From adding zing to ale to a slightly sweet touch to tea, ginger
is a versatile ingredient that boasts both flavorful and medicinal
qualities.
From adding zing to ale to a slightly sweet touch to tea, ginger is a versatile ingredient that boasts both flavorful and medicinal qualities.
In its rawest form, ginger can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores in odd-shaped stems that range in color from white to tan to dark brown. Although it’s commonly referred to as a root, ginger is the underground stem of the plant, which is native to India and China.
Powdered ginger, the ground spice, often is used in baking, particularly for gingerbread and ginger snaps. Crystallized ginger is made by cooking slices of the stem in sugar syrup, then air drying them and rolling them in sugar. Pickled ginger, served alongside sushi, is the root sliced paper-thin and pickled in a vinegar solution. In stores, pickled ginger is sold in jars and can be bright red or soft pink.
Dorothy McNett, owner of Dorothy McNett’s Place in Hollister, said ginger is one of her favorite spices. McNett recommended grating knobs of fresh ginger into stirfrys or adding the spice to marinades. For a tasty spin on steamed or fried rice, McNett suggested cooking it with a splash of ginger juice. The store sells a variety of ginger-infused products such as ginger-peach salsa and scallion-ginger teriyaki sauce.
“Ginger is just so versatile. Asians have used in their cooking for centuries and centuries,” she said. “It’s also good in smoothies. I’m a smoothie person – I like having smoothies for breakfast. I just started adding a little bit of ginger to my smoothies, and it’s delicious.”
The health benefits of ginger date back to the writings of Confucius, according to Nina Simonds’ book “A Spoonful of Ginger: Irresistible Health-Giving Recipes from Asian Kitchens.” The spice contains volatile oils, which are touted for soothing stomach pains, easing nausea and calming motion sickness.
Pregnant women also might find that eating ginger helps relieve morning sickness and stomach cramps. That was the case for Ing Sheffer, manager of Gilroy’s Ginger Cafe. True to its name, the restaurant serves several dishes with ginger-based sauces, such as steamed oysters with ginger and scallion.
Kim Chung, co-owner of Ninja Sushi in Gilroy, said in her native Korea, ginger – along with garlic – is used in the same way Americans use salt and pepper.
“You cannot leave home without ginger and garlic,” she said.
Pickled ginger is served with sushi and other fish dishes to cleanse the palette, Chung said. Eating a small piece of the pink slices in between bites of different fish helps separate the distinct tastes.
Gingerbread
(from Dorothy McNett)
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbs. sugar
1 egg
1 cup sorghum or molasses
2 1/4 cups lifted unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Microwave water in measuring cup for two minutes on high. In meantime, with an electric beater, cream the butter, sugar, egg and sorghum until fluffy. In another bowl whisk together the flour, soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Beat into the butter mixture. Add hot water and blend well. Pour into well-buttered and floured 9-inch square pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until done. Serve warm with homemade applesauce, and gobs of cinnamon flavored whipped cream, if desired.
Ginger spice cookies (from the Food Network)
1-inch knob peeled fresh ginger or 2 tablespoons prepared ginger juice
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. fine salt
1 Tbs. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. freshly and finely ground black pepper
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature cut into pieces
1 cup superfine sugar
2/3 cup molasses, preferably sorghum
Icing:
1/4 cup water
3 Tbs. egg white powder
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Food coloring, sprinkles, candies or colored sugars as desired
Purée the ginger in a mini food processor with 2 tablespoons water. Squeeze and strain juice through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. Discard the ginger pulp. Reserve the juice.
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and spices into a medium bowl, then whisk in the pepper; set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the molasses and ginger juice and beat until evenly incorporated, about 2 minutes. (Stir together with a spatula if needed.) Gradually blend the dry ingredients on low speed into the butter mixture until you have a crumbly mixture. Bring the dough together by hand pressing and kneading lightly until moist, but not tacky. Divide into two equal portions, press into disks about 1/2-inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour or overnight.
