Figgy Pudding for Christmas

Commonplace at one time in classic English gardens was the picturesque fig tree. Its fruit was central in providing the main ingredient for many dishes such as Figgy Pudding, a once-favorite dessert in England. Figgy Pudding traditionally appeared at the end of a Christmas meal as was the case in the dinner scene from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Over the years and by the middle of the twentieth century, figs had fallen out of favor and were replaced by the more economical and practical raisin. Yet, the richly-nostaligic pudding has gained some interest over the last years and may experience a comeback as a Christmas tradition.

The pudding (actually more of a cake-like souffle) was made famous by two writers of the nineteenth century: Isabella Beeton (1836-1865) who compiled the guide Book of Household Management, which advised how to run a Victorian household and Eliza Acton (1799-1859) writer of Modern Cookery for Private Families, a trend-setting cookbook that directed its recipes toward the domestic housewife rather than the professional chef.

While Beeton's Figgy Pudding recipe called for mixing together 2 lbs. fresh figs and 1 lb. suet with flour, bread crumbs, eggs, and milk and then recommends pressing the mixture into a mould, tying it with a cloth while it boils for 3 hours, today's variations are a lot easier, less time-consuming, better-looking, and just as rewarding.

The following version of calls for butter and shortening instead of suet.

Figgy Pudding with Custard Sauce

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons rum extract (or flavored extract of your choice)
1 apple, peeled and cored and finely chopped
1 pound dried figs, ground or finely chopped
Grated peel of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 large egg whites, stiffly beaten

Preheat oven to 325*F (160*C). Generously grease an oven-proof 2-quart bowl or mold; set aside.
Cream together butter and shortening. Gradually add sugar, egg yolks, milk, extract, apple, figs, lemon and orange peel. Add next 6 ingredients, mixing well. Fold stiffly beaten egg whites into mixture.
Pour into prepared bowl or mold and place into large shallow pan and place on middle rack in oven. Fill the shallow pan half-full with boiling water and slowly steam pudding in oven at 325*F for 4 hours, replacing water as needed.

Custard Sauce:

2 cups milk
1 large egg
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter

In saucepan, scald milk and allow to cool.
Mix together remaining ingredients, except for butter. Add to cooled milk. Cook over low heat until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter, mixing well.
Serve pudding warm with custard sauce or sweetened whipped cream. Store unused portions in refrigerator.

Makes 12 servings

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High Time to Love the Lowly Bean

Ben Franklin's adage of health, wealth, and wisdom could easily apply to those who generously balance their diet with legumes (beans). Legumes are economical to both the pocketbook and to earth's resources, and no one can deny their healthful benefits of oil, vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and potassium.

Additionally, legumes have been known to help lower cholesterol levels and improve the control of blood glucose levels in diabetics as their high fiber level allows them the ability to release their sugars slowly and steadily. They have also been credited in reducing the risk of some types of cancer.

Since legumes contain the same number of calories as grains and supply two to four times as much protein in those calories, they are a most helpful food in weight reduction. When combined with grains they form a complete protein.

The one problem with beans, which has thwarted their reputation as a romantic food, is the flatulence they cause due primarily to the oligosaccharide found in them. Oligosaccharide is a carbohydrate composed of three to five sugar molecules linked together in such a way that the body cannot digest or absorb them. They therefore pass into the intestines and are broken down by bacteria which in turn produces gas. This problem can be reduced significantly by proper preparation and cooking.

To properly prepare dried legumes, except for lentils, they should be soaked overnight in an appropriate amount of water and preferably in the refrigerator to prevent fermentation. If soaking overnight is not feasible, then place the dried legumes in water in a pot with baking soda. For each cup of dried legumes, add 1/4 tsp of baking soda and bring to a boil for at least two minutes and then set aside to soak for at least one hour. The baking soda will soften the legumes and help break down the oligosaccharides and also help reduce the amount of cooking time. The drawback with the shortened method is that the beans may split or develop a slightly mushy consistency.

