark green and can grow up to 45cm in length and which have a woolly underneath and their prickly seed heads noted for easily catching in the pelts of animals and the clothes of humans.

As a plant the taproot of young burdock plants (which are black) can be harvested and eaten as a root vegetable. While generally out of favor in modern European cuisine, it remains popular in Asia, particularly in Japan where A lappa is called gobo. The leaves are excellent for wrapping fish and meat prior to cooking on hot stones or in clay. The stems, when picked in May (do not pick any later) can be stripped of the hard outer stem which laves a thin pencil-like vegetable that can either be chopped for inclusion in salads or can be boiled and served with butter (in a similar manner to asparagus). Mixed with dandelion Burdock used to be used to make an alcoholic beverage (a non-alcoholic version of which, Dandelion and Burdock) is still popular in Britain today.


The recipe presented below is for a classic Thai-inspired fusion dish of a chicken and burdock root curry.

Thai Chicken and Burdock Curry

Ingredients:
1l coconut milk
600g chicken breast, diced
300g shredded burdock root
groundnut oil, for frying
salt and black pepper, to taste
5 birds eye chillies, sliced
5 garlic cloves
6 shallots, sliced
4 tbsp coriander leaves
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
zest and juice of 2 limes
salt, to taste

Method:
Add the chillies, garlic, shallots, coriander leaves, ground coriander, black pepper, ground cumin, ginger, lime zest and lemon juice to a blender and render to a paste (add groundnut oil if it's too thick).

Transfer the curry paste to a pan and fry for a few minutes then stir-in the coconut milk. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through. Add the burdock root, bring the mixture to the boil, season with salt and black pepper and serve on a bed of rice.


This recipe is reproduced, with permission, from the Thai Chicken and Burdock Curry Recipe from the Celtnet Fusion Recipes Collection.

If you are interested in recipes for bilberries then you can find a range of burdock recipes.

This guide is brought to you in conjunction with the Celtnet Wild Food Recipes collection.

You can find more wild foods beginning with the letter 'A' on the Wild Food Guide for the letter 'B', part of the Celtnet Wild Food Guide.

Wild Food Guide and Recipes A to Z

Wild Food Guide and Recipes A to Z

Following my A to Z guide of recipes and cookery I'm now starting on a new guide... This time it's to wild foods and recipes incorporating wild ingredients. It might be strange, starting this A to Z guide of wild foods in Winter. However, there are winter wild foods such as wintercress and some mushrooms and as the end of February approaches new wild foods will start to become available for our plates once more. So, now might actually be a good time to begin this guide.

Wild Foods Guide 'A'

This is the first of my series of 26 postings on wild foods. Each post will deal with a separate letter of the alphabet ('A' today) and will describe a wild food beginning with that letter as well as presenting a classic recipe incorporating that wild food.

Today I'm dealing with the letter 'A' which includes foods such as Alexanders (Alisanders), Alliums, Apples and Acorns. Today, however I am going to devote this page to Acorns.

Acorns nutty fruit of the various species of the genus Quercus (oak trees). The acorn itself is a nut, containing a single seed, enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. There are almost 130 species of oaks, all of which generate acorns of one description or other.

Only mature oaks produce acorns and mature oak trees and mature oaks are extremely tough. As a result oak trees will bear their fruit even during the worst droughts. This is why acorns, turned into acorn flour were a survival food during times of drought in all periods up to and including the Middle Ages and why they were very important to the diet of many native Americans.

It should also be remembered that the Europe of the past was a continent of broad-leaved oak-based forests. Oak trees were the natural biological climax and oak trees covered the entire continent. As a result oaks would have been in abundance and acorns along with acorn flour would have been a staple of the diet. Despite this, European (and especially the English oak, Quercus robur contain lots more tannin than their North American equivaent, Quercus alba. Tannins are toxic and though roasting removes some tannins the only effective way to leach tannins from acorns is to soak them repeatedly in water. Our ancestors probably suspended baked and shelled acorns in streams for several days before rendering the acorns into flour.


