Arm Your Spice Cabinet!

Arm Your Spice Cabinet!

By: Dr. Mary Rondeau

Featured Spice:  Nutmeg

Latin name: Myristica fragrans

History of Nutmeg: Nutmeg is an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia.  This was the world’s only source of nutmeg until the mid 19^th century.  Nutmeg is now grown in many places including Malaysia, Caribbean, Ceylon, Sumatra and India. Two spices actually come from the nutmeg fruit: mace which is the outer coating to the nutmeg seed and nutmeg which is actually the seed. 

Taste and Aroma: Strong, warm, nutty and sweet. Nutmeg is slightly sweeter than mace and mace has a more delicate flavor.

Culinary uses: In the US we think of nutmeg and fall/winter spice especially around the holidays.  It can be found in many fall favorites including pumpkin muffins (pumpkin anything really), eggnog, mulled cider, sweet potato pie, gingerbread cookies and apple compote. In other areas of the world nutmeg is used in savory dishes like in Middle Eastern cuisine.  In European cuisine, nutmeg and mace are popular in potato dishes, meat dishes, soups, sauces in addition to baked goods.  My mother was born and raised in France and to this day anytime potatoes are being served, especially mashed, freshly ground nutmeg is the last ingredient added before the spuds hit the table. Another favorite of mine is my mother’s Ratatouille.  She claims that her version is so good because it contains Quatre Epices a French spice blend which contains pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. I believe her! In India nutmeg is used in both sweet and savory dishes, one of my favorites is biryani. In a recent trip to Kerala, a southern state of India, an Indian woman that my husband and I stayed with made us homemade chicken biryani, she claims that the key ingredient is nutmeg.  It was the most delicious biryani I have ever tasted! 

Medicinal uses of nutmeg:  As with many common spices it is easy to forget that they have medicinal uses.  After all how did they end up as part of cuisine in the first place?  Food is our medicine.

Nutmeg has heating properties meaning that it warms the body up on many different levels which helps explain why it is a fall favorite.  It has specific actions on the digestive, nervous and reproductive systems.

Nutmeg has been used when abdominal pain and bloating are present, it helps to reduce the formation of gas in the intestines. Nutmeg is an excellent herb to increase absorption of nutrients in the small intestines and it works especially well when combined with ginger and cardamom.  An Ayurvedic (ancient eastern medicine) home remedy is to combine nutmeg with buttermilk to stop diarrhea. Nutmeg is one of the best medicines to calm the mind.  It can be taken with warm milk at night to promote healthful and sound sleep.  In large doses it can become sedative but these doses would not appear in any recipe. For the reproductive system, nutmeg is reported to be an aphrodisiac and may be helpful in treating male sexual dysfunctions including impotence. Toxicity is possible with consumption of nutmeg.  According to Eclectic text, consuming more than 3 drams (~5.3grams) can lead to possible death with symptoms of overdose being headache, collapse and extreme drowsiness.  In an article published in Natural Toxins in 1997, Hallstrom et al. concluded that acute toxicity nutmeg appeared to be low. Rats were administered a dose of 10mg/kg body weight with no reported adverse effects. 

Nutmeg is best when freshly grated.  This means that it is best to buy the whole seed and stay clear of the pre ground nutmeg which will lack many of the volatile oils and distinct flavor. It can be easily grated with a nutmeg grater, microplane grater, or the smallest grater available on a standard box cheese grater. It is best to store nutmeg in a glass jar away from heat sources.  To have the freshest most flavorful herbs it is best to buy small quantities more frequently.  With all this information about nutmeg, have fun exploring new sweet and savory dishes.

RECIPES

My Mother’s Ratatouille:

By: Marie-Paule Leonhardt

Ingredients and Directions:

1 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

1 green pepper, cubed into bite size pieces

1 eggplant, cubed into bite size pieces

2 tomatoes cubed into bite size pieces with juices

1 medium zucchini cubed into bite size pieces

1 medium cucumber, seeded cubed into bite size pieces

1 jalapeno chopped (optional)

Thyme 1 nice sized sprig fresh OR ½ teaspoon dried

Bay leaf 1 small

Quatre Epices ½ teaspoon*

Olive oil- 1 tablespoon

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat dutch oven over medium-high heat, when hot add oil and onions.  Sauté  onions until lightly translucent, 2 minutes or so. 
2. Add vegetables and continue to sauté until vegetables begin to soften, 5-6 minutes.
3. Add garlic, Thyme, Bay leaf, Quatre Epices, salt and pepper.
4. Cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer on low for 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Vegetarian:

Add a 15 oz can of garbanzo beans (rinsed), with step 3 and serve over quinoa

Non-vegetarian

Sear lamb chops or steak lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and serve ratatouille over quinoa

*Substitutes: if you do not have Quatre Epices, take 1 tsp of each: black pepper, freshly ground nutmeg and cinnamon, combine with ½ tsp ground cloves.  Mix all these herbs together, and add ½ tsp of this to the recipe above.  Store excess in a glass jar.

Serves: 6 side dishes or 4 main courses

Apple-Apricot Compote

Recipe adapted from The Garden of Eating by Rachel Albert-Matesz and Don Matesz

Ingredients and Directions:

½ cup water

8 medium apples (about 3-3 ½ pounds):

            Cameo, empire, gala, granny smith, Fuji, pink lady, cameo, jonagold or braeburn

1/3 cup unsulphured raisins

1/3 cup dried, unsulphured, unsweetened Turkish apricots

1/3 teaspoon dried ginger

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup chopped, toasted nuts, optional

1 tablespoon agave nectar optional

1. Add water to barely cover bottom of 3 to 4 quart pot.  Add raisins, apricots and spices. Wash and core apples, and peel if waxed or desired. Halve, cut into thin half moon slices or ½ inch wedges, and add to pot
2. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until tender and sauce-like, 20-30 minutes.
3. Uncover and stir gently. If watery, remove lid and cook away moisture. 
4. If not sweet enough add the agave nectar
5. Serve warm or close to warm temperature. Garnish with nuts.
6. Refrigerate in sealed jars and use within 7 days. 

References:

The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics

The Yoga of Herbs

Nat Toxins. 1997;5(5):186-92