Loads and Loads of Ginger
I've mentioned previously that I sometimes shop at the 99 Cents Store for groceries. I hope no one's turning up their noses at that because my 99 Cents Store rocks. I routinely purchase massive cans of ogranic whole tomatoes, Mexican hot chocolate, asparagus, dried herbs, huge blocks of Kraft cheese and other goodies for ... well, a buck.
Not to brag, but today's load was particularly impressive: Shallots, boxes of organic mixed greens, four-packs of organic red bell peppers- which I never buy because they're like, a dollar each here, sacks of lemons, chowmein noodles, fig newtowns, five pound bags of Yukon Gold potatoes, organic blackberries- I could go on and on here. The point, however, is that I bought a huge sack of fresh ginger. I love ginger and I often use it when doing Asian cooking, but other than that I don't know what to do with it.
Here's my dilemma: I couldn't pass a huge sack of ginger for a buck and not buy it, but now that I have it, what do I do with it? Does anyone have any recipes heavy on the fresh ginger? Desserts or appetizers would be especially appreciated, I'm going to a couple of Christmas parties this week.
Thanks in advance!
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22 Comments:
grate it and freeze it. Shallots same thing chop them and freeze them for quick adds ins.
JerzeeTomato at 6:12AM on 12/22/08
Jerzee beat me to it - you absolutely should freeze it. If you have a "huge sack", there's no way you'll use it all soon enough!
I have a great salad dressing that uses ginger (not really party food, I know). I'm sure I have plenty of other recipes, but I don't remember a thing now (I'm trying to fall asleep here). I'll check later if there's anything interesting I can recommend.
brooke29 at 6:25AM on 12/22/08
I also suggest freezing. I peel it and put it in a baggie and then just grate what I need on a metal microplane zester.
SSMom at 7:32AM on 12/22/08
One more vote for freezing the excess.
You can make a nice sauce for potstickers with fresh ginger.
Soy
Chili oil
Rice Wine Vinegar
Crushed Red Pepper
Minced Garlic
Grated Ginger
chiff0nade at 8:08AM on 12/22/08
I always keep fresh ginger on hand in the freezer peeled and whole and grated. it makes a great add in to almost anything, I've even been known to put a pot on the stove with water over low heat with chunks of ginger and orange and lemon peels, great way to make the house stink pretty. ;-)
huneybumper at 8:32AM on 12/22/08
Peel it, and toss it into a jar of vodka. It'll keep the ginger usable for longer, and you'll have ginger infused vodka,
MerMade07 at 8:45AM on 12/22/08
You can dry knobs of it on a food dehydrator and grind it into a powder..
You can candy it and use as a treat, boil it in simple syrup (save the syrup for tea or for drizzling on cake), when it is done roll it in granulated sugar...leave out to "dry" then store it for later.
We also just made salt/sugar ginger rubs for the shower ..great girly gift!
ChefDeb at 9:42AM on 12/22/08
LOL @huneybumper - house stink pretty!
Where do you live? I've never seen fresh food in a dollar store. Maybe you shouldn't say - there could be a stampede. Lucky, lucky girl!
To use ginger to settle an upset tummy, would you put it in tea or make a ginger ale with it? Does candied ginger work? I have some grated ginger, but rarely remember to use it.
PerkyMac at 9:54AM on 12/22/08
@chefDeb be careful using ginger on the skin,it increases blood flow which can be good or bad depending on the person., if the person recieving the gift is on any kind of blood thinners it has the potential to cause problems.
huneybumper at 9:55AM on 12/22/08
Make candied or crystallized ginger and store it in the cooking syrup or dredge pieces in granulated sugar. Makes good gifts.
Esmeralda at 10:00AM on 12/22/08
I made a bunch of homemade chai tea not long ago, and that could certainly use of quite a bit of ginger. You can even slice fresh ginger into your regular tea while it's brewing to give it a little ginger flavor.
One of my favorite cookies ever to make during the holidays is
here, but I add a nub of finely grated ginger. You could even sub some of the dried ginger with fresh, I'd just use more since it's less potent. (I also suggest using butter instead of shortening, and brown sugar instead of white)
Laurel E at 10:04AM on 12/22/08
I freeze mine as well, and you don't even have to go through the trouble of peeling or grating it first. I freeze it just as is, in plastic baggies, and then when I need it I just scrape the skin off with a carrot peeler or knife, and then grate over a small grater right into whatever I am cooking.
Some ideas for uses:
Medicinal tea -- put hunks of peeled ginger, lemon slices, honey, water...boil, strain, sip....mmmmm
I use ginger all the time as a wet marinade addition -- soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, scallions, shiracha hot sauce, rice wine vinegar, oj, sugar or honey -- put some flat iron steaks in that or a nice pork loin and you'll be happy happy happy
juliebugsmama at 10:30AM on 12/22/08
I freeze mine as-is, too. I find it easier to grate when it's frozen. The peel kind of separates on its own during the grating process.
buffy at 10:50AM on 12/22/08
I'm with buffy - just toss it in a freezer bag whole and grate it later. You can add it to simple syrup and store it in the fridge -- makes great lemonade!
CookiePie at 12:09PM on 12/22/08
I am wondering - could you follow a limoncello recipe and swap out the lemon zest for some or all of the ginger? That would be pretty cool...
Amandarama at 12:16PM on 12/22/08
This might not be what you're looking to bring to a holiday party but it's something you can enjoy at home:
Fresh Ginger Tea
Ingredients
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 C. water
Honey to taste
Directions
Place the ginger in a ceramic teapot. Bring the water to a boil and pour over the ginger. Allow to steep for 5 minutes, and strain. If you are making this one person, sweeten each cup with honey to taste, and lemon if desired. I warm up the remainder in the microwave if it cools too quickly.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 12:48PM on 12/22/08
Ginger is so good for you. It helps with digestion, reduces morning sickness, and relieves osteoarthritis and Fibryomyalgia pain. If you're interested in learning more and you want to learn how to grow it visit http://www.newrinkles.com/index.php/nutrition/did-you-know/did-you-know-ginger
GeriLW at 1:32PM on 12/22/08
@honeybumper-thanks for that info...so my friends are not getting "hot flashes" it's the ginger? Kidding..I am sure it's our age ;-)
ChefDeb at 5:35PM on 12/22/08
As with Vodka, but we use vinegar. Peel and cut in about 1 or 2 inch pieces and drop in a jar, fill with vinegar. Use an old quart jar of Bread and Butter pickles. You may be able to store your excess ginger in that manner. Better still, freeze some as suggested above and the rest as I've suggested. Let us know which you like best.
I need to try vodka next time.
lochaven at 7:32PM on 12/22/08
had a great dessert years ago,
make a large pot of simple syrup with ginger, cook that and then take a fresh pineapple, cut into chunks and cook it in the syrup. then cool down and served chilled. very refreshing.... and it stays forever.....
pooch at 9:10PM on 12/22/08
I make very gingery ginger snaps - fresh grated, dry ground, and finely chopped candied all mixed into a dough with cinnamon and cloves. Spicy!
PeanutButter at 10:03PM on 12/22/08
I'd forgotten about this until I read Pooch's entry. At one of the neighborhood restaurants, one of their desserts was a ginger crème brûlée. It won't get rid of too much of your ginger, but it's a delicious way of chipping away at your stash.
Cassaendra at 11:19PM on 12/22/08