4.9 Recipes calling for lots of herbs.
4.9.1 Gazpacho
White Gazpacho
From: phuyett.CCTR.UMKC.EDU (Donna Beach)
one qt buttermilk
2 tbs. cider or herb vinegar
1 tbs. sugar or honey
4-6 drops of Tabasco or one teaspoon white pepper
2 green onions
1 small sweet red bell pepper, diced
1-2 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery, cubed
1 large cucumber, Peeled & seeded
1 tbs. fresh dill chopped,
1 tbs. fresh tarragon, chopped.
Put garlic and white parts of onion into food processor and chop. Then add cuke and celery with vinegar and process till fairly smooth. Combine buttermilk, sugar and white pepper or Tabasco. Slice green parts of onion. Combine all ingredients and chill before serving. May be garnished with chopped red leaf lettuce or chopped tomatoes.
4.9.2 Pesto
Also see Using / preserving basil, 2.1.3, and Freezing your herbs, 4.4.
From: jnilsen.minerva.cis.yale.edu (jnilsen)
1 cup fresh Basil leaves, tightly packed
2-3 cloves garlic
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup olive oil
Process (or finely chop and mix) all but oil. Slowly add oil. Use.
From: phuyett.cctr.umkc.edu (Donna Beach)
I never really follow a recipe when I make pesto. I usually put 4-6 cloves of garlic in the food processor with ¼ cup of olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of herb vinegar and then chop the garlic. Then I add at least 3-4 cups packed fresh sweet basil leaves and 3-4 tablespoons of ground almonds. Some people use ground pine nuts. And ¼ cup or more of grated parmesan cheese (I like it fresh best). All this gets processed till the basil is chopped fine.
I have seen this basic pest recipe to include one-to-several peeled tomatoes--which is a great way to use up an abundance of tomatoes from your garden.
Later in the year when there's not as much sweet basil, you can put parsley into the mix. I have even seen a winter "pesto" made with fresh sage, but to me, it's not pesto without fresh sweet basil, with or without the tomatoes.
From: wfink.iastate.edu (Ruth J Fink-Winter)
This is one of my favorite pestos.
Asian Pesto
1 clove garlic
1" piece ginger root, peeled
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
2 bunches cilantro, stems removed
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. mirin or apple juice
juice of 1 lime (about 3 tsp.)
¼ tsp. Tabasco sauce
3 tsp. sesame oil (or less)
8 oz. soba noodles, cooked
Turn on food processor. With motor running, drop garlic and ginger into feed tube. Add seeds and cilantro; pulse til finely chopped. Add soy sauce, mirin or juice, and then slowly add oil in steady stream until pesto is desired consistency. Toss with hot noodles.
From: stewball.utxvms.cc.utexas.edu (ANDREAS GUENIN)
Sundried Tomato Pesto
½ cup blanched sundried tomatoes
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. tomato paste
¾ cup olive oil
½ tsp. dried thyme
2 cloves of garlic
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Combine everything except the oil in a food processor, and then slowly add the olive oil while pureeing to the proper consistency.
From: gcook.chem.Stanford.EDU (Gregory R. Cook)
For a low fat (or no fat) alternative, cut down (or eliminate) the olive oil and add fresh squeezed lemon juice until you get the right consistency. Personally, I like to use a little bit of olive oil for the texture. Also, walnuts are often substituted for pine nuts.
From: DonW1948.aol.com
Pesto (Sorrel-Chive Herb Paste)
1 c Sorrel
4 tbs. Shallots; finely minced
4 tbs. Pine nuts; ground
3 tbs. Parsley; chopped
3 tbs. Chives; chopped
Grated peel of 4 oranges
¼ Onions, red; chopped
1 tbs. Mustard, dry
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper, black
1 pn Pepper, cayenne
¾ c Oil. olive
Wash the sorrel and dry it well, by hand or in a salad spinner. Chop the sorrel coarsely, and again squeeze away any liquid. Blend the sorrel, shallots, pine nuts, parsley, chives, orange peel and onion in a food processor or blender. (If using a blender, make sure these ingredients are already finely chopped.) Add dry mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne, and mix again. SLOWLY drizzle in the oil while the blade is moving. Transfer to tempered glass jars and store in refrigerator (for up to 8 to 10 weeks) or in the freezer for up to a year.
