Moscow Food Co-op RecipesGinger
By Pamela Lee, from the November & December 2001 NewsletterI wonder when I first developed a taste for ginger? It doesn't seem like a flavor that a young child would be drawn to…. But, I recently had a long distance telephone conversation with my soon-to-be-three-year-old niece on the subject of candy, and I learned that ginger was her very favorite flavor of candy. When she was barely two years old, she would eagerly raid my sister's baking stash of crystallized ginger. This sweet young child has since added Ginger People's chews to her repertoire, and I suppose I'm to blame. I introduced my ginger-loving sister to the chews when she visited several months ago. My rationale is that if a person is going to indulge in sweets, at least ginger is good for you.
The Moscow Co-op has plenty of ginger to indulge in-as teas, in fresh, sweet, and savory forms. I am a fan of Traditional Medicinal's ginger teas. I especially appreciate the stimulating effect of ginger energizer tea for occasions when I need a bit more pep in my step, yet want to avoid the jittery effect that can be brought on by coffee.
For centuries, traditional Chinese medicine has used ginger as a tonic for digestion, to treat nausea and motion sickness, to improve circulation, and to buffer the effects of other, stronger medicinal herbs. Ginger can be found in nearly half of all Chinese cures, and is widely enjoyed in tea form. Ginger was a staple in the diet of Confucius, and was placed in the tombs of Chinese royalty for sustenance in the afterlife. Ginger root used to be nailed to the door of Chinese homes when a baby was born. The root was supposed to absorb any bad character traits that otherwise might walk in.
Ginger has a protective effect on the liver and the stomach, making this rhizome a good spice for people with liver or digestive problems. Many believe that ginger, in savory food (not sweets) is a helpful medicinal food for diabetics; ginger activates pancreatic and intestinal enzymes. Ginger also helps lower lipids, such as cholesterol and triglycerides, in the blood.
I use ginger to control car-motion sickness. I've also heard anecdotes about how eating ginger root, or swallowing capsules of ginger powder, before undergoing cancer chemotherapy treatments can help mitigate nausea. Ginger can increase circulation, and can soothe coughing and sore throats. Fresh ginger root has a relatively high calcium and iron content. After extolling all its virtues, I must admit - I just like the taste of ginger!
2 1/4 cups sifted, unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground dried ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. Dutch-processed cocoa
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, then cooled to room temperature
3/4 cup light unsulphured molasses
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350-degrees.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and cocoa in medium bowl. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, beat butter, molasses, sugar, buttermilk, milk, and egg with an electric mixer on low speed.
Add dry ingredients to liquid. Beat on medium speed until batter is smooth and thick, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Do not over mix. (If using the fresh ginger, batter will be lumpy.)
Working quickly, pour batter into a nonstick 11x7x1 1/2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and then smooth the surface. (If not using a nonstick pan, butter and dust pan with flour.)
Bake until the top springs back when lightly touched, and edges have pulled away from the pan's sides, about 35 to 45 minutes.
Set pan on wire cake rack and let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Gingerbread can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil, and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Note: for stronger ginger flavor, replace the dried ginger with 3 Tbsp. grated, peeled fresh gingerroot and 3 Tbsp. minced crystallized ginger. If you prefer a lighter colored gingerbread, cover it loosely with aluminum foil during the last 15-20 minutes of baking.
From Cooks Illustrated Magazine, November 1995.
Follow the Old-Fashioned Gingerbread recipe (above), folding 3/4 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped prunes or figs into the batter.
While I am partial to warm gingerbread topped with slightly sweetened (Stratton's) whipped cream, the following sauce is a welcome complement to the gingerbread's spices:
Orange Sauce for Gingerbread
Makes about 1 3/4 cups
1 1/3 cups juice plus 1 tsp. zest from 4 large oranges
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. juice from a small lemon.
Ginger, Part Two
When I was a kid in the 1950 and 60's, growing up in Minnesota, I remember how my Dad would journey some 30 miles through city traffic to the university district, where there was a tiny modestly-stocked Oriental food market. The small section of ginger root, amongst the then-strange foodstuffs that he'd bring home, would be chopped away slowly, and treasured until it was gone.
