Your favorite herbs

Posted on June 3, 2012 by bilrob

Your favorite herbs

Herbs – Most people can instantly name their favorite wild animal: a giant tiger, a sleek python, a cuddly panda or a playful otter. The reason they state the affinity for the beings are many: a quality that the animal seems to imbibe, the habitat they live in or just the marvel of their physical attributes. After all who wouldn’t want to swim like a dolphin, soar like a condor or live in the rainforest canopy? But if you ask most people what their favorite herb is, the answers are slow to come, or something sarcastic about the one that is smokable. The answer comes slowly to me, too, not because I don’t know, but because I just can’t choose. The herbs in my garden bring me year-round beauty, joy and wonder.

Spring: In the herb garden, the lemon balm is the first to poke its leaves out from under the straw. Dark green and vibrant, it beckoned me to pick a leaf and sniff it. It whispered of bees and new batches of tea. Then came the Baikal skullcap, next the oregano and, finally, new bluish-green leaves at the base of the lavender emerged. Oh, and somewhere in there came the spearmint creeping into areas it shouldn’t. Clary Sage, too, begins popping up all over in sometimes very unusual places, not limiting itself to any garden at all. The patch of calendula, once again reseeded itself so well the young plants, practically form a mat. Once again, the growing season is on and these plants seem to thrive in Flagstaff’s unique growing environment.

Summer: Summer is the time for fresh herbs; calendula petals for salads, spearmint leaves for mojitos, lemon balm leaves for teas, oregano for savory sauces, lavender flowers in lemonade. The calendula I grow came originally from seeds from Thunderfoot Earthworks in the Verde Valley. The flower colors are the most vibrant shades of yellow and orange. So vibrant, they would be garish as clothing (unless you are a Lily Pulitzer fan). I happily get lost gazing at all the color variations: plain yellow, plain orange, orange centers with yellow rays, yellow centers with orange rays. Every year, I try to decide which combo is my favorite as I cut the flower heads for drying.

Somewhere around early to mid summer, I begin harvesting the herbs in earnest. For the oregano, lemon balm and spearmint, I dry the leaves, preferably before they begin flowering. To dry the herbs, cut sprigs of leaves, bundle them together with an elastic band and hang them upside down in a cool, dark room.

Fall: Somewhere after the hubbub of the new school year quiets down, I begin to strip the dried leaves for storage. The aromas of dried plants are pungent. Oregano has a slightly hairy feel and an earthy smell. Spearmint smells so strong it commands attention. Lavender flowers are slow to strip off the stem. It takes a lot of sprigs to get enough flowers. The calendula flowers are somewhat faded when dried but still stunning. Store the herbs in glass containers that are absolutely dry (even a little moisture can create a moldy, unusable mess) in a cool, dark place. Harvest enough for a year’s use.

Winter: Winter time is tea time. Sitting by the fire and drinking in favorite combinations of dried herbs, mixing my herbs with ones bought at Winter Sun. It is a time for making salves, shampoos and facial steam mixes. Outside all signs of the herbs greenery are gone, hidden under snow and frozen in the ground. But soon enough, the tender shoots or new seedlings will emerge starting the whole cycle over again.

I really am hard pressed to pick a favorite, and these are only the ones that I grow. This morning, it is lemon balm — its leaves looking so juicy and sweet. By midsummer it may be the purple blossoms of the dolphins-shaped skullcap or the heady scent of clary sage. Herbs, especially the mint family, grow easily and well in Flagstaff, despite drought, freezing and monsoons. Plant them yourself and find your favorite.

Ann Brown is a Master Gardener who is married with two daughters, a dog, a cat, and eight chickens, and who has a passion for herbs. Dana Prom Smith edits Gardening Etcetera, blogs at http://highcountrygardener.blogspot.com and emails at [email protected].

Bill & Sheila’s A-Z of herbs

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Common herbs can provide good taste, good health

Posted on April 4, 2012 by bilrob

Common herbs can provide good taste, good health

Last week, I wrote on the health benefits of certain spices and foods in our common pantry, however, there are some of the most common kitchen herbs that need to be recognized. They not only help your meals taste great, they also have incredible healing properties.

Here are some of my favorite kitchen garden herbs and their benefits to you. Last year, I had a great time growing these in my garden and selling them fresh at the market. Look for fresh, chemical-free herbs this year at market as well.

• Parsley: Parsley is one of the richest sources of vitamin C. It is also a wonderful source of Vitamins A, K and folic acid. And did you know that the leaves and roots of parsley can be used for urinary tract infections?

The root is especially good to help dissolve and expel stones and gravel. All parts are good for digestive weakness and bronchial and lung congestion. It is a wonderful diuretic, meaning it is helpful in ridding the body of excess water. Parsley’s volatile oils — particularly myristicin — have been shown to inhibit tumor formation in animal studies, and particularly, tumor formation in the lungs. Vitamin C-rich foods, such as parsley, provide humans with protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.

Add more parsley to your food and make a tea by pouring a cup of boiling water onto 1-2 teaspoons of the leaves or roots and let infuse for 5 to 10 minutes. Drink three times a day, for extreme medicinal effect.

