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
It is quite feasible to trace the history of transcribed cooking instructions way back into antiquity, in fact as far into history as the ancient Egyptians, and possibly even further. Having said that, generally, these ancient cook books were just simple hieroglyphic recipes for preparing meals.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe found, according to experts are a few ancient tablets in Sumerian which describe the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made those who drank it feel `wonderful`. Later on, in The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius compiled some scripts which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, he describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvre, main course and afters, a style of dining still practiced today. Additionally, he tells us how the ancient chefs used many different herbs, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens like basil, fennel and parsley. Moving our culinary historical trip onwards, there were a couple of interesting cookery books which were published in the fourteenth century : a recipe book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another titled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, these are not about the curry that is popular today, but instead accounts of the types of meals served to the rich people of those days. Later on, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us many new foods and spices from the East, including spices like coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. These new foods and tastes prompted an increase in manuscripts on food, many of which are now in private libraries. When we get to the 20th century, cookery books were increasing in popularity as a result of increased literacy, people having increased spare time and disposable income. The TV revolution gave us celebrity chefs and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting us all to search through thousands of recipes like those on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Angelica (Angelica Archangelica) recipe.
