How Do You Say Asafoetida (English) Asafetida (American)? (a-sə-ˈfe-tə-də)

A Little Spice of Life
From the Colonel

Asafetida Ferula assafoetida

At the store I have heard some pretty interesting attempts at pronouncing this unusual spice. The spice, asafetida, is a gum resin produced from the roots of the asafetida plant. Throughout the Middle Ages it was used to ward off plague and other diseases. A piece was sometimes hung around the neck to help ward off these things. It was used in much the same way throughout the 20th Century in the South, on children, to ward of colds and the flu. It would be mixed into a foul-smelling paste and hung in a bag around the afflicted child's neck. One of the reasons it may have kept you from coming down with a cold or flu is that no one wanted to come near you, because you smelled so badly. Thus, you weren't able to get their germs.

Because of the plant’s strong sulfurous smell, it has been given some very derogatory names. It has been called, “devil’s dung”, “stinking gum”, and “devil’s herb”. Since this is a family friendly blog, I can’t even translate the French name for you. Let’s just say it isn’t very nice. However, its odor and flavor become much milder and pleasant upon heating in oil or ghee (clarified butter), acquiring a taste and aroma reminiscent of sautéed onion and garlic. Consequently, there are whole segments of the population in the Middle East (those adhering to the Jain religion and others), who do not eat onions or garlic; use asafetida as a substitute for these flavors in their recipes. It is used in most vegetarian and lentil dishes to both add flavor and aroma and reduce flatulence. That’s a lot to ask of a little powder. For those of you that have an allergic reaction to onions and garlic, you might check with your doctor to see if asafetida is a good substitute for you.

Asafetida has been used as a deterrent for deer and other outside yard marauders for a long time. They don’t seem to like the spice. The only exception is the American wolf, which seems to be attracted to the aroma.

While most other countries in the Middle East use asafetida in its powdered form, in India the green parts of the plant are used as a vegetable.

Recipes

Alu Matar
Bajji Vegetable Fries
Spicy Tomatoes with Mushrooms
Spiced Okra









Colonel De Stewart

Spice University - Rosemary

A Little Spice of Life
From The Colonel

Rosmarinus officinalis

Records can be found tracing the use of Rosemary back to 500 BC. For hundreds of years it was used as a treatment for nervous system ailments. It holds a special position among herbs from the symbolism attached to it. It became a symbol of fidelity among newly weds. Not only was it used at weddings, but also at funerals, for decking churches and banquet halls for festivals, as incense in religious ceremonies, and in magical spells. At weddings, it was wound in the wreath worn by the bride, after being dipped in scented water. Anne of Cleves, one of the wives of Henry the VIII, wore such a wreath at her wedding. A Rosemary branch, richly gilded and tied with silken ribbons of all colors, was also presented to wedding guests, as a symbol of love and loyalty.

The botanical name Rosmarinus is derived from the old Latin for 'dew of the sea', a reference to its pale blue dew-like flowers and the fact that it is often grown near the sea. Rosemary is yet another herb that is in the mint family. The mint family gives us a lot of different herbs; basil, marjoram, oregano, and savory to name a few.

It is native to the Mediterranean area, where it grows wild, but it is now cultivated all over Europe and the United States. I have seen it used in certain parts of Arizona as a short hedge in landscaping. Rosemary is a popular spice in many Western countries, but its usage is most popular in its native Mediterranean countries, especially Italy and France, less so Greece. Rosemary does not lose its flavor by long cooking, as many other herbs unfortunately do. Rosemary is one of those herbs that are as potent in the fesh state as in the dried state. There are few herbs as pungent as Rosemary. Being subtle is not one of Rosemary's traits. Looking like a pine needle from a distance, this herb should be ground finely for optimum use. It is also used by better restaurants as a garnish. The flavor has been described as being somewhere between pine, mint, and lemon. It may be purchased in sprigs, as leaves, ground, and as an essential oil.

Use Rosemary for fish, meat (especially poultry), but also for vegetables. It is often used for potatoes and for vegetables fried in olive oil, as commonly prepared in Mediterranean countries. In Italian cuisine, mutton is hardly ever cooked without Rosemary, and broiled poultry wrapped in Rosemary twigs is also very popular. A similar effect can be achieved by sprinkling Rosemary leaves on glowing charcoal during grilling. Rosemary is an ideal herb for flavoring vinegar.