The recipe blow is for a pan bread based on acorn flour, which includes a description of how to safely prepare acorns.

Acorn Pan Bread

Ingredients:
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp honey
180ml warm water
900g acorn flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
3 tsp oil

Method:
During the autumn collect ripe acorns. Place on a baking tray and dry roast them in an oven on it's lowest setting for at least 5 hours. When the acorns are done crack and shell them. Place them in water in a large bucket and allow to soak for at least a week. Change the water at least twice a day. This process leaches away the tannin which is what makes acorns bitter (tannin in large quantities is toxic so you need to complete this process carefully).

When you think you have soaked the acorns long enough bite into an acorn. If it still tastes bitter then soak for longer. If you can only detect a trace of bitterness, or no bitterness then the acorns are ready. Grind the acorns whilst still wet either in a cofee grinder or a blender. Place the resultant meal in pans or on baking trays and place to dry either in the sun or in an oven on its lowest setting. When dry you can store the flour in sealed jars.

Dissolve the honey in the water and add the yeast to activate. Add 3 tsp flour and leave the mixture in a warm place until foamy. Once the yeast is nicely active combine with the flour, salt and baking powder, along with the oil. Knead together, cover the dough and allow to rise in a warm place for an hour. Knock the dough back then knead once again and allow the dough to raise once more. Place the dough in a cast iron casserole and allow to rise until doubled in volume. Cover the pot and allow to bake in an oven pre-heated to 190°C for 45 minutes.

This recipe is reproduced, with permission, from the Acorn Pan Bread Recipe from the Celtnet Recipes Collection.


This guide is brought to you in conjunction with the Celtnet Wild Food Recipes collection.

You can find more wild foods beginning with the letter 'A' on the Wild Food Guide for the letter 'A', part of the Celtnet Wild Food Guide.

For all the wild food recipes on this blog, see the wild food recipes page.

Cook's Alphabet 'Z'

Cook's Alphabet 'Z'

This is the twenty-sixth and final entry in my series of 26 postings going through the entire alphabet, as it relates to cooks and cooking. As you can see, today I'm dealing with the letter 'Z'.


The letter 'Z' is, of course the twenty-sixth (and final) letter in the English alphabet and is one of the more difficult letters in English to find recipes for. Indeed, most Z-based recipes have entered English from other languages, such as the recipe below for a Libyan-style pizza:

Zaatar Mankoushe (Lebanese Zaatar Pizza)

Ingredients:
1 Mankoushe (Lebanese Pizza) dough
100g Zaatar spice blend
50g sesame seeds
100ml olive oil

Method:
Prepare the Mankoushe (Lebanese pizza dough) as in the recipe. Place some oil in a pan over medium heat and use this to toast the sesame seeds until they go a nutty golden brown. Mix in the Zaatar and the remaining olive oil then spread over the prepared pizza dough.

Place the pizza in an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dough is cooked and crispy around the edge. Typically slices of this pizza are served with a salad made from cucumber, tomatoes, onions and pickles.


(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet Zaatar Mankoushe Recipe page, which is presented as part of the site's Recipes from Arabia and the Levant collection. )



Today's cooking term is Zabaglione: Zabaglione is a rich, foamy Italian dessert made by whisking egg yolks, Marsala wine and sugar together over a gentle heat. In general it's served barely warm as it is; though some versions might have the addition of fresh fruit or fruit coulis.



Today's spice is Zedoary Root: Zedoary Rootthe rhizome of a perennial monocotyledonous herb Curcuma zedoaria and a member of the Zingiberaceae (Ginger) family. Zeodary grows in tropical and subtropical wet forest regions. Though originating in north-eastern India, today it is widely cultivated in India, South East Asia and China. The rhizome of zedoary is edible and has a bright orange interior (similar to turmeric) and a fragrance reminiscent of mango. In contrast, its flavour is more akin to ginger but with a very bitter aftertaste.

