Two weeks until Christmas — is it getting crazy-busy or stressful for you? If so, take a break in a cozy corner and treat yourself to a little ginger remedy. It can be as simple as a cup of ginger tea, or a mouthful of warm gingerbread.
This warming spice has many healing properties. In Danish trials, fresh ginger (1-3/4 oz. cooked, or ¼ oz. raw) eaten each day, gave some relief to sufferers of osteo- or rheumatoid arthritis by blocking inflammatory substances. For indigestion, ginger has a warming effect and can help relieve gut spasms, as well as nausea. In this season of colds and flu, ginger can help relieve congested airways by stimulating circulation, thinning mucus, and drying phlegm. Our Hawaii-grown ginger is top of the line in quality, reaching its peak in January and February until late April’s season end, so take advantage of using it to get you through the holidays and beyond.
Store fresh ginger in the refrigerator, wrapped in a plastic bag with a paper towel, to avoid mold or drying out. Try to use it within two or three weeks. I keep a small jar of refrigerated pickled ginger handy, not only for sushi but as a garnish in soups, salads, and rice dishes. Fresh ginger can be grated into fruit salads, especially with bananas, pears, peaches or melons. Here are easy ways to enjoy our fresh ginger in soothing drinks and an addictive ginger cake.
Ginger-Scallion Root Tea
Nina Simonds, author of “A Spoonful of Ginger,” offers this easy, curative, traditional Chinese tea purported to cure colds, flu and other bronchial ailments accompanied by chills (not fever) as well as for nausea, motion sickness, and chronically cold hands and feet.
6 to 8 thin slices fresh ginger with peel, about quarter size
6 to 8 scallions, white part only
2 to 3 teaspoons raw sugar, honey, or maple syrup, to taste
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups spring water
Lightly smash ginger slices with the side of a knife. Place ginger and scallions in a small pot (preferably glass or ceramic) and add sweetener of choice, plus sea salt and water. Bring to a boil, stirring, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and serve hot.
In his book, “Ginger East to West,” Bruce Cost (whose name is on one of my favorite ginger ales) mentions that ginger and tangerine peel were the first flavorings added to Chinese tea during the T’ang Period (A.D. 618-907) when tea drinking became widespread. A slice of fresh ginger added to your favorite tea will help digestion at the end of a meal. If you feel a cold coming on, try this light broth recipe from his cookbook. Cost says that serving it hot from a mug on a chilly day works; doing the same on a hot day will cool you off. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Adrak (Fresh Ginger) Soup
2 rounded tablespoons grated fresh ginger, with the juice
4 cups water or chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted in a dry skillet, then ground
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
Fresh coriander leaves for garnish
Bring grated ginger and water (or broth) to a boil; reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes. Liquid should reduce to half. Add salt, cumin and pepper; simmer 2 minutes longer. Squeeze in the lemon juice, garnish with coriander leaves, and serve.
Gingercake in a Blackened Skillet
Claimed as “the best gingerbread known to man or woman, lord or commoner,” this recipe from “Tea-Time at the Inn” by Gail Greco will yield 12 to 16 team-time slices, though I suspect if the claims are correct, I could make it disappear all by myself with a nice cup of tea.
1/2 cup port
1/2 cup raisins
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons dried ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup chopped English walnuts
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons dark molasses
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring port to a boil; add raisins and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, ginger and cinnamon; cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1/4 cup of mixture, adding walnuts to it.
Drain port into a 2-cup measure, reserving raisins in another bowl. Add buttermilk to the port, to equal 1 cup total liquid. Stir baking soda and salt into port mixture until dissolved. Combine the flour/butter mixture (the portion without nuts) with the egg, molasses, and port mixture. Stir until well combined (may be lumpy) then add raisins. Pour batter into a well-greased 8- or 9-inch iron skillet; sprinkle reserved flour-nut mixture over top. Bake 30 minutes. Serve warm; plain or with whipped cream.