• Sage: Do you know that the Chinese have traded green tea for sage for years? They are wise enough to know the benefits of these ancient kitchen herbs. Its reputation as a panacea is even represented in its scientific name, Salvia officinalis, derived from the Latin word, salvere, which means “to be saved.”

Increased intake of sage as a seasoning in food is recommended for people with inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, as well as bronchial asthma and atherosclerosis.

Having trouble remembering things? Research published in the June 2003 issue of Pharmacological Biochemical Behavior confirms that of all the herbs, sage is an outstanding memory enhancer.

For menopausal women, sage eliminates night sweats, cold sweats and hot flashes. It regulates hormonal changes, eases irritated nerves and banishes depression.

It can also relieve dizziness, trembling and emotional swings. It eliminates headaches, strengthens the liver, aids digestion and decreases excess gas. Best of all, sage actually bestows extra decades of life on its users. It is antiseptic to most bacteria inside and on your body, and is filled with anti-oxidants that retard wrinkle and grey hair, prevent cancer and it provides much needed minerals.

As a medicine, you can make sage tea by infusing 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaf in one cup of hot water, drink up to 8 times a day. Do not drink as a tea excessively over a long period of time, as the essential oils in sage can accumulate in the kidneys and liver.

• Rosemary: Is there anything better than lamb cooked with some fresh sprigs of rosemary? Well, there’s more to this herb than meets the eye.

Rosemary has a toning and calming effect on digestion. Rosemary also has calming effects by working against fatigue, sadness, anxiety, calming muscle soreness, digestive pains and indigestion caused by stress. It can treat premature baldness, acting as a hair growth stimulant when applied to the scalp as an infused oil.

One cup of rosemary tea is as effective as aspirin for headaches and other inflammatory symptoms, including arthritis. Rosemary also contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may make it useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks. In addition, rosemary has been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain, improving concentration.

Heidi Harrabi is manager of the Austin Area Farmers Market. Her column appears weekly in the Austin Post-Bulletin.

Bill & Sheila’s A-Z of herbs

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What's For Dinner?: Onion, Blue Cheese and Thyme Quiche

Posted on March 27, 2012 by bilrob

What’s For Dinner?: Onion, Blue Cheese and Thyme Quiche

It is hard to come up with an enticing family meal with a hungry horde clamoring at the kitchen door. Success often lies in a little preplanning. As Joe Frazier once said, “you have to do the roadwork or they’ll find you out under the big bright lights.” And whereas feeding your family shouldn’t feel like heavyweight championship boxing, you can kinda see where he was coming from. Sure, there are those evenings where you pull off an amazing stir-fry at the drop of a hat, but most things need a bit of thought in advance or your little monsters will go for the knock-out.

Before you throw in the towel, this is a simple cheese dish made simpler with just a little bit of pre-planning. It is the pastry that takes time so the crust can either be made in advance or you could use a shop-bought pre-made one.

As long as you have the basic ingredients of cheese, eggs, milk and cream you can personalize the quiche to your taste, budget and/or what is left in your fridge. Asparagus, a sure sign that spring is here, makes a great addition to a smoked salmon quiche. But store-cupboard basics such as canned tuna and sweetcorn make a tasty and economical quiche too. See what you have and you too can be a contender.

Ingredients

Pastry for one 8” tart

7 oz flour
3.5 oz very cold butter
.25 oz salt
60 ml ice cold water (2oz)

For the filling

14 oz sliced Spanish onions
1 tbsp butter
1 glug of olive oil
1 egg
1 egg yolk
125ml milk (that is just over ½ a cup)
125 ml heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves (remove the stem)
2oz blue cheese crumbled
2 oz cheddar cheese or Gruyère, grated

Making the pastry

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut the cold butter into very small pieces. Mix the butter into the dry ingredients by rubbing it into the flour with your fingertips. When the mixture has a sandy texture, and when there are no lumps of butter visible, it is ready for the liquid. Make a well in the center of the mixture and slowly add some of the water. Stir in and gradually add more water if it seems too dry. The mixture should start sticking together the more you stir it. Gather all the pieces in a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The dough can also be frozen at this point or kept in the fridge for a few days.

To make the quiche

Roll out the pastry with a rolling pan, continuously dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Place in a buttered 8” flan dish. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Then chill the pie shell.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet and fry the onions, cook for about 20-30 minutes on a low heat until they are soft and caramelized.

Remove the pastry shell from the fridge. Line with parchment paper and dried beans and bake at 400°F until the pastry is dry and chalky, about 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and continue to cook the shell until it is cooked through – about another 5 to 10 minutes, the key is color: the pastry should be golden brown. Here’s a great step-by-step guide to blind baking. AKA soggy bottom prevention.

Turn the oven down to 325 F and prepare the custard. Whisk the egg and egg yolk in a small bowl. Add the milk, cream, salt and pepper and nutmeg and whisk them gently until combined, try not to create excessive froth or bubbles. Spread the onions and cheese in the bottom of the pastry shell. Pour the custard over the onions and cheese, filling the shell completely.

