Ever wonder what in the Federation that funny, white, brain looking thing in the market is? It comes in orange, white, green, yellow, and even purple or pink. It seems to be easily cross bred with others of it’s brassica family of cabbages too. Is it edible? Is it alive? First time I saw it, it looked like an alien Captain Kirk and his crew met on Triskilian. It wasn’t though, it’s cauliflower, and some Terrans aren’t to sure what to do with this oddball from the ground. The usual preparation I have encountered was boiling it, a method I wont try again. A friend and I solved our cauliflower conundrum with this little recipe. Use every color you can get your hands on for a beautiful dish, that is tasty too.
Licorice Tea
Another wonderful spiced tea! I made a tea for some human friends one winter during Christmas season. It was very well received by them, at the time I had run out of tea and spices from Vulcan because my friends are bigger “tea addicts” than I am. I needed to put together something on the fly for the large group,since we ran out of spiced apple cider. The recipe below is what I came up with,and it was well received. It didn’t taste the same but smelled wonderful, filling the home with a spicy comforting scent. I’m taking some Terran spices home: This “tea” is all spices!
T’Mihn’s Cooking Corner: Chocolate Dream
Chocolate Bark
During my time at Starfleet Academy, I spent my mid-semester breaks with a host family. One of those times was during the winter month of December,where I encountered a plethora of homemade breads, cakes, and sweets. In the making of these treats, the entire family is involved and they share a bond. The recipe below came from that family — it is easily and quickly made just as quickly disappears. It can be used during all times of the year, and not just winter.
Ingredients
Dark chocolate chips (2 10oz bags) (NOTE- If you have an allergy to chocolate or, like in Vulcans, it causes intoxication, carob chips can be used.)
1 cup dried cherries or any dried fruit
1 cup nuts (any type)
Preparation is easy. First place the nuts in a pan on a medium heat to toast them. Make sure to keep a close watch on them; nuts can burn quickly. While those are toasting, get a large bowl, place the chocolate or carob inside. You can melt the chocolate in the microwave for one minute, store, then every 30 seconds thereafter stirring each time until completely melted. Melting must be gradual, for chocolate can also burn.
Once the nuts are roasted lightly, add to the chocolate, along with the dried fruit. Mix carefully.
Line a lipped cookie sheet with aluminum foil, pour the chocolate, fruit, and nut mixture into the pan. Place in the refrigerator for two hours or until firmly set. Once hard, slice or break into bits. Package in decorative tins or boxes.
Variations:
Dark, milk or white chocolate or carob. Melting peanut butter with dark chocolate is a good choice too.
Dried fruit, crushed peppermint candies, or small sweets called marshmellows can be used as well. The only limit is your imagination.
T’Mihn’s Cooking Corner: Vulcan Fire Tea
Here’s another delicacy from our resident Vulcan chef, T’Mihn Ah’mygahn! Today’s feature is a Vulcan beverage that is sure to warm even the coldest of nights aboard the starship…
Ingredients:
- 8 g cloves (1.5 tsp)
- 8 g fresh cardamom (2 tsp, or 1 tsp if using ground cardamom)
- 18 g fresh ginger, chopped (1 heaping TBS)
- 1/2 bay leaf
- 1 tsp fennel
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- A few pinches of cayenne pepper (to taste)
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 50 g (1/2 cup) red Rooibos tea leaves
- 1/4 cup (4 oz) honey
- 2 cups milk
Put all the spices in a pan with the milk, heat gently. You don’t want to scald the milk. The spices flavor will infuse into the milk. Heat to just boiling, add tea leave,bring heat down. Steep for six minutes. Strain all the spices and leaves. Add honey and enjoy.
T’Mihn’s Cooking Corner: Hasperat
Bajoran Hasperat
The first time I ate Hasperat, was when I visited Bajor before I entered Starfleet Academy. Walking through the cities, taking in an ancient, I witnessed a vibrant culture trying to heal after a long Cardassian occupation. As with any culture, there are street food vendors for which anyone can grab a quick snack. It was there that I was formally introduced to the spicy bite of hasperat. Its a vegetable wrap that can be very briny and spicey.
T’Mihn’s Cooking Corner: Plomeek Soup – Hearty Version
Plomeek Soup
One of my family’s favorite things to do, was to prepare meals together. I can remember being a small child, barely tall enough to see up to the counter, watching my parents make plomeek soup. The large strange looking squash thing on the table didn’t appear edible, but my theory became fact after I tried to eat it, though having too few teeth at the time.
T’Mihn’s Cooking Corner: Hot Spicy Cha’i
Spicy Hot Chai
If there’s one Vulcans are known for, it’s tea. It’s nice if the tea is spicy, but it’s even better when it’s hot and spicy. I was surprised to see how many types of tea Earth had, and with so many varieties, it would take me a year to try them all. One of my favorites is this tea recipe below. Later I will include an Ethiopian variety. I hope to send some of these teas home.
Socca Pizza
I needed food for movie night, and on a ship made up mostly of humans, pizza was an easy choice. Each “pie” could be customized to each person’s likes. One problem, though: I had no flour, ever since a massive food fight in the Tiger’s Den. Don’t ask. We’re still finding flour in engineering with no idea how it got there. Still, adaption is what Starfleet is about, so I looked around and found this little gem of a recipe in the database. It’s gluten free, so it won’t upset humanoid bellies with gluten processing problems. Also, the little tasty garbanzo beans are low in fat and high in protein. But I didn’t tell my shipmates that, especially as I watched the pizzas all disappear at near luminal speeds.
It serves four, and can be easily doubled or tripled. You won’t have leftovers.
