How to Feed a Cold : Very Gingerly

Fresh ginger’s peppery, slightly sweet flavor and pungent, spicy aroma are also the perfect cures for everyday meals.

A gnarled, knobby root, ginger is grown in tropical and subtropical regions. Though the ginger is mature, the skin shouldn’t appear withered and wrinkled, which signals that it’s well beyond its prime.

There is also younger ginger, often called spring ginger, with a pale, thin skin that does not require peeling. Available in Asian markets, this ginger is more tender with a milder flavor than the mature root.

Buy only enough fresh ginger to last up to two weeks. Do not remove the skin until you are ready to use the ginger. Keep the root tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. I once followed someone’s advice and tried sinking a piece of ginger in sand, but I wouldn’t advise it. James Beard, on the other hand, suggested putting a peeled piece of ginger into a small jar filled with vodka. While preserving the ginger, the vodka takes on a spicy flavor.

This is two-step vegetable cooking and it pays off. The texture of the vegetables is preserved with preliminary blanching, and the final cooking is quick and effortless. The leftovers are excellent as a salad, with a little seasoned rice wine vinegar added to moisten them.

THAI-STYLE STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES Salt Water 1 pound baby carrots 1 medium cauliflower, florets only (about 5 cups) 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil 1 (1-inch) square piece peeled fresh ginger, minced 2 large cloves garlic, minced 2 medium onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice 2 teaspoons fish sauce 2 teaspoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 4 green onions, thinly sliced 1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves Pepper

Bring large pot salted water to boil. Add carrots and cauliflower. Boil, uncovered, until vegetables are half tender, about 3 minutes. Drain.

Heat oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add ginger, garlic and onions. Cook until onions are slightly tender, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add cauliflower, carrots, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and lemon juice. Toss to combine.

Cook over medium heat until heated through, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green onions and cilantro. Toss to combine. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 111 calories; 277 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1.83 grams fiber.

Fresh ginger makes these crisp cookies perfect companions for fruit desserts and sorbets. Lemon and ginger work well together. I’ve discovered that you can achieve the most intense lemon flavor by using a sharp swivel-blade vegetable peeler to remove the rind (with as little white pith as possible), which is then cut into small pieces and minced with sugar in a food processor or blender.

LEMON POPPY SEED WAFERS WITH FRESH GINGER Grated zest of 3 lemons 1 (1/2-inch) cube peeled ginger root 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 large egg yolks 1 teaspoon lemon extract 2 cups cake flour 1/4 teaspoon salt Dash cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons poppy seeds 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Combine lemon zest, ginger and sugar in food processor or blender and finely mince.

To make dough with food processor, process butter, ginger-sugar mixture, egg yolks and lemon extract until completely smooth, about 1 minute, stopping once to scrape down sides. Add flour, salt, cayenne pepper and poppy seeds. Process until just combined. Do not over-process.

To make dough with electric mixer, cream ginger-sugar mixture and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and lemon extract. Combine well. On low speed, add flour, salt, cayenne pepper and poppy seeds. Mix until combined.

Place 1 tablespoon dough on lightly greased baking sheet with 2 inches spacing between each. Gently flatten into 2-inch rounds.

Bake at 350 degrees until cookies just begin to brown around edges, about 9 to 10 minutes. Let cookies stand 3 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to rack to cool to warm.

Place powdered sugar in large plastic food bag. While cookies are still warm, shake in bag, 1 at time, to thinly coat with sugar. Shake off any excess. Cool completely on rack.

Store at room temperature in airtight tin up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month. Makes about 36 (2 1/2-inch) cookies.

Each serving contains about: 101 calories; 18 mg sodium; 29 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

Here, ripe (but firm) Comice pears offer the right sweetness for the spicy ginger topping that blankets this warm fruit dessert. The brown Betty is an American classic, dating from the late 1800s, or about the same time as the cobbler. This dessert can be prepared in advance, gently reheated and served with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream.

PEAR BROWN BETTY WITH FRESH GINGER 6 firm, ripe Comice pears, peeled, split, cored, cut into 1-1/2-inch dice 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca 1 cup gingersnap crumbs 1 (1/2-inch-square) peeled ginger root 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup light-brown sugar, packed 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled Unsweetened whipped cream

Place diced pears, lemon juice and tapioca in 2-quart mixing bowl. Toss to combine. Let stand 15 minutes.

Combine gingersnap crumbs, ginger and sugars in processor or blender until ginger is minced as finely as possible. Cut butter into pieces and mix into crumb mixture.

Scatter 2 tablespoons crumb mixture on bottom of greased 6-cup shallow baking dish or 9-inch pie plate. Cover with 1/2 pear mixture. Scatter 1/3 of remaining crumb mixture over pears. Top with remaining pear mixture and crumb mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees until crumbs are deeper brown and pears are bubbling, about 50 minutes. If edges brown too deeply, protect with strips of foil for remainder of baking. Cool slightly on rack. Serve warm with whipped cream. (Can be made day ahead and refrigerated, then reheated, uncovered, at 350 degrees 15 minutes.) Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 270 calories; 70 mg sodium; 20 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 2.36 grams fiber.

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Mince Hints

When mincing fresh ginger, it’s best to treat it like garlic; the only difference being the fine hair-like strings that are evident in mature ginger. Before mincing mature ginger, always remove the skin. Here are some mincing options:

* Food processor: Turn on processor fitted with metal blade. With processor running, drop small peeled pieces of ginger (about size of garlic) through feed tube. Keep processor on until minced pieces stop flinging onto sides of bowl. If ginger pieces are larger than preferred, stop processor, remove cover and scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Turn on processor again to mince ginger further.

* Blender: Put small peeled pieces in blender. Mince as finely as desired, scraping down container if finer mince is desired.

* Garlic press: Place head of press inside small plastic food bag to catch juices that fly out when very small pieces of peeled ginger are pressed through small holes. Although this takes a strong grip, it works especially well with stringy ginger, eliminating the fine filaments.

* Fine grater: Difficult to use with mature ginger.

* Knife: Use sharp chef’s knife to mince ginger on cutting board.