Cardamom Milk to relax

Sweet Dreams!
Cardamom Milk Tea to the rescue.

This morning I finally hit the bottom of my seemingly endless quart of Yogi chai tea base. Time to make another batch this afternoon. Magically--or perhaps just in time--as I flipped to the recipe page in my binder, I found a second 1980s tea temptation on the next page. It was simply titled Cardamom Milk with a side notation declaring it "Relaxing".

My go-to book to learn more about spices is The Spice Book, by Avanelle Day, a home economics teacher, and Lilley Stuckey, a food writer (1964). With beautiful and often whimsical illustrations by Dutch illustrator Jo Spier, the thick culinary tome fills 30 chapters with the history of the search for ancient spice routes, and offers 1400 recipes on how best to use them. I found the book in an antique store several years ago, and despite its less than perfect jacket cover, something about its size and illustrations made me want it for my cookbook collection. I have enjoyed Jo Spier's story-telling illustrations, almost as much as the Day and Stuckey's quirky recipe titles and colorful historical perspective on the spice trade.

Spier's illustrations are in both color and in black and white. Clever and sometimes comical, they are reflective of an older generation's view of the world. As a young man, Spier worked for a Danish newspaper drawing humorous illustrations and cartoons. Here are a few of my favorites from the book--see if you can guess the untitled ones.

After World War II began, his work turned more serious and political. He was arrested for his satirical depiction of Hitler, and his family were sent to a concentration camp. They survived and immigrated to the United States in 1951. His son, Peter Spier, is an award-winning illustrator of children's books.   

Throughout the book's 597 pages, the authors trace the historical and mythical backgrounds of 36 spices--from allspice to turmeric. Along the way, they share with readers a few old wife's tales, fun facts, and non-traditional uses for the world's spices.

• The poppy plant produces the only blue herb with seeds that are usually slate-blue.
• In Italy, basil is a token of love, and any young lady wearing a sprig of the herb is sending a strong signal to her beau that there is no need for him to keep his distance. In Romania, when a boy accepts a sprig of basil from a girl--they are engaged. 
• Cumin is used to keep husbands, chickens and pigeons from straying--"It should always be kept handy by wives whose husbands are apt to wander away just when the cheese soufflé reaches it proudest moment."
• Dill was once considered a powder ingredient in both magic and anti-magic potions. A bag of dried dill placed over the heart would protect one from the Evil Eye's power to bewitch or kill with a single glance.
• Fennel is a "venerable panacea, and believed by scholars to be one of the nine sacred herbs that could cure the nine causes of disease (no list of those nine given!). It was considered a rejuvenator, an aphrodisiac, a fortifier, and an aid to slenderness. It restored and sharpened eyesight, stopped hiccups, freed one from loathings, cured wheezing."
• Sage was once thought to "thrive when all is well with its owner, and droop when misfortune threatens. It grows more lustily when the wife rules the home." Romantic young ladies believed they would be able to envision their future husbands by gathering a sprig of sage from the garden on Midsummer's Eve. After following a few unnamed weird rituals, precisely at midnight their prospective husband would appear and use the sage sprig to sprinkle rose water on their smock."

Cardamom, a member of the ginger family.

When I researched cardamom, I imagined it's calming effect had equally fascinating uses. Avanell and Lilley had no delightful mythical uses to share. Unfortunately, it doesn't cure, cause, or make you imagine anything. It is, however, "the world's second most valued spice, yielding top honors only to saffron." The aromatic seeds are used extensively in Indian cuisine to flavor curries and desserts. Fortunately for all of us with a sweet tooth, more than a thousand years ago the Vikings brought the spice back from their expeditions to the markets of Constantinople. "In Scandinavian countries, cardamom lends its special aroma to what has become known as Danish pastry, as well as serving as an alternate to cinnamon in many sweet dishes." Thank the adventurous spirit of the mighty Vikings for at least offering a little zest to the the small pods' history. 

The point of all this research on spices? For the past month I have been treating a bad case of bronchitis with mega-medications, and soothing my stomach with more cups of yogi chai tea than I can count. The one thing I haven't been able to do lately is sleep! Wise doctor suggested today that perhaps a glass of wine before bed might help me drift away into la la land for a few hours each night--like I hadn't tried that! Seems it may be true that what heals you may also make you sick in a different way. I can assure you that multiple steroid packs, bronchial inhalers and cough suppressants, while taking care of business, ultimately steal your dreams for far too many nights.

Cardamom Milk (Relaxing)

A soothing scent fills the kitchen as the water and cardamom simmer away. Let's hope these aromatic pods do their sleepy time work. Geez--wish I hadn't thought of that word POD! You may remember the old black and white movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers*. Alien seeds from outer space grew into large people sized pods in a small town in California. You had to stay awake because if you fell asleep a new person/alien hatched out of the pod who looked just like you--but it wasn't you! Prednisone obviously makes you a little overly excitable. Perhaps I should try both wine and cardamom milk tea tonight.

Drink Cardamom milk tea and go to sleep!
Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Cardamom Milk (Relaxing)
Printable Recipe

This simple calming milk tea is the result of simmering aromatic pods in water, reducing the liquid by half, then adding milk of your choice and boiling briefly. Serve with lots of honey or agave nectar. You can double or triple the base recipe. Refrigerate after mixing in the milk. Serve warm or cold.

1 tablespoon (about 8) cardamom seeds, crushed
2 cups water
1-2 cups whole milk (I used 2 cups unsweetened almond)
honey to taste

Crush cardamom seeds and place in water.

Bring water to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes,
or until liquid is reduced by half. I like to stir and press to get the pods to release all the seeds.
As seeds release their flavor the water will begin to change color.

Strain, pressing to release as much liquid as possible. 

Add milk of choice and bring back to a boil.
Turn off heat and serve warm with honey (and/or bourbon).

Nite-nite!

P.S.
Enjoy but go easy the first time you have this tea--remember it's from the ginger family and ginger aids in digestion. Be sure and use the ratio of 1 part tea to 2 parts or more of milk for the best flavor.

*The Spice Book, Avanelle Day and Lillie Stuckey, illustrations by Jo Spier, 1964
**Image courtesy mptvimages.com

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