No.33: Lima Beans

Note: This week's Lima Beans has also been requested by Sam's Mistress & J

Favored for their lovely nutty taste, lima beans make a great addition to any meal!

1. During the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru, lima beans were exported to the rest of the Americas and Europe, since the boxes of such goods had their place of origin labeled "Lima - Peru", the beans got named as such.

2. Raw lima beans are not to be consumed raw! They contain linamarin (also called cyanogen), which releases a cyanide compound when the seed coat is opened. Don’t worry, cooking deactivates this compound.

3. The United States sets regulations to restrict commercially grown lima beans to those varieties with very low levels of this linamarin, but lima beans grown elsewhere,
may have 20 to 30 times the concentration allowed in the United States.

4. Before the late 19th century, most beans were raised for shelled, dried beans, not fresh green beans. Because beans dry so well, they are easy to transport and store.

5. Soak dried limas for six hours and cook on the stove uncovered for about one hour, or until tender. 1 cup of dried limas makes approximately 2 1/2 cups of cooked beans.

Reference: Food Reference, Wikipedia

No.32: Cauliflower

Note: This week's Cauliflower has been requested
by Sam's Mistress

Sporting green leaves to shade itself from the sun gives
this yummy veg its original whitish shade!

1. Apart from the white variety of cauliflower, there are also green, purple and orange varieties! Orange cauliflower contains
25 times the level of Vitamin A of
white varieties.

2. While broccoli opens outward to sprout bunches of green florets, cauliflower forms a compact head of undeveloped white flower buds. The heavy green leaves that surround the head protect the flower buds from the sunlight, hence its white color.

3. To prevent moisture from developing in the floret clusters, store it with the stem
side down.

4. Cauliflower contains phytonutrients that release odorous sulfur compounds when heated. Some phytonutrients may react with iron in cookware and cause the cauliflower to take on a brownish hue. To prevent this, add a bit of lemon juice to the water in which you blanche the cauliflower.

5. Low carb dietiers can use cauliflower as a reasonable substitute for potatoes for while they can produce a similar texture, or mouth feel, they lack the starch of potatoes; cauliflower is used to produce a potato substitute known as fauxtato.

Reference: Wikipedia, World's Healthiest Food, Food Reference

No.31: Patty pan Squash

Being so cute & colorful makes patty pan squashes big hits
with children!

1. Brightly colored, this little squash comes in numerous varieties: white, bright yellow or orange, and ends in a thick green tail.
The pattypan is about the size of a pepper, semi-spherical in shape with
a scalloped border.

2. The French name pâtisson comes from the Provençal word for a cake made in a scalloped mould. It also bears the French nicknames of "Israel artichoke" and
"Priest's bonnet."

3. In fine cuisine, its tender flesh is sometimes scooped out and mixed with flavorings such as garlic prior to reinsertion; the scooped-out husk of a pattypan also is sometimes used as a decorative container for other foods.

4. Choose the smallest ones available if you want the best taste and texture as once it gets older, its flesh whitens and toughens. Since pattypans are picked when immature, they should be eaten as soon as possible.

5. Mini pattypans are best used raw, since high heat can turn their flesh floury and slightly sour. Or you could always preserve them in vinegar!

Reference: Wikipedia, Nation Master, Ezine Articles, The Worldwide Gourmet, Wisegeek

No.30: Brussel Sprouts

Brussel sprouts are your one of your best sources of Vitamins K & C!

1. The Brussels sprout is a cultivar group of Wild Cabbage cultivated for its small (typically 2.5 - 4cm, 1 - 1.5 inches diameter) leafy green heads, which resemble miniature cabbages.

2. Brussels sprouts grow in bunches of 20 to 40 on the stem of a plant that grows from two to three feet tall.

3. The sprouts are usually cooked whole. To allow the heat to permeate throughout all of the leaves and better ensure an even texture, cut an "X" in the bottom of the stem before cooking.

