Spice of the Week: Clove

By now, you must’ve guessed that most of our “Spices of the Week” can be used in many different ways. This week, we take a look at another versatile spice in the BLE collection: clove.

During the summer, for instance, you can easily press cloves into a lemon, thereby creating an effective mosquito repellant (which is infinitely more healthy than using chemicals, for sure). And in dentistry, clove oil is used as a painkiller and as an ingredient in dental prosthetics. They consist of the unopened flower buds of the tropical tree Eugenia caryophyllata, and they can be used in dried, whole or powder form!

Its background is equally interesting, going back to the Dutch occupation of the Maluku islands. But for that story, you will have to check out the  BLE !

Beef with cloves

750 g beef round

100 g bacon

2 tablespoons oil

2 onions

2 garlic cloves

8 cloves

pinch oregano

about 8 tomatoes (or tomato paste)

2 dl red wine

pepper, salt

Tenderize meat and push pieces of bacon into the beef. Salt and pepper to taste and braise in oil on all sides. Add chopped onion, garlic slices, cloves and oregano, and bake. Baste with wine, add sliced tomatoes (or tomato paste) and simmer on medium heat until tender, adding water as necessary. Tender meat is sliced into portions and smothered in blended cooking juice. Served with rice, pasta or dumplings.

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