INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 1: CILANTRO AND CORIANDER

INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 1:  CILANTRO AND CORIANDER:  Learned something.  Cilantro and Coriander are all of the same plant. 

INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 1: CILANTRO AND CORIANDER

Learned something.  Cilantro and Coriander are all of the same plant.  First found in King Tut's time they were cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. (information from Wiki)

• The leaves of the Coriander plant are called Cilantro or Chinese parsley or fresh coriander. The leaves have a different taste from the seeds, with citrus overtones. 
• The stems of the plant have a different flavor than the leaves. Also a citrusy flavor and sweeter than the leaves. 
• The roots of the plant have a different flavor than the leaves and stems. Coriander roots have a deeper, more intense flavour than the leaves. They are used in a variety of Asian cuisines. They are commonly used in Thai dishes, including soups and curry pastes.
• The seeds of the plant (not all coriander plants have seeds - see photo below) have a different flavor from the three above and are called coriander seeds or dhania.  The seeds have a lemony citrus flavour when crushed. It is described as warm, nutty, spicy, and orange-flavoured.

• RECIPE LINKS BELOW PHOTOS:

   

About cilantro and coriander and recipes:

LINK to Recipes

NOTE:  What got me interested in this was when I watched a Cooking Channel Show on cooking with cilantro/coriander.  Here is the link for the recipes on the show.

LINK to Other Recipes

What is cilantro pesto??  See the recipe below. 

LINK to Cilantro Pesto Recipe

CILANTRO PESTO LINKS

ANOTHER LINK to Cilantro Pesto Recipe

A THIRD LINK to Cilantro Pesto

There are lots and lots of recipes that use cilantro and coriander.  Just do a google search. 

INTERNATIONAL: Meatballs for Holiday Parties

LINK to sweet-and-spicy-cranberry-cocktail-meatballs-recipe/

LINK TO Russian-tomato-meatballs/

LINK to Moroccan-meatballs-tomato-sauce

LINK to Thai-coconut-cocktail-meatballs/

LINK to Italian Meatballs

40 plus Italian meatball recipes and videos

LINK to Koenigsberger Klopse or German Meatballs

National Shrimp Day Recipes

 

National Shrimp Day Recipes

For more information on National Shrimp Day go to this great website:

http://foodimentary.com/2012/05/09/may-9-national-shrimp-day/

Indian Spiced Shrimp :  If you like onion, cloves, cumin coriander, cilantro and shrimp  AND wine pairings  with then visit:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Indian-Spiced-Shrimp-108490

Italian Fra Diavolo : If you like shrimp, tomatoes, onion, parsley, oregano and basil AND wine pairing then visit Giada on foodnetwork.com

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/shrimp-fra-diavolo-recipe/index.html

French Cognac Shrimp with Beurre Blanc Sauce:  If you like shallots, cream, butter, cognac then visit:

http://frenchfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/cognacshrimp.htm

Suggested wines: This one is tough because of the beurre blanc sauce:

·         Albarino from Spain/Portugal

·         American or Australian Chardonnay

·         White Alsatian

American/French Cajun Shrimp:  featuring paprika, thyme, garlic, cayenne then visit:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cajun-shrimp/

Possible Wine Pairings with Cajun Shrimp:

·         Chablis

·         Pouilly-Fume

·         Alsatian white

·         Albarino

·         Gavi

·         Sancerre

·         Borsao

·         Chardonnay

Spanish Shrimp Paella:  Like saffron (that golden color), EVOO, onion, bell peppers, garlic, rice then visit:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/PaellaShrimp.htm

Suggested wine pairings for this seafood paella: 

·         American Sauvignon Blanc

·         Gewurtztraminer

·         Rioja

·         Albarino

·         Chablis

Oriental Shrimp:  cherry tomatoes, lime juice, ginger, garlic, shrimp, cashews, curry powder then visit:

http://www.food.com/recipe/lets-get-together-thai-shrimp-478317#

Possible wine Pairings with Thai Shrimp:

·         Sauvignon Blanc

·         Pinot Blanc

·         Muscadet

·         Orvieto

·         Gewurtztraminer

       Happy Shrimp Day!!!