4. Overcooking releases sulphur compounds in the vegetables that give it a distinctive smell commonly found unpleasant.

5. Don't overcook sprouts or they'll taste bland. Steaming, rather than boiling, helps to preserve their sweet flavour.

Reference: Wikipedia, Cabbage Lore & Trivia, BBC, WHFoods, Organicfood.com.au

No.29: Petai

An interesting vegetable, petai should never be a 'no go'!

1.Like asparagus, it contains certain amino acids that give a strong smell to ones urine, an effect that can be noticed up to two days after consumption. And like other beans, their complex carbohydrates can also cause strong-smelling flatulence.

2. When young the pods are flat because the seeds have not yet developed, and they hang like a bunch of slightly twisted ribbons, pale green, almost translucent.When dried the seeds turn black.

3. They are an acquired taste, but are popular in southern Thailand, Burma, Malaysia and Indonesia and are sold in bunches, still in the pod, or the seeds are sold in plastic bags. They are exported in jars or cans, pickled in brine.

4. Like mature broad beans, they may have to be peeled before cooking.Before you cook the petai, make sure that you split the bean into two with a paring knife as there are prone to worms burrowing their way into the heart of the petai.

5. They are best when combined with other strong flavoured foods such as garlic, chili peppers, and dried shrimp, as in "sambal petai" or added to a curry.

Reference: Wikipedia, Permais, Asia Food, Lemniscate

No.28: Mashua

Hardy little roots, mashua seem almost invincible!

1. Mashua is probably the Andean region's fourth most important root crop—after potato, oca, and ulluco. The tubers—about the size of small potatoes—have shapes ranging from conical to carrotlike.

2. Mashua grows vigorously in nearly any type of garden soil, making this plant very easy to grow. The plant is also extremely pest-resistant and is often used as a companion plant for potatoes and other crops to aid in repelling insects.

3. Eaten raw, some have a peppery taste—reminiscent of hot radishes. But when boiled, they lose their sharpness and become mild—even sweet.

4.In trials in Ayacucho, Peru, and Turrialba, Costa Rica, the nutritional value of mashua was shown to equal or surpass that of cereals.

5. Popularization of mashua may be limited by its strong flavor, and its reputation as an anti-aphrodisiac. It been recorded by the Spanish chronicler Cobo that mashua was fed to their armies by the Inca Emperors, "that they should forget their wives". Indeed, studies of male rats fed on mashua tubers have shown a 45% drop in testosterone levels!

Reference: Wikipedia, Jicas.com, Tuberosas Andinas, CIP, Planting Flower Bulbs,
The National Academies Press

No.27: Samphire

Tasting far from being a poor man's asparagus, samphire's just the side dish for seafood!

1.Though there are two types of samphire - marsh and rock - only marsh samphire is widely available. Samphire is at is best in July and August. Buy samphire as you need it - it doesn't keep for long. If you must, tightly wrap and refrigerate for not longer
than a few days.

2. In England it is one of several plants known as samphire, the term samphire is believed to be a corruption of the French name, herbe de Saint-Pierre, which means "St. Pierre's Herb." In the United States the edible species are known as sea beans.

3. Marsh samphire has vibrant green stalks, similar to baby asparagus, with a distinctively crisp and salty taste. Rock samphire has fleshy, divided aromatic leaves that have been described as having a "pleasant,hot and spicy taste".

4. Marsh samphire ashes were used to make soap and glass (hence its other old English name, "glasswort.") In the 14th century glassmakers located their workshops near regions where this plant grew, since it was so closely linked to their trade.

5. It is even mentioned by Shakespeare in King Lear: "Half-way down Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade!" This refers to the dangers involved in collecting Rock samphire on sea cliffs.

According to Alison Gathercole of Dorset: "In Dorset it grows high up on cliffs, & therefore one presumes it does not require marshy conditions as suggested. I was told about the Shakespeare quote by a former ranger at Lulworth, who said that 'horrible trade' was a reference to the fact that children were dangled over cliffs tied by ropes on their feet .... which does sound a rather horrible task ... in order to pick the plant."

Reference: Wikipedia: Samphire , Wikipedia: Salicornia, Wikipedia:Rock Samphire, BBC Good Food, Cafe Fernando, Istanbul, Gardener's Question Time