Recipes
Goulash
Goulash is a big bowl of comfort! We used Hungarian Paprika and Caraway Seed to make this rich tomato beef stew. Hungarian Paprika is bright and mildly sweet, while the Caraway Seed is nutty and earthy. Both of these serve as an excellent base to bring out the hearty flavors of the beef and the tomato's umami character. When you're looking for something rich and flavorful, goulash is a perfect answer. This meal is made of kitchen staples, which is perfect for when you have no idea what to cook. Chances are, you've got most of the ingredients already on hand! Goulash is delicious with your carb of choice. Potatoes, pasta, rice or root vegetables all work equally well. For our photo-shoot, we used egg noodles as a family favorite.
Learn moreCaraway Eccles Cakes
These tasty pastries are inspired by Eccles cakes, which take their name from the town in northwestern England. The traditional cakes are made from pastry stuffed with currants, candied citrus peel, and spices. We've left the currants out of this version, though they could be easily re-introduced for anyone who can't imagine the pastry without their signature ingredient.For a new take on the Eccles cake, we added caraway seeds to the crust and filled them with orange marmalade and white cheddar. The caraway is earthy, and compliments the bitter sweetness of the orange. Our version of the crust is leavened with butter and cream cheese, and the results are flaky, golden brown and delicious.
Learn moreCaraway Mini Pancakes
Caraway isn't the first spice that comes to mind when you think about pancakes, but it should be! These Caraway Mini Pancakes are the perfect foundation for sweet and savory toppings like summer fruit and smoked salmon. Dress them up or enjoy them with a simple drizzle of maple syrup. They're delicious. The yeast in the pancakes makes them fluffy and fragrant and brings out the earthy qualities of the caraway. A perfect secret ingredient for your next Sunday brunch, no one will expect the caraway in the pancakes, but they are certain to enjoy them.
Learn moreCaraway and Dried Berry Loaf
Baking bread is a delightfully rewarding cooking journey, watching what was once a blob of dough emerge as a warm loaf from the oven. This recipe is great for beginners. It's easy and doesn’t require fancy equipment, but give yourself some lead time as the dough does need to sit in the refrigerator overnight. The texture and flavors are what is really special about this loaf. The dried cranberries give you a tangy fruity burst in every bite, and the caraway is a perfect complement. Enjoy this bread toasted with your favorite cup of tea or with a hearty soup or stew.
Learn moreCauliflower Tortillas
Sorry corn, I love you, but I don't need you anymore. I have a new BFF - and it's name is cauliflower. Please don't be jealous - you'll always have a place in my kitchen, just not when it comes to making tortillas. Cauliflower, the new low-carb darling, does an amazing job at creating flavorful, flexible tortillas good enough for sandwich wraps, tacos, enchiladas - even lasagna, if seasoned properly. And that's the beauty of this recipe - you can flavor these tortillas any way you like, whether it's for Mexican food, Greek gyros, or, and here's the most amazing thing of all: as a stand-in for Caraway Rye Bread. Oh, how I've missed the unmistakable flavor of a fresh slice of rye bread! Well, I'm here to tell you that it's back on the menu, cauliflower style. All it takes is a spoonful of our Ranch seasoning and a some whole caraway seeds, and the transformation is complete. Welcome back, turkey, corned beef, and pastrami sandwiches!
Learn moreChow Fun - lemongrass sausage, pea vines, mint
Created by James Beard Best Chef-nominee Rachel Yang, who with her husband, Seif Chirchi, owns three restaurants in Seattle (Joule, Trove, and Revel) and one in Portland (Revelry). My Rice Bowl - Korean cooking outside the lines is a cookbook with recipes taken from her Korean upbringing, but then influenced by various cultures and cuisines that she's been exposed to from around the world. She has taken the food memories from her childhood in Korea and added the global flavors she loves, as well as the culinary influence from her previous restaurant work (Per Se, Alain Ducasse). This has resulted in a unique and authentic fusion of food. In My Rice Bowl, she thoughtfully combines different flavors together and results in making Korean flavors more accessible to everyone: “It’s all about how I kind of take my traditional Korean palate and knowledge and then how I make it my own here in America…We like to think of it as unexpected and delicious first, and Korean second (or maybe even further down the line).” In the cookbook you’ll find favorites like the restaurants’ kimchi recipe but, also dishes such as seaweed noodles with crab and crème fraîche, tahini-garlic grilled pork belly, fried cauliflower with miso bagna cauda, chipotle-spiked pad thai, Korean-taco pickles, and the ultimate Korean fried chicken (served with peanut brittle shards for extra crunch). This book exemplifies cross-cultural cooking at its most gratifying, such as this take on Chow Fun. From the lemongrass sausage to the pea vines to the fresh mint. It's sure to satisfy your stomach and dazzle your taste buds.From the author: "With their light texture, rice-based chow fun noodles (sometimes spelled shao fen) are a natural match for the springy, green flavor of home made lemongrass sausage. Tossed with a loose mint and cilantro pesto, baby peas, and pea vines, this Trove favorite is the antithesis of a heavy noodle dish. We top it with our version of togarashi, the traditionally Japanese spice mixture that we blend with dried orange zest, to add just a hint of heat.Look for the wide, flat chow fun noodles in the produce section or the refrigerated section of a large Asian grocery store. Although they're sometimes sold already cut into half-inch strips, look for the kind that are packaged uncut, so you can cut them yourself into slightly wider strips, if possible. (They're impossible to tear apart when cold. If you purchase them refrigerated, reheat them in the microwave for about ten seconds at a time, until the noodles are soft and pliable.)If you'd like to break up the work for this recipe, make the sausage, pesto, and togarashi up to a day before serving, and refrigerate the first two, covered, until ready to use. We always assemble each serving individually at the restaurant, but at home, it's easier to do in two big batches in a large wok, using half the serving ingredients for each batch."
