The tale of fenugreek

 
  
This is the piece I worked on for Laurie Buckle's class in food writing. I'm having so much fun with this class.
At the local farmers market every Sunday in Ojai, California, is an organic produce booth. With its bunch of knit rainbow-hatted, dread-headed sales people, it is a Mecca for health food afficionados from around the artists’ enclave north of Los Angeles. Each week people clamor for the fenugreek, which is available alongside such exotic offerings as wild arugula, nettle, rosemary, cilantro, and other seasonal herbs and greens. The salespeople are happy to help customers who have questions about the more exotic or unusual offerings.
Fenugreek is used in both seed, dried and fresh forms extensively in Middle Eastern, Indian and Asian cooking. The Latin name is trigonella foenum graecum. Trigonella refers to the triangular flowers and foenum graecum means Greek hay, supposedly because it was used to sweeten the smell of inferior Greek hay, according to botanical.com Web site.
Fenugreek does have a strong, characteristic odor. Some say it smells kind of like maple syrup, and in fact, fenugreek is used to make maple syrup flavoring, but others find it has more of a earthy, curry-like smell, which is appropriate because fenugreek seeds are often used in making curries in India and Pakistan.
The leaves, also known as methi, are used in Middle Eastern cooking, often in stews. Fenugreek has also been used traditionally for various medicinal reasons and the powdered seeds are often sold at health food stores to lower blood sugar, as an anticoagulant and to help breast feeding mothers increase lactation, although the latter use is under debate. But the amounts used in cooking have little effect on health and fenugreek is added to increase the complexity of flavors.
Fenugreek seeds are a spice and fenugreek leaves are considered an herb. They can’t be used interchangeably.
“Fenugreek seeds are NOT a good substitute for leaves. Think of the difference in flavour between fresh coriander (cilantro) and coriander seed. You can use them as a substitute but you'll get a different flavour. If you do use fenugreek seeds DO NOT overheat them or you will really know what bitter tastes like. Add them with the liquid,” says David Smith of England, who writes and maintains the Web site The Curry House (http://www.curryhouse.co.uk)
Fenugreek has a rather bitter flavor, which can be off-putting for the American palate, but if you counteract the bitterness with other brighter ingredients, the resulting dish can be complex and delicious. And with many of the medicinal/health effects of cod liver oil, fenugreek not only adds to the flavor, but also to the nutritive qualities of the foods in which it’s used. A word of caution, though. People have noticed a distinctive smell to their sweat and urine after eating fenugreek, some say it’s like maple syrup.
Fenugreek is often used with potatoes. The guy at the Ojai produce stand recommended it in a potato casserole or in soups. Other recipes call for using fenugreek in dals, or the pureed lentil dishes that are often served in Indian cuisine. The following recipes take both of those ideas, Indian-style spices and healthy cooking concepts, to create dishes that have a depth of flavor that is rather unique to the Western palate.
This lentil soup recipe is low-fat (if you consider extra virgin olive oil a fat), is inexpensive and is actually a vegan dish that people who profess an allergy of all things labeled Health Food find tasty.

Lentil soup with fenugreek2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
8 cups vegetable broth
1 16 ounce package lentils, rinsed and cleaned
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon garam masala
5 to 6 bay leaves
1 cup fresh fenugreek leaves

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add onion and saute, add carrots and celery. Saute until vegetables start to sweat. Add minced garlic. Cook until garlic becomes fragrant. Add vegetable broth. Add lentils, salt, garam masala and bay leaves. Cook for 30 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add fenugreek leaves. Cook an additional 15 minutes or until lentils are tender/chewy.
Serve with pita crisps

Pita crisps
Cut 4 pita rounds into fourths and divide each fourth into two pieces. Spray cookie sheet with olive oil. Place pita pieces smooth side down on cookie sheet. Spray pita with olive oil. Sprinkle with granulated garlic powder (not garlic salt). Cook in 350 oven for 8 minutes.

Using butter with extra virgin olive oil raises the burning temperature of the butter, making it suitable for longer term higher temperature cooking. Plus this is a really easy way yo get the taste of ghee (clarified butter) without going through all the trouble of making your own. You can use extra virgin olive oil exclusively to make the recipe healthier. The Vindaloo seasoning is an Indian-style spice mix from Penzey’s spices, which carries a wide variety of curry spices.

Potatoes with peas and fenugreek

6 medium waxy potatoes, such as red or yellow potatoes cut in 3/4 inch pieces
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ teaspoons Vindaloo seasoning
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup fenugreek leaves
½ cup spring onions, coarsely chopped (Scallions can be substituted)
Sea salt to taste

Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and start to fry oil/butter mix in a heated skillet. Add Vindaloo seasoning and cook until potatoes start to brown. Add peas, fenugreek leaves and spring onions. Cook until peas are thawed. Salt and serve.