In Thailand, the young rhizomes are often eaten as a very aromatic vegetable and in India it is occasionally used to flavour the pickles (achar). In Indonesia it is dried and ground to a powder before being added to curry paste. It seems to have been known in Europe during the Medieval period and recipe sources up to the 16th century make use of dried zeodary as a spice. The bitterness of zeodary has, however, led to a marked decline in the use of this spice.

Below is a recipe for a classic Asian curry employing Zedoary root as a spice:


Asian Duck Curry

Ingredients:
2 Duck breasts
3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
2.5 cm fresh ginger root, chopped
50g mooli, peeled and chopped
3 Spring onions, chopped
225ml chicken stock
225ml coconut milk
1 red chilli, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 kaffir lime leaf
handful of coriander leaves
1 tsp ground dried zedoary root
1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)

Method:
Remove the skin from the duck breast then smear lightly with 1 tablespoon each of the Thai red curry paste. Add the oil to a very hot wok and once it's heated ad the duck breasts and fry until nut brown on both sides. Remove from the wok and set aside.

Add the onion, garlic, ginger, mooli and spring onions to the wok and stir fry for about 3 minutes before adding the remainder of the curry paste. Now add the chicken stock, coconut milk, chilli, lime juice, lime leaf, coriander and zedoary. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a low heat then add some Nam Pla aand return the duck to the wok.

Cook the duck breasts for eight minutes then remove from the wok and slice. Serve with rice and stir-fried recipes — making sure you spoon the sauce from the wok over the sliced duck breasts and sprinkle the coriander leaves over the top.


(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet Asian Duck Curry Recipe page. This is presented as part of the site's Fusion recipes collection. )



For more information on cookery-associated terms and information beginning with the letter 'Z' here are various links that may well be of interest:

Recipes beginning with 'Z'
Spices beginning with 'Z'
Herbs beginning with 'Z'
Wild foods beginning with 'Z'
Cook's glossary 'Z'

Cook's Alphabet 'Y'

Cook's Alphabet 'Y'

This is the twenty-fifth in my series of 26 postings going through the entire alphabet, as it relates to cooks and cooking. As you can see, today I'm dealing with the letter 'Y'.


The letter 'Y' is, of course the twenty-fifth (and penultimate) letter in the English alphabet and is one of the more difficult letters in English to find recipes for. Of course, yam is a starch staple beginning with 'y' and we also have that essential leavening agent, yeast. As a result, today's recipe is for a classic American Yeasted Fruit Cake:

Yeasted Fruit Cake

Ingredients:
240ml lukewarm water
2 tbsp (30g) dried active yeast
100g sugar
1/8 tsp ground mace
240ml milk, scalded
200g lard, melted
1 tbsp salt
3 eggs, beaten
980g plain flour (about)
melted butter
mixed cinnamon and sugar to dust
cherries, strawberries and blueberries to decorate

For the Icing:
1 tsp vanilla extract
450g icing sugar
5 tbsp milk, hot
1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 tbsp melted butter

Method:
Stir the yeast into the warm water and set aside to activate.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, mace, milk, lard, salt and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture and just enough flour to bind everything as a soft dough. Knead until smooth then place in a bowl, cover and set aside in a warm spot for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Knock the dough back then turn onto a floured surface and roll out to about 12mm thick. Using a sharp knife cut into strips about 12mm broad. Brush these with butter then sprinkle with the combined cinnamon and sugar. Take a pair of the strips and twist together as you lay them in a greased 20cm cake tin. Continue tiwsting and laying in the tin until all the dough has been used up.

Cover with a cloth and set aside to raise for 40 minutes. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 20 minutes, or until baked through and golden brown. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing, combine all the ingredients and beat until you have a spreading consistency (add a little water if it's too thick) then use to spread over the cake. Decorate with the fruit and serve.


(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet easted Fruit Cake page, which is presented as part of the site's North American recipes collection. )



Today's cooking term is Yakitori: Yakitori is a classic Japanese dish made out of bite-sized pieces of chicken that are threaded on to bamboo skewers, dipped in a type of sweet teriyaki sauce, and then grilled for four to five minutes.



