Linda's Herb and Spice World Tour Part 1: Cardamom

A friend of mine, Linda, and her granddaughter (another friend of mine), Lilly have decided to take on a project for the year.  I think it's kind of neat and she has given me permission to share what she sends me with you all.  She plans to put together little packets throughout the year that contain a packet of a spice or herb, information about that spice or herb and a recipe or two using it.  The idea is that she'll choose things that are a little different, and recipes from different cultures and cuisines.  Like I said... I think it's neat and I'm interested to see what she comes up with through the year.

For the first installment of this project, they have chosen Cardamom.  This is not a spice that I currently have, but I'm still (re)building my herbs and spices.  So without further delay... Cardamom:

Image courtesy of UCLA Biomedical Library


All About Cardamom

by Sandra Bowens

Most herbs and spices are used in a similar manner no matter where in the world the cooking takes place. Thyme finds its way into soups and poppy seeds into baked goods with little regard for location or cuisine. Not so with cardamom.

This highly scented spice has a variety of typical uses depending on region. Cardamom flavors coffee in Saudi Arabia, baked goods in Sweden and ground meat in Norway. It is a common ingredient in Eastern Indian curries. All of India considers cardamom to be a digestive aide while Scandinavians employ it as a breath freshener.

The Near East and Scandinavia consume half the world's cardamom. It is more widely used than cinnamon in Sweden. Cardamom coffee or gahwa is a symbol of Arab hospitality. The spice is often combined with cloves and cinnamon in all cuisines.

A member of the ginger family, cardamom follows saffron and vanilla on the list of most expensive spices. As with those two spices, the harvest is labor intensive. Grown on plantations, primarily in India and Guatemala, the tall plants flower for eight or nine months of the year. Each pod, or capsule, ripens slowly and must be plucked when three-quarters ripe.

These capsules hold seeds that are considered the spice. 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.

Cardamom is offered commercially in many forms. You might purchase the whole pods and remove the seeds yourself as needed. You may also buy "decorticated" cardamom; the seeds have been removed from the pod but left whole. Least desirable is the ground form. Powdered cardamom loses flavor quickly.

This flavor is intense with a citrus aroma and hints of menthol. Try it with baked goods, curries and meats. Some say it is a must for mulling wine. Just a quarter teaspoon or so will go a long way so use care as you experiment. Roughly 10 pods will give you enough seeds to crush to equal 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom.

And on to the recipes....


Moroccan Garbanzo Bean Stew Recipe 
formerchef.com 

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. cardamom, ground
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 1/2 tsp paprika, ground
• 1 tsp chili pepper, ground
• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes and their juice
• 2 cans (15 oz each) garbanzo beans (a.k.a. chick peas)
• 3 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock or water)
• 1 lb zucchini, cut into 1-2″ chunks
• 4 oz dried apricots, diced
• 1/4 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
• 2 cups (packed) fresh spinach
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a large pot (6 or 8 qt) and add the olive oil. Cook the sliced onions over a medium heat until soft and add the minced garlic. Add the ground cardamom, cumin, paprika and chili pepper and cook 2 minutes.

2. Add the can of diced tomatoes, the garbanzo beans and the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes and then add the diced zucchini, the chopped dried apricots and the green olives. Cook until the squash is tender.

3. Before serving, fold in the 2 cups of fresh spinach and cook until the spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with cous cous.

Notes (from the formerchef writer):
*I used ground chipotle chili
*I would have used fresh tomatoes if they were in season
*You can use dried garbanzos, just soak and cook them first.
* If too much of the liquid evaporates near the end of the cooking process, just add a little more stock or water and bring back to a simmer. 

How to Grind Cardamom:
The recipe calls for ground cardamom, and if you have some whole cardamom pods, it’s worth the extra time it takes to get the seeds out and grind them yourself. The fragrance is nothing short of incredible and blows the doors off the stuff in the bottle. 

Crush the pods until they break apart. Pull out the seed covers until you have nothing left but the tiny black/brown cardamom seeds. Grind them in a spice grinder until fine.

 And Recipe number 2:

Cardamom Vanilla Pound Cake
epicurious.com

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
• 2 1/2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Equipment: a 12-cup kugelhopf or bundt pan; a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Whisk together flour, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and granulated sugar in mixer at medium speed, scraping side of bowl occasionally, until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans with tip of a paring knife into butter mixture, reserving pods for another use, and beat until combined well, about 1 minute. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in lemon juice until combined well. At low speed, add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top. Gently rap pan on counter to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan 1 hour, then invert onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour more.

Beat cream with confectioners sugar and vanilla extract using whisk attachment of mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve cake with whipped vanilla cream.

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I definitely plan on trying the pound cake.  As I'm sure you'll see, I do a bit of baking and am partial to deserts.  I may try the bean stew, but my husband is not a fan of zucchini and I'm not really a big fan of green olives.  Hopefully I can pick up the few things I'm missing for the pound cake recipe on Friday.  I will definitely post an entry with how that goes (with pictures!)

If you enjoyed this and/or tried a recipe, please leave a comment to let us know your thoughts.

Thanks, and happy eating.