CARAWAY

According to The Spice Bible, by Jane Lawson, caraway is "thought to be the oldest cultivated spice plant from Europe".  I find the sharpness of this aromatic, warming spice to be a wonderful foil for the sweeter qualities of cool weather vegetables like winter squash, turnips, beets and carrots.  Caraway seeds were valued by ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures for both their culinary and medicinal uses. Caraway is in a family of spices, along with fennel and ajwan,  known as a useful remedy for digestive trouble and indigestion. It is, in fact, often combined with foods that are known to be difficult to digest, such as cabbage, and fatty meats, like pork and duck. I have also recently read that, in Elizabethan times, apples were baked with caraway as a stomach soothing dessert

CARAWAY DIGESTIVE
Bruise a teaspoon of caraway seed in a mortar and pestle.  Pour two cups of boiling water over the seeds and let stand for 15-20 minutes.  Sweeten with a little raw honey if desired and take about a half cup 3-4 four times during the day to settle your digestion.


I've taken to tossing it with sweet carrots and shallots for a satisfying autumn side dish

Roasted Carrots with Shallot and Caraway

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
Gather about 12 4" long carrots, I like a variety of colors, ranging from crimson to yellow and deep purple.  Cut them in half lengthwise, not too thin, but cut in half again if they are very thick.

Peel and thinly slice 3-4 shallots
Toss the carrots and the shallots with some fruity olive oil and season with 1/2 t salt and 1 t of caraway seeds.  Add a bit of freshly ground pepper if you like, but I often do that after they are roasted.

Roast for about 20 minutes or until you are able to pierce with a fork.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.  This is also delicious with a crumble of goat milk feta