Today's herb is Yerba Santa: Yerba Santa (also known as Mexican Pepperleaf, Piper auritum, Piper sanctum, hoja santa, Sacred pepper, Root beer plant, yerba santa, hierba santa and Eared pepper) is a creeping vine of the Piperaceae (pepper) that's native to tropical Mesoamerica. The heart-shaped leaves (which can reach 30cm in diamter) are commonly used as an Herb in Mexico. The leaves have a scent that's varously described as being akin to anise, nutmeg and black pepper and the flavour is strongest in the young leaves which also have a mild peppery pungency. The Spanis name hoja santa (sacred leaf) refers to a Mexican legend which says that the Virgin Mary dried the nappies of the infant Jesus on a bush of this plant.

The plant is used to a great extent in the cuisines of tropical Mexico, however it is virtually impossible to source outside its area of origin. The leaves themselves are used to wrap fish and chicken before baking and are an essential ingredient in mole verde. They are also commonly used to flavour chocolate drinks. If you wish to make this herb-based paste or to try any of the other Mexican dishes using Mexican Pepperleaf then you will need to find an acceptable substitute. Mexican tarragon works well (but only where the pepperleaf is used as an herb and not a wrap), though avocado leaves seem to be the usually-suggested alternatives (but you will have to use Mexican aromatic avocado leaves).


Below is a recipe for a classic Mexican green mole using pepperleaf as an ingredient:


Mole Verde (Green Mole)

Ingredients:
180g raw, un-hulled, pumpkin seeds
500ml chicken or beef stock
180g tomatillos (with husks removed), coarsely chopped
6 large sorrel leaves, coarsely chopped
4 Mexican pepperleaf leaves, de-stemmed and de-veined, coarsely chopped
8 large sprigs epazote, (5 coarsely chopped, remainder left whole)
4 jalapeño chillies, coarsely chopped
60g lard or vegetable oil for frying.

Method:
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan until well toasted but not coloured. Set aside to cool then grind to a fine powder in a coffee grinder. Add 300ml of the stock to a food processor along with the tomatillos, sorrel leaves, Mexican pepperleaf, chopped epazote and chillies. Blend to a smooth purée.

Heat the oil in a casserole dish and fry the purée'd ingredients, cooking for about 25 minutes, stirring continually then add the remaining epazote.

Meanwhile stir the remaining stock into the pumpkin seeds until you have a smooth consisitency. Gradually add this to the cooked ingredients then cook the mixture for a further ten minutes. Season to taste and add a little water if the solution is too thick. Serve immediately.


(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet Mole Verde (Green Mole) page. This is presented as part of the site's Central American recipes collection. )



For more information on cookery-associated terms and information beginning with the letter 'Y' here are various links that may well be of interest:

Recipes beginning with 'Y'
Spices beginning with 'Y'
Herbs beginning with 'Y'
Wild foods beginning with 'Y'
Cook's glossary 'Y'

Cook's Alphabet 'X' — Xarém Soup

Cook's Alphabet 'X'

This is the twenty-fourth in my series of 28 postings going through the entire alphabet, as it relates to cooks and cooking. As you can see, today I'm dealing with the letter 'X'.


The letter 'X' is, of course the twenty-fourth letter in the English alphabet and is generally accepted as the most difficult letter of the alphabet to attain recipes for. Of course, the classic X-named recipe is Italian Xavier Suppeand there is also Xarém (or Xérem), the Portuguese for coarse-ground yellow maize meal, which is known and used throughout the Portuguese-speaking world. Here I present a classic Portuguese Xarém soup:

Xarém Recipe

Ingredients:
1kg fresh white clams
100g smoked bacon, sliced into strips
100g hot sausage, sliced
100g ham, sliced into strips
200g coarse-ground yellow maize meal
100ml white wine
salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:
Wash the clams thoroughly then leave in a large pan of salted water for at least 2 hours to clean. Mix the maize meal with 250ml water and set aside.

Add a little butter to a pan and use to cook the bacon, sausage and ham for a few minutes. Add half the wine and continue cooking until the wine has evaporated then take off the heat and set aside.