Dad would store the root segment in the dried rice canister. I remember it (the shrunken root) tumbling out into the measuring cup, as I'd measure out dry rice.
Times have changed. We can now find ginger - fresh, candied, pickled, sauced, in jars of ready to use marinades, soda pop, and ice cream in our Co-op (and in many markets). The Department of Agriculture has been keeping tabs on the rising ginger consumption in the United States. Since 1992, we've consumed 40% more fresh ginger, 80% more candied ginger, and 145% more ground ginger.
When you are shopping for ginger root, look for a section of rhizome that has fresh-looking smooth skin with a light sheen. I've read that one should select a section of root with the least number or knots or branchings. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it has to do with age - the older the root, the more branching. Or, this may be a practical consideration. Each time one lops off one of those branches, tender ginger flesh is exposed to early desiccation and (worse yet) to microbes. I've never stored fresh (peeled) ginger in sherry or Madeira, but many cooks do. I have, when I've found a supply of wonderfully fresh ginger, stored serving size sections in the freezer. The texture changes, but the juice is much the same.
A few years ago my sister called for advice about what to do with her bountiful supply of ginger. She'd bought several pounds of ginger from farmers at the Minneapolis farmer's market. After reviewing the various storage methods, I suggested she plant some of it in a pot. The ginger root is, after all, a rhizome. The suggestion grew, literally, into a handsome houseplant. In warmer climes, the rhizome can be planted outdoors. Different varieties of ginger yield plants with different flowers, some discreet and others downright ostentatious.
If you are someone who forgets about the stray piece of root leftover from dishes-past, you might find the solution in the condiment-sized jar of Ginger People's ginger juice. It is great - no fuss, no peeling, and no disappointingly dry old root shoved to the corner of the produce drawer. I've had an opened jar in the refrigerator for months and it is still good as gold…err, ginger.
If you haven't yet been taken up with this rising ginger craze, I've another healthful boon to boast about on ginger's behalf. Ayurvedic medicine has long valued ginger root in the treatment of arthritis, especially osteoarthritis. Recent (Western) medical studies have been showing that ginger has natural anti-inflammatory properties if consumed in small amounts everyday. It works much like ibuprofen, but without the deleterious side effects. The recommended "small amounts" means ½ to 1 teaspoon each day. This would be easy to do, flavoring sauces, marinades, dressings, stir-fries, vegetables, fresh juice, hot teas, cakes, quick breads, wonderfully warm muffins….
Fresh Lemon and Ginger Muffins
Makes 12 regular-sized muffins
2 T. coarsely chopped, peeled, fresh ginger root
1 or 2 lemons, well scrubbed and patted dry
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. baking soda
1 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T. granulated sugar
Heat oven to 375-degrees F. Grease muffin cups or use paper-baking cups. Finely chop the ginger. Finely grate the lemon peel so you have 2 tablespoons.
In a large bowl, beat butter and the 1-cup sugar with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add ginger and lemon peel.
Stir baking soda into yogurt or buttermilk; it will start to bubble and rise up. Fold flour into ginger mixture one-third at a time, alternating with the yogurt. When well blended, scoop into muffin cups. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and springy to the touch.
While muffins bake, mix lemon juice and the 2 tablespoons sugar in a small dish. Stir until sugar dissolves.
When muffins are baked, remove from oven and let cool 3 to 5 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and dip top and bottom in the lemon juice and sugar mixture.
Note: I have used chopped crystallized ginger in place of the fresh root. The result is not as tangy, but plenty good. I always use organic unbleached flour in place of all-purpose. If one is concerned about the lightness or the baked good, substitute ¼ cup (or less) rice flour in place of wheat flour.
Though Pamela Lee has repeatedly tried to crack the recipe, she has never succeeded in figuring out how to make a cookie as tender and spicily delicious as the packaged Pamela's (brand name) Ginger Cookie. Try one, and see if you can stop at eating just one.
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