Caraway seeds are actually a fruit, not a seed. The caraway plant looks similar to a carrot plant, with feathery leaves and thread-like divisions. The “seeds” are small, crescent-shaped achenes (an achene is a one-seeded fruit; the seed has a thin wall, such as a sunflower seed). Caraway seeds have a licorice-like flavor and are frequently used in rye breads, crackers, cheeses and liqueurs. (We love to mix them into sauerkraut, too.)
“Bitter greens” refers to a variety of dark green, leafy vegetables, including spinach, collards, chard and kale. The name “bitter greens” is no misnomer. When cooked, these veggies have a distinctive (and desirable) bitter flavor that juxtaposes well against other strong flavors. Examples include collards cooked with bacon or spinach salad topped with a sweet lemon poppyseed dressing.
No humdrum greens: an exciting grilled
salad with blue cheese. Photo courtesy McCormick.com.
In this recipe for Grilled Bitter Greens with Caraway Peach Dressing, radicchio and endive are added to baby greens, perfectly accented with a nutty-sweet dressing of caraway seeds and peach preserves. The unmistakable caraway spice tames the bitter bite of bold greens. A scattering of pungent blue cheese finishes the dish.By the way, caraway was also an early candy, dating back to at least the 17th century. Tiny seeds coated with many layers of sugar were a popular confection known as a comfit (not confit). The original sugarplums were sugar-coated coriander (the seeds of cilantro). Aniseed was also a popular comfit.
Sixty years ago, William Rosenberg opened the first Dunkin’ Donuts shop in Quincy, Massachusetts. Today there are thousands of stores worldwide, beckoning the hungry with its cheerful orange and pink logo.
To celebrate, there are two contests.
THE NIBBLE’s Gourmet Giveaway
THE PRIZE: One winner will receive a $60.00 gift card, good at any Dunkin Donuts location or online.
TO ENTER: Go to the box at the bottom of our Gourmet Pies & Pastry Section and enter your email address for the prize drawing.
DEADLINE: This contest closes on Monday, March 8th at noon, Eastern Time. Good luck!
Contest #2: Design The Next Donut & Win $12,000
Dunkin’ Donuts’ “birthDDay” celebration (that’s DD for Dunkin’ Donuts) includes the return of the “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” contest. If your idea is chosen, you’ll win $12,000 and the honor of having your creation sold at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide. Create and enter your donut at DunkinDonuts.com.
A dozen finalists will be chosen to travel to Dunkin’ Donuts University, the company’s worldwide training center in Massachusetts. The grand prize winner will be announced—when else?—on National Donut Day, June 4th.
Dunkin’ Donuts has also created a full line of commemorative retro packaging, vintage-themed tee shirts and retro Dunkin’ Donuts Cards at DunkinDonuts.com, as well as at participating DD shops (while supplies last).
– National Celery Month
– National Flour Month
– National Frozen Food Month
– National Nutrition Month
– National Noodle Month
– National Peanut Month
– National Sauce Month
– National Caffeine Awareness Month
In addition to the declaration of entire months as food holidays, almost every day of the year has its own food holiday—for example, today, March 1st, is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day.
While we used to publish all of the holidays in this blog, they’re now part of THE NIBBLE’s Tweetstream. Sign up for them at Twitter.com.
These holidays are part of a long article on monthly food holidays that we created in 2005, and are among the most popular of the 20,000 pages on TheNibble.com. (More than a few people have begun tweeting on the same topic after seeing ours.)
It’s National Caffeine Awareness Month.
Become more aware in our Coffee Glossary. Photo by Mac Pale | SXC.
You can see the entire Food Holiday list (with an overview of how days become designated as particular food holidays), with a click-through to a related article or recipe. Or enjoy it Tweet by Tweet.
Preserved lemon is a condiment made of lemons that have been pickled in a brine of water, lemon juice, salt and sometimes, spices (they’re pickled lemons). The lemons then ferment at room temperature for weeks, or even months. The result is a concentrated and earthy lemon flavor without too much tartness. Preserved lemons are popular in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Moroccan cuisines.
Preserved lemons can be purchased in specialty food stores and on Amazon.com; or you can make your own with this preserved lemon recipe.
Bay leaves are the aromatic leaves of the bay laurel plant. Fresh or dried bay leaves are used to flavor soups, stews and braises. They are quite pungent, so one leaf is often enough to flavor an entire pot. When dried, the fragrance is herbal and slightly floral, with a flavor that is sharp and somewhat bitter.
Enliven tortellini with bay leaf and
preserved lemon. Photo courtesy McCormick.
McCormick’s Flavor Trends say that it’s time to combine the two for a new flavor sensation.
Recipe: Lemon-Bay Tortellini With Spinach & Wild Mushrooms
Bay leaves and preserved lemons combine into an aromatic mix of bitter, salty-tart and bright, slowly coaxed flavors. This sophisticated recipe for combines familiar tortellini ingredients—spinach mushrooms—with the bay leaf and preserved lemons.
What else to do with the bay leaf/preserved lemon combination? If you’ve never made a Moroccan tagine, this is the year to try one! Then, use let your palate guide you to more new recipe ideas.