In the meantime, drain the clams and add to a second pan along with the remaining wine and a little water. Cover and steam the clams for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until opened. Remove the clams and extract the meat from the shells (discard any unopened clams). Strain the cooking liquid and retain.

Add the clam meat and cooking liquid to a pan and bring to a simmer. Stir-in the soaked maize meal (with the soaking water) and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the maize meal has swelled and is cooked thr0ugh (the consistency should be that of a thick porridge). Season liberally with black pepper.

Transfer to a serving dish, scatter the fried sausage and bacon mix over the top and serve.


(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet Xarém Recipe page, which is presented as part of the site's Portuguese recipes collection. )



Today's cooking term is Xavier Soup: Xavier Soup is a classic Italian soup amed after Francisco de Xavier (7 April 1506 to 2 December 1552), a pioneering Roman Catholic Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order) who is sometimes called 'The Patron Saint of the East'. The soup itself is based on a Velouté and is a Consommé thickened with arrowroot and rice flour and garnished with diced chicken.



Today's spice is Xylopia aethiopica: Xylopia aethiopica (also known as Sénégal Pepper, Negro Pepper, Grains of Selim, African Grains of Selim, Moor Pepper, Kili, Congo Pepper, Kani Pepper, Country Pepper, Selim Kili Pepper and Poivre de Sénégal) represents the dried fruit pods of Xylopia aethiopica a member of the Annonacea (custard apple) family. X aethiopica is a smaller and thinner pod that is typically sold dried and either ground for use as a rub or is tied in bundles to be used as a flavouring in soups and stews.

As a spice Sénégal Pepper should always be used whole and ground, as the hull of the fruit lends the spice its aromatic notes whilst the seeds within lend pungency and bitterness to the flavour. Before use you should always, therefore, grind the spice in a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar. The taste is often described as a mixture of cubeb pepper and nutmeg, with a note of resin. It has a very sharp, aromatic, pungent taste with a slightly bitter aftertaste.


Below is a recipe for a classic African Fusion dish of lamb served with a Sénégal Pepper Emulsion:

Rack of Lamb with Sénégal Pepper Emulsion Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Lamb:
2 racks of lamb, cut in half
olive oil
2 tbsp black pepper
6 cloves garlic
4 Sénégal Pepper pods beaten to a powder in a pestle an mortar
2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
4 sprigs thyme
4 mint leaves finely chopped

For the Emulsion:
1 small onion, finely diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bramley apple, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp hot curry powder
6 Sénégal Pepper pods tied into a bouquet garni
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
450ml chicken stock
6 mint leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp crème fraîche

Method:
Marinate the lamb in the olive oil, black pepper, cloves, Sénégal pepper, rosemary, thyme and mint. Learve for at least six hours in the refrigerator. At the end of this time pan fry the lamb until coloured and finish in an oven set to 160°C for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the Sénégal Pepper emulsion by sautéeing the onions in the olive oil until just translucent, adding salt and black pepper at the last minute to taste. Add the apples and garlic and cook for a further five minutes. At this point add the curry powder, Sénégal pepper, and tomato and cook for a further fifteen minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for fifteen minutes. Strain the mixture and pass through a fine sieve before folding-in the crème fraîche and the mint.

Serve the lamb with sweet potato mash, steamed kale or spinach and drizzle the emulsion over the top.


(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet Rack of Lamb with Sénégal Pepper Emulsion Recipe page. This is presented as part of the site's Fusion recipes collection. )



For more information on cookery-associated terms and information beginning with the letter 'X' here are various links that may well be of interest:

Recipes beginning with 'X'
Spices beginning with 'X'
Herbs beginning with 'X'
Wild foods beginning with 'X'
Cook's glossary 'X'

For more African Recipes, see the Celtnet Recipes Blog African Recipes page.

This list of African regions and African recipes is brought to you in association with the Recipes of Africa eBook. With over 1000 recipes covering each and every country in Africa, this is the most comprehensive book of African recipes available anywhere.

If you love African food, or are just interested in African cookery, then the Recipes of Africa eBook is a must-buy. You get information about every region of Africa and every African country along with a selection of classic and traditional recipes from that country.

