Mystery Ingredient of the Week: Piloncillo

Pilloncilo, or Panela, is unrefined raw dark brown sugar, made by boiling sugarcane and letting the juice evaporate. It has a sweet, caramel-y flavor. Since it is unrefined, it is healthier than white sugar. Because white sugar is made entirely of pure carbohydrates, it is basically empty calories with no nutritional value. Regular brown sugar is pretty much just as bad, since it is just white sugar with molasses added back to into it. Unrefined raw sugar contains minerals and nutrients that are removed from white sugar. Plus, it has less calories, approximately 11 per teaspoon, compared to 15 calories per teaspoon in white sugar. Piloncillo can be found in the “ethnic” food aisle of your grocery store.  It adds great flavor to desserts. I like using it to sweeten drinks, particularly Limonada de Panela, a refreshing dark brown sugar limeade. It’s the perfect drink for those hot Texas summer days!

            Limonada de Panela

•             1 cone of Piloncillo
  
•             Juice of approx. 5 limes, depending on size
  
•             3 Qts. Cold Water

            In a large pitcher, dissolve piloncillo in water by letting the pitcher stand at room temperature for about an hour. Once dissolved, add limejuice and mix well by stirring. Chill before serving.

Enjoy!