Bake the tart for about 30 minutes until the custard is set. Do not let the custard rise up; this is a sign of overbaking.

cheese

Variations

Instead of onions, blue cheese and thyme use 4-5 asparagus stalks (lightly steamed and chopped), 2 oz of Parmesan or Cheddar cheese and a pieces of chopped up smoked salmon.

cheese

Ding-ding! Seconds out! Round one!

What’s For Dinner?: Caramelized Onion, Bacon and Gruyère Quiche

baking with Bill & Sheila
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Herbs : Take the Thyme to Add Flavor Without Calories

Posted on March 9, 2012 by bilrob

Herbs : Take the Thyme to Add Flavor Without Calories

Quick! What’s the best way to add flavor to a dish without adding calories? Throw in some herbs.

“Health-conscious cooks like that herbs contain no calories or fat — pretty valuable to those on weight-loss diets,” said Chef Pete Loren, director of Culinary Development at Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace. “Doctors even recommend the use of herbs and spices in salt-restricted diets to enhance flavor without adding sodium content,” he added.

Whether dieting or not, fresh herbs can take a meal from ho-hum to haute in seconds.

Loren believes that adventurous cooks find that raising their own herbs can be quite fulfilling as a hobby with the end results in cooking an added bonus.

These days, it’s easy to find fresh herbs in pots for sale at a variety of gourmet grocery stores. It’s also fun to plant your own.

Not sure where to begin? Take some, well, “thyme” to visit the free in-store presentation, “ABC’s of Growing Herbs,” at 1 p.m., March 10 at English Gardens in West Bloomfield.

Or find a seat at the “Make It Take It” workshop, which follows at 2:30 p.m. For $19.99, participates can select any of four herbs (basil, parsley, rosemary and thyme) to plant in a stylish container.

“We’ll provide everything you need to make a take-home herb garden,” said English Gardens’ Jennifer Youngquest.

Herb tastes, tips and trivia from Chef Pete Loren

• BIG ON BASIL The biggest-selling fresh herb at Nino Salvaggio is basil, said Chef Loren, “with parsley being second but not even close.”

• EASY DOES IT Herbs should be used to enhance food’s natural flavors, rather than to dominate them.

• STORE IF YOU MUST Since the flavor and aroma of herbs deteriorate quickly after picking, be prepared to use them immediately. If you must store them for a few hours, keep them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag that is perforated and can breathe. When you are ready to use them, wash the herbs gently under cool, but not cold water and pat dry between paper towels.

• FREEZE FRAME Freezing fresh herbs is an easy way to store them for longer periods of time. Clean the herbs delicately, blot them dry, and remove leaves from the stalks. You can freeze them whole or chopped, packing into freezer safe bags or airtight containers.

Pete Loren’s Basil Pesto Recipe

(makes 2 1/2 cups)

3 tablespoons fresh garlic cloves

4 cups fresh leaf basil, rough chopped

1/3 to 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1 teaspoon black pepper, ground or cracked

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (use the good stuff!)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 to 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Using food processor with s-blade, add basil and garlic cloves and pine nuts and blend until smooth.

Add Parmesan cheese and pulse until incorporated into basil mixture. While blending, add olive oil in a steady stream until well blended into mixture. Add lemon juice and blend in. Add salt and pepper and blend in.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Package minimizing air in container to minimize oxidation.

Chef Pete Loren’s Pesto Chicken Penne Pasta Salad

(serves 6 to 8)

2 1/2 pounds chicken breast, char-grilled

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

2 cups uncooked penne pasta

As needed, boiling salted water

2 cups Vidalia onion, sliced 1/2 inch sautéed until browned

2 cups asparagus, fresh cut on 1″ angle bias sautéed until tender

3/4 cup grape tomato, halved

2 cups Portobello mushroom, cut 1/2 inch and sautéed until tender

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 red bell pepper cut in 1/4″ x 1/4″ x 1″ sticks sautéed

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1 cup fresh pesto (recipe above)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Trim bulk chicken breast by removing center cartilage that separates breasts. Place all of the breasts to be grilled in large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pre-heat char-grill and place breasts on grill. Grill on both sides, marking well (can use a grill pan on stove if desired). Place char-grilled breasts on sheet pan and finish in a 350-degree oven until just cooked through and meat thermometer placed in thickest part of the largest breast registers 165 degrees F.

Cook penne pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well in cold water and place in a large mixing bowl. Cut chilled chicken breast into thin strips and add to the pasta.

Sauté the vegetables in the olive oil, cool and add to the chicken and pasta. Add pesto, additional pine nuts, mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste. Toss and serve.

Bill & Sheila’s A-Z of herbs

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Your favorite herbs

Your favorite herbs

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Common herbs can provide good taste, good health

Common herbs can provide good taste, good health

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What's For Dinner?: Onion, Blue Cheese and Thyme Quiche

What’s For Dinner?: Onion, Blue Cheese and Thyme Quiche

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Herbs : Take the Thyme to Add Flavor Without Calories

Herbs : Take the Thyme to Add Flavor Without Calories

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