Learn moreCheddar Cheese Coins
Appetizers aren't just for parties and gatherings. Whether you just want some snacks for watching tv or something to nibble on while catching up on that novel, this is the cookbook for you. The experts at Cook's Illustrated have put together 75 "only the best" appetizer recipes to help you find something for any time of the year. All-Time Best Appetizers Cookbook makes it easy to create a spread with everything from things that can be dipped, spread, eaten by the handful or two-bite treats. These Cheddar Cheese Coins, as well as their different variations, would be perfect for a wine and cheese plate or...just to snack on. From the authors: "Why this recipe works - When it comes to homemade crackers, you need a recipe that's easy, versatile, and packs a huge flavor punch. We wanted to come up with a simple, foolproof version that would be cheesy, buttery, and just a little spicy. We started with a full 8 ounces of cheese and a touch of salt, cayenne, and paprika. We used the food processor to combine the dry ingredients and the shredded cheese, which helped to keep the coins tender by limiting the handling of the dough. Adding a little cornstarch with the flour further ensured that the coins baked up flaky and buttery. We processed the dry ingredients with chilled butter until the mixture resembled wet sand, added water, and processed until the dough came together. Next, we rolled the dough into logs, refrigerated them until firm, and then sliced them into thin coins before baking until lightly golden and perfectly crisp. With this simple technique, it's easy to vary the cheese and flavorings used to suit any taste."
Learn moreHarissa Spiced Fig, Merguez, and Almond Salad
We love a good salad, and are always looking for a good salad cookbook to give us inspiration. Salmagundi: A Celebration of Salads from around the World by Sally Butchec has wonderful salad recipes from a variety of cuisines! This recipe for a spiced fig salad, which comes from the book, artfully combining sweet and spicy flavors in a spice-infused honey for predictably delicious results.From the Author: "This is a rather special salad. Actually, figs have the capacity to render pretty much anything special: their appearance is lush for starters - they have but to lie down on a plate or pose in a fruit bowl and they steal the show. They are also feted for their aphrodisiac properties: yup - they are the all-around floozy of the fruit world."
Learn moreCaraway Kraut
Fermented food just continues to become more popular every year. We were glad to find this local cookbook, Fresh & Fermented: 85 Delicious Ways to Make Fermented Carrots, Kraut, and Kimchi Part of Every Meal by Julie O’Brien and Richard Climenhage. Here's a sneak peek at one of their recipes...From the Author: "We didn’t start making Caraway Kraut until our third year in business—we just weren’t sure if our customers would like the distinctive caraway flavor. When we started experimenting, however, it took just one test batch to convince us that Caraway Kraut belonged in Firefly’s lineup of fermented foods.Caraway Kraut contributes its pleasing earthy taste to some of the recipes in this book and also makes a great side dish for grilled meats or mashed potatoes. It’s the perfect addition to the classic Reuben (of course) and adds intrigue to potato salads and coleslaws too. Whirl it with fresh avocado for a simple sandwich spread or as a dip for chips and veggies. (The acid does double duty—it adds flavor and keeps the avocado from getting brown.)Caraway Kraut brine, which results from the fermentation process, is a delicious tonic on its own. For hundreds of years people have been drinking sauerkraut brine to heal ulcers or temper hangovers—it’s a well-known Russian remedy—and that inspired us to start bottling and selling the extra brine as our first Tummy Tonic."
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