Many species

The fossil record shows that legumes, part of the vegetable family, are among the oldest of cultivated plants. In having domesticated over 13,000 species, there is a wide variety to choose from; but there is one bean that is beginning to draw a lot of interest from today's culture. The little known tepary bean, after having become forgotten and almost extinct, is making a comeback.

The tepary had at one time been domesticated as a staple food for Native Americans, the Tohono O'odham, of the Sonoran Desert. Its name was derived from the desert pharse 't'pawi' which means, 'it's a bean,' and has since been called a variety of names such as pawi, pavi, escomite, yori mui, and yori muni.'

The beans vary in color and shape; they are oval, flattish, or round and come in colors of off-white, speckled brown, reddish-brown, or purplish-brown. Since they are very small, they are a quick crop yield, but their thin skins make them very difficult to harvest as they are prone to split open and scatter upon touch.

The rediscovery of their unique and nutty sweet flavor is proving a delight in many exotic and exciting recipe dishes. They lend themselves well to almost any recipe in which more common beans are specified making them an easy and delightful experiment in salads, soups, stews, bean dip, tortillas, chili, hummus, and even lasagna. It's also nice to know that their low polyunsaturated fat content makes them easier to digest than other beans.

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Amaranth - Crop of the Future?

Once considered to be merely a persistent weed, amaranth is now valued both as a vegetable for its leaves and as a grain for its seeds. Long known to the Aztecs as the 'miracle grain,' it is actually not a grain but the seed of an annual herb, cousin to the tumbleweeds of the American Southwest and part of the plant family Amaranthaceae. Its name comes from the Greek 'amarantos' meaning 'one that does not wither.' Indeed, this quality has been known throughout the ages and even written about in Aesop's Fables.

Aesop's Fables: The Rose and the Amaranth
A Rose and an Amaranth blossomed side by side in a garden, and the
Amaranth said to her neighbor, "How I envy you your beauty and your
sweet scent! No wonder you are such a universal favorite." But the
Rose replied with a shade of sadness in her voice, "Ah, my dear
friend, I bloom but for a time: my petals soon wither and fall, and
then I die. But your flowers never fade, even if they are cut; for
they are everlasting."

Due to shrinking resources of the earth, there has been a growing interest in cultivation of the amaranth by indigenous people in rural areas. Prolific and easily harvested, highly tolerant of arid environments, and high in readily available protein, it is believed by many to be 'the crop of the future.'

Amaranthus species are reported to have a 30% higher protein value than cereals of rice, wheat flour, oats, and rye. Its seeds are composed of 15 to 18 percent protein including high levels of the essential amino acids lysine and methionine. When combined with grains such as wheat, rice, or barley, amaranth becomes balanced as a complete, well-absorbed protein. Its seed also contains a goodly amount of B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, calcium, potassium, and iron.

There is a cautionary note to those individuals with a history of kidney stones due to calcium oxalate. A very few people diagnosed with celiac disease may experience sensitivity to amaranth because of the high oxalate levels it contains, yet for the most part amaranth is fully tolerated by those individuals as it is gluten free. It is also a suitable grain for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Additionally, the plant sterols in amaranth are proving in some studies to play a role in preventing chronic degenerative disease. Their vitamin E content also is beneficial in reducing cholesterol synthesis.

As a protein- and fiber-rich addition to the diet with a sweet, nutty flavor, amaranth can be used in the same way as grains, but it must be combined with another grain such as wheat when a rising loaf of bread is desired. That is because in order for yeast to work, gluten is needed for the bread to gain elasticity and be light and fluffy. Mix 25 percent amaranth flour with 75 percent wheat or other gluten-containing flour when making yeast breads.

Baked goods that do not require gluten such as biscuits, muffins, or pancakes can be made using 100 percent amaranth flour. Be forewarned, however, that in trying to change a recipe that calls for white flour, using amaranth as a substitute in a 1:1 ratio will likely cause the baked good to be bland in flavor and too hard.

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