Rosemary is used both in the kitchen and in fragrances for cosmetics. During the winter holiday season there is nothing that will put you in the spirit of the season like Rosemaryed walnuts.

If you just can't seem to find Rosemary, an interesting substitute is oregano or sweet basil leaves and flowers.

Recipes
Meat Pie
Trout with Rosemary & Wrapped with Bacon
Tomato Rosemary Salad
Chicken Salad with Rosemary and Mayonnaise
Rosemaryed Walnuts

Colonel De Stewart

Spice University - Vegetable Powders

A Little Spice of Life
From The Colonel


Carrot powder? What do I do with that?

Most of us are familiar with herb and spice powders, for example, allspice, cumin, basil, mustard, and rosemary are available in powder form to name a few. We use these when we are trying not to introduce a coarse or chewy ingredient into a particular dish. The powder will tend to blend in and not be noticed for its texture, but just for its taste and flavor. But, what about vegetable powders? I’m going to ignore the two most common vegetable powders, onion and garlic, since most of us have used them at least once. There are some who would argue whether they are vegetables or not. Beside, there are others lurking in the shadows of our cookery just waiting to be discovered and used.

What are they and how do I use them? I would like to cover three with you. The first is beet root powder. I happen to be one of those strange individuals that really like beets. It has even been suggested to me, by my eye doctor, that I should try to eat even more beets. Turns out beets are rich in beta carotene. This is the stuff that is very good for your eyes. It has been my experience, that I do not belong to a very big club. A lot of folks just don’t care for them. Let’s get back to beet powder. Beets are actually very sweet. A lot, I would say most, of the sugar that we eat today doesn’t come from sugar cane, as we would rightly assume, but the sugar actually comes from beets. How they get the beets from red to white is a whole other class. Let’s just say that they do that transformation everyday. This information should give you a hint as to how you might use beet powder. Since it is very red, you may use it to dye or add red color to almost any dish. Some anti-chemical folks will use it to dye Easter eggs. But besides the color, what we are really after here is the sweetness. In the winter and early spring it is hard to get good fresh local vegetables. The ones we can get can turn a little bitter as you cook them. Simple solution, add beet powder. It won’t give the food a beet flavor, you don’t use that much. It simply sweetens the dish without having to resort to processed sugar.

If the red color is really bothersome to you, there is another powder that can be used in exactly the same way and doesn’t turn everything red. Meet carrot powder. Carrot powder has a very slight orange cast, but won’t turn food orange when used. Like beets, carrots are also very sweet, so the addition of carrot powder is another way of turning bitter dishes sweet without going to our old friend processed sugar. Check with your doctor, but most of the time even those with sugar problems can use beet and carrot powder without adversely affecting their sugar levels. You can also use these powders to sweeten drinks like tea and fruit drinks.

The final vegetable powder brings us full circle. Let’s say that we have a dish we are making and all of a sudden it goes very sweet. What can we do? It is tomato powder to the rescue. Since it is also red, it can be a bit tricky, but if you are careful you can add just enough tomato powder so that the acidic nature of tomatoes tames the sweetness. Tomato powder is also good when you want to enrich a dish that already has tomatoes in it, but the flavor is still somewhat flat. Like I mentioned before, during the winter and early spring tomatoes seem to lack in flavor. An easy remedy is to add a little tomato powder. Adding it to tomato soup is like giving your soup a wonderful tomato infusion. Give it a try.



Recipes



Since these powders are used to enhance a dish and therefore are not an integral ingredient in the dish, I am going to turn the recipe portion over to you. Once you have experimented with these powders, drop off or send your recipes to me by e-mail and I will publish some of the best.

Fox 19 Appearance

From time to time I am asked to make an appearance on Fox 19's morning show. Rob Williams and Sheila Gray are always gracious hosts. For those of you outside of the city, this is the Cincinnati Morning show on our Fox affiliate.

The last time I appeared was on Opening day. That day I boiled jumbo hot dogs in Morlein's Over The Rhine Ale and made Orange Tomato Ketchup.

This time I will be on at about 8:15 am on August 4th. I will be preparing a very delicous summer treat Watermelon Tomato Salad. For those in the Cincinnati viewing area, I hope that you can tune in and see how this works out. I will be given 3 whole minutes to put this salad together and talk to the host. My how time flies when one is having fun.

Colonel De Stewart