Mint Apple Jelly
November 1, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Jams, Pickles, and Preserves
The mint bush continues to thrive, even with some killing frosts in the past two weeks, which just amazes me. Supposedly the plants grow best in wet soil with partial sunlight, though this bush has grown in a south-facing garden with full sun and has far exceeded my expectations. I have to trim it frequently to keep it in check, but we’ve had so many uses for it that trimming is not a hardship. Because we want to keep some mint on hand during the winter, I’m rooting some stems in soil and some in water to see which ones root faster, then will transplant in a pot for our indoor garden. Most varieties of mint propagate easily with either method. Read more
Chimichurri
October 16, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Condiments, Sauces & Marinades
My fondness for chimichurri started back in the early 90s when I was teaching in Colombia. There’s this great restaurant called Andres Carne de Res north of Bogota, and I remember having chimichurri with a steak there. First of all, the steak was one of the best I’d ever tasted (still), the stuffed grilled tomato on the side was fabulous, and the chimichurri just seemed to bring it all together. I seem to remember plenty of cilantro in their chimichurri, which is probably what drew me to it.
Chimichurri has it’s origins in Argentina but is popular throughout South America. The basic ingredients are herbs, garlic, olive oil, paprika, and vinegar, but there many variations and it seems that no two families make it the same way. Some people like to use just parsley, or combine parsley with cilantro or oregano, and the amounts of garlic and liquid ingredients vary. Some recipes have a little heat in the form of pepper flakes, and I’ll toss in a few every now and then. Roasting the garlic is another delightful variation that lends a subtle buttery flavor.
It’s a great all-purpose sauce that goes well with beef, chicken, and fish. Chimichurri is quick and easy and quite healthy with all the vitamins and minerals from the herbs and garlic. The parsley provides loads of vitamin C, which helps our bodies to absorb the iron in meat. We enjoy the freshness of the parsley and oregano from our garden. I usually add cilantro, but my plants are very slow in producing right now, so no cilantro this time.
Fresh Mint Ice Cream
In spite of our efforts to contain the mint, it spread beyond its designated area. We planted three different varieties (spearmint, chocolate mint, Bergamot mint), one plant of each in different areas, and each is staging a takeover. The plants spread by sending out shoots along the ground as well as seeding, and they expand very quickly. We decided to experiment with containment by planting the spearmint in a large nursery bucket (with the bottom cut out to allow for drainage) and set it in the ground. The other two mints we planted directly into the soil. The spearmint had more vertical growth while the other two spread quickly along the ground. Though not a strict scientific experiment, the results made us decide to continue setting mint in containers before putting into the soil.
Two weeks ago I went out into the garden, scissors in hand, and snipped the spearmint back into submission. By the time I finished snipping, I had three grocery bags full and the heady aroma of mint on my hands, arms, and clothes. It was a shame to wash it off. I gave away two bags of the mint and used the rest to make ice cream and jelly.
Michael was not thrilled about either the ice cream or the jelly and asked me to not make too much, but I just figured that meant more for me. The ice cream recipe comes from Cooking with Shelburne Farms, one of my very favorite cookbooks. At Shelburne Farms they make the ice cream using their own mint, cream, and honey. You can’t beat that for freshness!
Cilantro Slaw
We like to use herbs in our green salads for the extra splash of flavor, but we prefer to make the herbs a main part of the salad rather than just a garnish. Cilantro, parsley, and basils work very well as salad flavor boosters and they also provide antioxidants and essential vitamins. Fortunately our garden has plenty of our three favorite herbs for our summer salads!
Slaws are very simple and a perfect accompaniment for summer cookouts and picnics, especially when they are dairy free, which means you don’t have to be as concerned about keeping them chilled. This one uses two colors of cabbage and adds the flavor of fresh cilantro, my favorite herb, with a twist of fresh lime juice.
This is my contribution to this week’s edition of Weekend Herb Blogging, a weekly event founded by the wonderful Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. Kalyn herself is hosting this week, so be sure to check out her blog for the round-up!
Other Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy
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New England Clam Chowder
May 19, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Pork, Seafood, Soups & Stews
New England clam chowder ranks in my Top 10 list of comfort foods, and it’s one of my favorite things to order in seafood restaurants. Recipes for clam chowder are hotly contested, and if you get into a discussion about chowder with New Englanders you are likely to get a wide variety of opinions on what is the best clam chowder. When I fix this soup I feel like I’m back in Maine, and that’s good enough for me; serve it en boule and I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.
This recipe starts with cooking some bacon, then sautéing onions in the bacon drippings, cooking it all with clams, clam juice or stock, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaf, and then adding the clams and corn and thickening it all up with some heavy cream. This chowder doesn’t require loads of salt because of the bacon, plus canned clams are kept in brine, and the stock will be salted as well, so I use a light hand with the salt. I almost always use more than the amount of bacon specified in a recipe because I love my bacon. I confess I had a 12-ounce package and it all went into the pot for this chowder. All that flavor gets into the onions and then the flour soaks up some of it and it infuses the potatoes and mixes with the clams and creates a thing of beauty. We only have bacon a few times a year, so by golly I’m going to enjoy it! Read more
Grilled Potatoes with Garlic and Herbs
April 29, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Vegetables
Summer grilling season is fast approaching, and the bug has already bitten us. We started grilling a couple weeks ago when we had a few warm days, and we’ll probably grill every weekend and a few days during the week between now and winter. We usually do at least one simple grill a week with hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats because we like how easy it is, and the other times we’ll grill chicken, ribs, or steaks. Potato or macaroni salad or some kind of slaw is our regular accompaniment, but lately I’ve been grilling potatoes and we love them! It’s just like roasting them in the oven, only we put the pan on the grill. I like how it keeps the kitchen from heating up so much, a big plus when the temperatures soar in July and August. And I like how the potatoes in the bottom of pan turn into nice brown crusty bits, which taste really good!
This isn’t a recipe but more of a formula because the ingredients change a bit every time I make it. I’ve used various potatoes, even sweet potatoes, and sometimes I mix two or more kinds for color; and I always have garlic, peppers, onions, two or three herbs, salt or seasoning salt, pepper, and olive oil. For this batch, I used Yukon Gold potatoes, red onions, whole garlic cloves, rosemary, thyme, and sage. All the herbs were from our indoor garden.
This is my contribution to this week’s edition of Weekend Herb Blogging, a weekly event founded by the fabulous Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. This week’s host is Anh of Food Lover’s Journey, so check out her blog next week for the round-up!
