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| Garden herbs |
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Add a
fresh edge to your Christmas dinner by using herbs straight from your own
garden. Herbs can be harvested all the way through the entire winter in
most years. If you are growing vegetables in a greenhouse or are having a
mild winter, you can also be harvesting cold hardy greens for salads or
cooking.
Jazzing up the flavor for the main
dish
You can
easily make poultry seasoning for poultry or red meat from herbs in your
own garden. Poultry seasoning adds great flavor to, of course,
chicken or turkey, but also veggies, fish, casseroles, pasta.
The first
commercial poultry seasoning was invented by William G. Bell, a Boston cook, in
1867. His included sage, marjoram, rosemary, oregano, pepper and ginger.
I like to
make my poultry seasoning with dried sage, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and
marjoram. Some add nutmeg, pepper, ginger , onion powder and/or cloves.
Here is my
poultry seasoning recipe:
3 Tbl sage
1 Tbl parsley
1 Tbl thyme
1 Tbl
marjoram or oregano
1 Tbl
rosemary
For lamb,
rosemary is a favorite herb pairing. For
all other red meats, I use a combination of whatever I grew in the garden this
past summer. I cut and dry at the end of
the season, then mix in a paper bag and store in airtight containers.
“Herbes de Provence” contains herbs that are
typical of the Provence region of southern France and are grown in French
potagers (kitchen gardens). I also include sage in my herbal seasoning
mix. These are herbs that were typically
used in cooking by the French in this region:
*Thyme
*Marjoram/oregano
*Rosemary
*Savory
*Basil
*Tarragon
Insure all
spices are crumbled into tiny pieces so they will disperse evenly in your
favorite prepared dish. You can transfer the amount needed to a kitchen
spice jar. Keep the rest in a cool, dark location.For any spices, you
want to keep them as fresh as possible. They lose their flavor over time
and quicker if exposed to heat/light.
Potager gravy
To make 2
cups of gravy, cook in a sauce pan, 1/2 cup of fresh chopped carrots, 1/2 cup
of fresh chopped celery, 1 cup of chopped onions, 3 cloves of peeled and mashed
garlic until browned. Add 1 bay leaf, 3 cups of chicken or beef stock.
Simmer on low uncovered for an hour or so until reduced in about half.
Strain out all solids and combine 1 cup of stock with 1/4 cup of cream and 1/4
cup of flour, whisk until smooth. Bring remaining stock to boil, add
cream mixture, defatted meat pan drippings if desired, simmer until thickened.
Herbed mashed potato options
There are a
few options for snazzing up your mashed potatoes. For 5 pounds of
potatoes, you can add 5 cloves of roasted garlic, 1 cup of sour cream, 8 ounces
of cream cheese and enough buttermilk for consistency you prefer.
Or how about
5 pounds of small potatoes that are cooked until tender, then tossed with 1 cup
of butter, 3/4 cup freshly, finely chopped parsley, marjoram, chives and/or
thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Garlic and herb roasted vegetables
This recipe
works with any really firm vegetables you like. Here is one
variation. Cut 4 sweet potatoes, 3 medium turnips into 1.5 inch cubes,
and 2 large onions into 1.5 inch wedges. In a gallon plastic bag, place
12 cloves crushed, peeled garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, 2 tablespoons
fresh oregano or marjoram, 2 teaspoons salt, 6 tablespoons olive oil. Mix
thoroughly. Add your cut veggies and squish them around until they are
coated on all sides with the herb mixture. Place on a cookie sheet in a
single layer. Roast in a 450F, preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until
soft.
Potatoes,
turnips and onions are all veggies that can be stored over winter if kept in
the proper conditions. Be sure to keep potatoes covered or in a dark
place as when they turn green, they are toxic. Sweet potatoes will keep
for a month if kept in cool dry conditions and bagged with an apple to keep
from sprouting.
Herbal salad dressing
You can keep
it simple and flavor a good white wine vinegar with your favorite herb like
tarragon for the salad. Use a mild olive oil so that the flavor of the
herb shines through. Herbal vinegars are easy to make, but you need to
make ahead. Place the herbs in the vinegar and leave in a cool dark place
for at least a week. You can strain out the herbs before using after
infused.
Homemade
version of Hidden Valley Ranch is easy to make. Just mix equal amounts of
buttermilk, mayonnaise, and sour cream (half cup each). Then add parsley,
dill, garlic, onion (half teas), salt (quarter teas), and pepper (eighth teas)
to taste. If the mayonnaise is too overpowering, I substitute
yogurt.
This is the
perfect time for fresh spinach salads. Spinach and other greens are in
season and loving this cool weather.
Artisanal butter
If you are
making an herbal butter to serve, you would want more like 2 tablespoons of
herbs to 1/2 cup of butter. Add the herb that complements the dish you
are serving.
You can either serve in a dish,
roll it into a log using plastic wrap, or form into a shape. If you use a
form, simply press the butter firmly into the form, then place the form in a
shallow dish of hot water. The butter should slide out easily after a
little warming.
Mint inspired beverages and desserts
Mint is also still green and
growing in our garden. Mint is wonderful
to add to teas, lemonades, hot chocolate or adult beverages, even to
salads. You can also incorporate into
desserts. Chop fresh mint and add to
sorbet or ice cream. You can incorporate
in a food processor and refreeze until ready to serve.
Don't forget to check out your freezer for possibilities. This year I am planning on incorporating frozen tomatoes into my Sicilian grandpa's spaghetti sauce and a tomato bisque, my frozen eggplant for eggplant parmesan, carrots and herbs in beef bourguignon, and frozen and fresh greens in a breakfast frittata. Possibilities are endless for
using herbs right from your garden and freezer to add fresh taste to any dish you make for
the holidays!