This is a must-get book for anyone interested in food. Learn about a continent that to this day remains mysterious to many people. The recipes presented here are written by someone who has travelled extensively in Africa and who is a published Author. The book is a properly-produce and published eBook and the collection is immense.

Don't delay, get yourself a copy of the Recipes of Africa eBook today!

Cook's Alphabet 'W'

Cook's Alphabet 'W'

This is the twenty-third in my series of 28 postings going through the entire alphabet, as it relates to cooks and cooking. As you can see, today I'm dealing with the letter 'W'.


The letter 'W' is, of course the twenty-third letter in the English alphabet and today's recipe is for a classic British w-themed cake from the 1950s:

West Indian Cake

Ingredients:
450g plain flour
225g butter
225g sugar
150ml milk
3 eggs
270g currants
115g mixed peel, chopped
1 tsp baking powder
freshly-grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
a little freshly-grated nutmeg

Method:
Sift together the flour, sugar, lemon zest, spices and baking powder in a bowl. Cube the butter and add to the flour mix then rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Bring the milk to a boil and pour into the flour mixture. Stir to combine thoroughly then add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Stir-in the currants and mixed peel then beat together lightly. Turn the batter into a buttered and floured cake tin and place in an oven pre-heated to 170°C. Bake for around 90 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre emerges cleanly.

Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely


(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet West Indian Cake Recipe page, which is presented as part of the site's British recipes collection. )



Today's cooking term is Worcestershire Sauce: Worcestershire Sauce,is a classic British bottled sauce or condiment. that's said to have derived from an original Indian recipe. It is a widely used fermented liquid condiment originally manufactured by Lea & Perrins. The sauce itself ses malt vinegar (from barley), spirit vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind extract, onions, garlic, spices, and flavouring. This is an essential flavouring in many dishes as it imparts umami or fullnes in the mouth, due to the anchovies. It therefore gives dishes in which it's used an indefinable 'moreish' quality.

Worcestershire sauce is an essential ingredient in a Bloody Mary and in Hong Kong style dim sum, Worcestershire sauce is the de facto standard sauce for serving steamed beef meatballs. Once fermented the sauce is left to age in barrels, which concentrates the flavours. As a result only a dash is required in most meals.

Today's spice is Wasabi: Wasabi represents the pods of orchids in the genus Vanilla. Wasabi (also known as Japanese horseradish) is produced from the root of Wasabia japonica, a member of the Brassica family. The root itself has a very strong flavour and produces vapours that irritate the sinus cavity. As such, it is quite closely related to horseradish.

Wasabi is sold in root form, which must be very finely grated before use, or as a ready-to-use paste, which comes in tubes approximately the size and shape of travel toothpaste tubes. Once the paste is prepared it should remain covered until served to protect the flavor from evaporation. Wasabi is also available in powdered form, but because the active component is very volatile this is nowhere near as pungent as fresh wasabi. It should also be noted that many commercial preparations of 'wasabi' are actually a mix of horseradish, mustard and chlorophyll (used as a green colourant).


Below is a recipe for a classic Fusion dish of avocadoes and prawns served with a wasabi-flavoured dressing:


Avocado and Prawns in a Wasabi Dressing

Ingredients:
2 avocadoes, stoned and skinned
250g cooked, shelled, prawns
4 tsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp wasabi paste

Method:
Cut the avocado into 2cm cubes and the prawns into 2.5cm lengths. Place the prawns and avocados in a bowl, add the other ingredients together in a small bowl, whisk to mix then pour over the avocado and prawin mixture and toss to mix. Serve immediately to prevent the avocados from colouring.


(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet Avocado and Prawns in a Wasabi Dressing Recipe page. This is presented as part of the site's Fusion recipes collection. )



For more information on cookery-associated terms and information beginning with the letter 'W' here are various links that may well be of interest:

Recipes beginning with 'W'
Spices beginning with 'W'
Herbs beginning with 'W'
Wild foods beginning with 'W'
Cook's glossary 'W'