Swedish Cardamom Cookies

Ingredients:

225  butter, softened

125g icing sugar

275g flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting

1 egg, beaten

10ml ground cardmom

5ml grated ornge zest

200g chopped pecans

Method:

Place the butter in a bowl and beat until soft. Add half the icing sugar and continue to beat, then add the other half and keep beating until the sugar is fully incorporated. Next add the flour, egg, cardamom, orange zest and a pinch of salt, and continue to beat until well combined. Alternatively, place all the ingredients in a food processor and whizz briefly to combine. 

On a worktop lightly dusted in flour, roll the dough into a log shape approximately 4cm in diameter and 35cm long. Sprinkle the chopped pecans or sugar nibs onto a large piece of baking parchment or cling film, then roll the dough log in the sugar nibs to coat before rolling up the dough in the paper or cling film. If you are not adding the nuts or sugar, then simply roll up the dough log in the paper/cling film. 

Place the wrapped dough in the fridge to chill for a few hours or overnight and when you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 180C, and line two baking sheets with baking parchment. 

Remove the dough from the fridge and cut into slices 5–7mm thick. Transfer the slices to the prepared baking sheets and bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes (the time varying according to the thickness of the cookies) or until light golden. Unless you have a fan oven, you will need to bake the cookies in two batches. 

Using a palette knife or metal fish slice, carefully lift onto a wire rack to cool. 

Baked Cardamom Chicken Curry

Cardamom is known as the queen of spices, being second only to black pepper. The evergreen plant, Elettaria cardamomum, originated in southern India and grows is the rich moist forest of Mysore, Cochin and Travancore. Its cultivation is limited to only a few countries including India and Sri Lanka. Ayurveda, the naturalistic health system practiced in India, considers cardamom as a very effective medicine for digestion, gastric problems and the circulatory system. Another benefit of this wonderful sweet spice is that its aromaticity can act as a breath freshener; briefly chewing the seeds fights bad breath and helps to destroy the bacteria that cause halitosis. Perhaps the most important is that cardamom has detoxifying properties, which help to cleanse the body of toxins. In combination with chicken, lemon, chilli and turmeric root, you have a wonderful detoxifying meal.

Ingredients:
6 chicken thighs, with the skin on (this is important for detoxification)
6 chicken drum sticks, with the skin on
half a lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
1 red & 1 green birds-eye chilli, finely chopped
15ml garlic infused olive oil
10ml finely grated fresh turmeric root
30ml mild curry powder
5ml green cardamom pods, bruised
50ml chicken stock
30ml olive oil
2 small cans coconut milk
sprigs of coriander to garnish

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.

Wash the chicken pieces and dry with kitchen paper. Arrange them in an ovenproof dish. Rub the chicken pieces with the cut lemon and lightly season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Combine the chilli, garlic infused olive oil, turmeric root, cardamom pods and curry powder and rub over the chicken. Sprinkle over the chicken stock and olive oil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven and pour in the coconut milk. Cover the dush with foil and return to the oven for a further hour, or until the chicken is very tender and falling off the bone. Garnish with coriander sprigs before serving, accompanied with naan bread for mopping up the delicious sauce.