Position racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Dust the dough and a work surface with flour. Roll the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies into desired shapes. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are a rich tawny brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack.
For decorating: Whisk the water and egg white powder in a medium bowl until foamy and smooth. Gradually whisk in the confectioners’ sugar to make a smooth icing. For multiple colors divide the icing into batches and add a food coloring as desired. Spread or pipe the icing onto the cookies. Finish with sprinkles or candies. Let rest on a rack until the icing sets, about 30 minutes.
For a chewier cookie, roll them 1/3 to 1/2-inch thick and bake for 16 to 20 minutes.
Vinegar ginger dip (from Dorothy McNett)
1 Tbs. sherry wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbs. dark soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
3 to 4 Tbs. fresh ginger root, peeled and shredded
Combine 30 minutes before serving.
Roasted ginger salmon with ginger soy butter sauce (from the Food Network)
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
Essence (recipe follows)
1 cup fresh grated ginger
2 Tbs. grated orange zest
2 Tbs. grated lemon zest
1/2 to 1 cup bread crumbs, enough to bind the crust
3 Tbs. finely chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce (recipe follows)
6 fried whole arugula leaves
1 Tbs. brunoise red peppers
1 Tbs. brunoise yellow peppers
1 Tbs. chopped chives
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the salmon with the essence. In a small mixing bowl, combine the ginger, zests and cilantro together. Stir in enough bread crumbs to bind the crust. Season with salt and pepper. In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, sear the salmon for one to two minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and cover the entire top side with the crust. Place in the oven and roast for six to eight minutes for medium rare. The crust should be golden in color. Remove from the oven.
Spoon a small pool of the ginger soy butter sauce in the center of the plate. Drizzle the rim with the sauce. Place the salmon in the center of the sauce. Garnish with fried arugula, brunoise peppers and chives.
Essence:
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 Tbs. salt
2 Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs. onion powder
1 Tbs. cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. dried leaf oregano
1 Tbs. dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Ginger soy butter sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 ounce minced ginger
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. minced shallots
1 orange, juiced
1/2 pound butter
Salt and pepper
In a sauce pot, combine the soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and shallots together. Bring the liquid up to a boil and simmer for five to six minutes, or until the sauce is dark and reduced by half. Remove from the heat and mound in the butter cubes. Stir in the orange juice and strain through a chinoise. Season with salt and pepper.
Ginger spice cookies (from the Food Network)
1-inch knob peeled fresh ginger or 2 tablespoons prepared ginger juice
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. fine salt
1 Tbs. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. freshly and finely ground black pepper
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature cut into pieces
1 cup superfine sugar
2/3 cup molasses, preferably sorghum
Icing:
1/4 cup water
3 Tbs. egg white powder
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Food coloring, sprinkles, candies or colored sugars as desired
Purée the ginger in a mini food processor with 2 tablespoons water. Squeeze and strain juice through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. Discard the ginger pulp. Reserve the juice.
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and spices into a medium bowl, then whisk in the pepper; set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the molasses and ginger juice and beat until evenly incorporated, about 2 minutes. (Stir together with a spatula if needed.) Gradually blend the dry ingredients on low speed into the butter mixture until you have a crumbly mixture. Bring the dough together by hand pressing and kneading lightly until moist, but not tacky. Divide into two equal portions, press into disks about 1/2-inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour or overnight.
Position racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Dust the dough and a work surface with flour. Roll the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies into desired shapes. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are a rich tawny brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack.
For decorating: Whisk the water and egg white powder in a medium bowl until foamy and smooth. Gradually whisk in the confectioners’ sugar to make a smooth icing. For multiple colors divide the icing into batches and add a food coloring as desired. Spread or pipe the icing onto the cookies. Finish with sprinkles or candies. Let rest on a rack until the icing sets, about 30 minutes.
For a chewier cookie, roll them 1/3 to 1/2-inch thick and bake for 16 to 20 minutes.
