Hi Arbor News
an e-newsletter for vegetarians
V.8 No.6
July 17, 2008

www.hiarbor.org


CONTENTS:

  • SPICES and HERBS
  • AJWAIN (OR AJOWAN) SEEDS
  • ANNATTO SEEDS:
Hello, and welcome back to Hi Arbor. The web addresses below have recipes from all over the world, though it can be as simple as stir-fried rice. A story in today's food and drink section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reminded me that fried rice has scrambled eggs in it.
 
Scramble the eggs first. Remove from pan, add more oil to the pan and cook vegetables (summer squash and bell pepper are good along with onion and garlic). When the vegetables are tender, add cold leftover rice and stir. Then add the egg and stir, seasoning with salt or soy sauce. It makes a simple one pan meal.
 
The next issue of the Hi Arbor News will be sent on August 21, 2008. Please click reply if you have information or recipes you'd like to send.  I'm sorry this newsletter doesn't have more recipes in the newsletter itself, but I don't have the stamina.  I greatly appreciate your interest in the Hi Arbor News.  The web sites have an abundance of information and many recipes, too.  I will continue to try to provide information about food related things that might interest you and links to recipes, if not the recipes themselves.
 
Take care,
 
Roxanne

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SPICES AND HERBS:

 The Difference

"A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for the purpose of flavoring, and sometimes as a preservative by killing or preventing the growth of harmful bacteria...
 
 
"In the kitchen, spices are distinguished from herbs, which are leafy, green plant parts used for flavoring purposes. Herbs, such as basil and oregano, may be used fresh, and are commonly chopped into smaller pieces. Spices, however, are dried and often ground or grated into a powder. Small seeds, such as fennel and mustard seeds, are used in both whole and in powder form...

"Salt is a very common seasoning. Because of its granular form, it is often mistakenly considered to be a spice. It is in fact a mineral product." (4)
 (From Wikipedia)
 
Enspicelopedia at McCormick.com
 
 Tips on selecting, storing, and using spices at MyRecipes.com
 
Spicy Food Recipes at Spicy-Food-Recipes,com" (4) 
 

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 Buying and Storing
 
 Buying one year's worth of herbs or ground spices and 1-2 years of whole spices is suggested. Vanilla is the only flavoring that should not be stored in the refrigerator. However, it is thought that spices stored in the refrigerator may not be used as much because they are out of sight and out of mind.
 
 "Heat, light, moisture and air all speed the loss of flavor and
color...The best way to avoid light is to put the spices inside a
cupboard or a drawer", if not the refrigerator. It is recommended that
smaller quantities of spices be kept out "in the cooking area and larger
backup supplies in the refrigerator or freezer." (1)
 

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  AJWAIN (OR AJOWAN) SEEDS:
 
"Ajwain seed (or ajowan) is traditional to many Indian and Pakistani dishes." (1)
 
 What is ajowan? 
 Recipes (and information) from Indian cuisine and also many other international cuisines. 
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Market/7773/india.html
 
Information and recipes for Pakistan cooking.
More information about international cooking:
 

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ANNATTO SEEDS:
 
Annatto seeds are "a must for South American, Caribbean, & Mexican cooking." (1)
 
Recipes with annatto.
 
A lot of good information:

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  REFERENCES:
 
 
  1. Penzey's Spices
      www.penzeys.com
 
  2. "Practical Herb Garden" by Jessica Houdret, Hermes House
 
  3. "Encyclopedia of Herbs" by Deni Brown, Covent Garden Books
 
  4. Wikipedia, free online encyclopedia.
 
"All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia (R) is a registered trademark of the Wikipedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c) (3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity."
 
  5. "History of Food" by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, Barnes &   
      Noble Books, New York

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The End

        
 
 


 


 
 





 
 
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