CANDIED ANGELICA STEMS
1 broad green angelica stems
1 water - enough to cover the stems
1 sugar, same volume as water
Directions
"Angelica has a variety of culinary uses. Its unique flavor is
difficult to describe except by listing its components: musky,
bitter, celerylike, aniselike, slightly sweet, fresh. The hollow
stems are jellied or candied (see recipe below) and either eaten
alone or used to decorate desserts. About 1/4 cup fresh angelica
stems, cut in short pieces, can be added to rhubarb to counteract its
tartness and reduce the necessary sugar by as much as one-third. The
stems and dried roots are sometimes boiled like celery and can be
cooked with sugar like rhubarb. The slightly bitter leaves may be
served with fish, and sometimes are candied with the stems.
"Consuming large amounts of angelica can cause photosensitivity in
some individuals, and pregnant women should avoid using any part of
the plant. Commercially, the seeds and see oil flavor liqueurs and
desserts, and scent cosmetics. The pungent, juniper-flavored roots
are used with or instead of juniper berries to flavor gin. Arkansas
or Quapaw Indians mixed the root of A. atropurpurea with tobacco for
smoking. The robust angelica stalks are handsome in dried
arrangements, and the coumarin-containing leaves sometimes serve as a
potpourri fixative."
CANDIED ANGELICA STEMS ====================== The best stems for
candying are the new growth in the second year. Cut them into
manageable pieces, then blanch 1-2 minutes. Peel the blanched stems,
them cut them into pieces 2 inches long by 1/2 inch wide. Simmer 20
minutes in a syrup made of the sugar and water. Drain, reserving the
syrup, and refrigerate stems and syrup, covered, for four days.
Reheat the angelica in the syrup and cook for 20 minutes, or until
candied. The temperature of the syrup should reach 238 F. Drain the
angelica and dry on racks set over waxed paper. Store in airtight
containers.
[NOTE: For safety's sake, do not gather angelica in the wild. Wild
angelica is easily confused with the deadly poisonous lookalike,
water hemlock (Cicula maculata).]
* Excerpted from: 'An Herb to Know' column by Sharon Hagemann * The
Herb Companion - August/September 1993 * Typed for you by Karen
Mintzias
Servings: 1 recipe
Angelica (Angelica Archangelica) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Candy
The History of Recipes
Written recipes as a concept can be tracked way back into the far past, at least as far back into recorded history as the ancient Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. However, generally, these ancient cook books were just very simple hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for meal preparation.
Fascinatingly, the oldest recipe in existence, according to academics is a collection of ancient tablets in the Sumerian language describing the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making people feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. As we move into The time of the roman empire around 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a collection of documents which described recipes enjoyed by the Romans. In his publication, Apicius tells us how the meals were divided into starters, main meal and dessert, a very modern way of dining. This early Roman chef tells us how the ancient cooks were skilled in the use of a wide range of spices and herbs, including some that we all recognise for example thyme, rue and parsley. In the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new foods and spices from middle-east cuisine, such as rosemary and coriander. These new foods and spices was responsible for an eruption in publications on food, the majority of which still exist in private libraries. Over the next few hundred years, the upper-class families of Europe tried to serve up the most extravagent banquests, and because of this cooks and their recipe collections were highly sought after. Nevertheless, it was during the 19th century that fine cookery and cookery books became really popular. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the USA, devoted much of their lives to assembling, testing, and writing down the recipes of their peers. When we get to the 1900s, cooking books are increasing in popularity as a result of higher levels of literacy, people having more spare time and being a little richer. |
We hope you enjoy this Angelica (Angelica Archangelica) recipe.