NOTES: Sorrel's peak season is summer, although you can find hothouse sorrel year round in some stores. You may reduce the amount of orange peel by ¼ or ½ if you'd like to emphasize the sorrel or other flavors. Walnuts or almonds may be substituted for the pine nuts.
From mflesch.mail.coin.missouri.edu (Mary A. Flesch):
Yet another pesto idea. I am always trying to lower the fat in my diet, so last summer I tried "Rosie's Pesto" from "In the Kitchen with Rosie" (Oprah's cook) mostly because it had no oil in it (1 ½ c fresh basil leaves, 2-5 garlic cloves to taste, ¼ c pine nuts, ¼ c fresh parmesan and ¼ cup lemon juice). However, I only had bottled lemon juice (BIG MISTAKE, I highly recommend fresh) and it turned out way too lemon-y. So I diluted it with ricotta, and it turned out excellent over fettucini! I think it would also be a good mixture to stuff manicotti with. The mixture was approximately 1 tablespoon pesto to ¼ c manicotti.
> ... pesto turning brown ...
From: Xiaoyan Ma <xma.haas.berkeley.edu>
I grow sweet basils to make pesto. But for some reason my pesto always turns brown (the surface only) within 2 minutes.
This is the recipe I have:
½ cup chopped basil
3 tbs. parmesan cheese
4 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. pinenut
1 clove of garlic
salt
I put 3 times of each ingredient into the blender and blend it for 2 minutes then store the pesto in a jar. I have tried a few times, the same thing happens each time. The pesto tastes good but looks awful. When I mix the pesto with pasta, the whole thing turns brown right away. Can someone tell me what causes the problem?
From: macrakis.osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Pesto (like guacamole) turns brown by oxidation. One way to prevent oxidation is to pour a thin layer of oil on top, or cover with plastic wrap (touching the pesto).
Your pesto will probably also turn out better if you use a mortar and pestle instead of a blender. In fact, even a food processor seems to work better than a blender. And the traditional cheese to use is not parmesan, but pecorino sardo (Sardinian ewe's milk cheese).
Unfortunately, good pecorino sardo is hard to get in the US, so you might have to substitute pecorino romano, also known as just "romano".
> I would like to hear from others about alternatives for using pesto.
From: wlgardne.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Wendi L Gardner)
I grow lots of basil and make tons of pesto. what to do with all of that pesto? yes pasta, yes bread, but other fun things to do with pesto...
- smash it into cream cheese (the ratio of pesto to cream cheese that I prefer is 1:3, but you can go more or less, obviously.) add garlic, some plumped (blanched) sun dried tomatoes, whatever else you fancy - yum!
- toss pesto with white beans and vidalia onions, serve this concoction hot on a bed of fresh spinach.
- mix pesto with vegetable broth, toss in whatever veggies you have in the fridge and some macaroni, (I like broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and rotini for this) and you have soup.
- find the juiciest beefsteak tomato you can...slice in half, slather with pesto, broil till bubbly. messy, but with a good quality tomato--- more than worth the mess!
- fill mushroom caps with pesto plus a cheese (the pesto cream cheese mixture in #1 is good for this) sprinkle with bread crumbs and broil.
From: rscw081.uacsc1.albany.edu (Sarah G.):
- Pesto and potatoes: On baked potatoes, swirled into mashed potatoes, mixed into homefried potatoes, used as a dipping sauce for French fries.
- Make soup and swirl a spoonful into each bowl before serving.
- Blend the pesto with vinegar and oil, or your favorite vinaigrette, and use as salad dressing
- Make into soup... sautee some veggies, add broth and pesto, and simmer for pesto soup.
- Thin it and use as a marinade for tofu, potatoes and veggies, then grill.
- Use it for garlic bread filling (or is that what you meant?) Or you could use it to smear over homemade bread before it comes out of the oven as a glaze
- Sliced ripe tomatoes layered on a plate with pesto, and fresh waterpacked mozzarella.
- It's easy to make a dairy free pesto. Instead of using cheese, either use a mild flavored miso paste or SoyMage pretend grated cheese, which is completely vegan (no casein). I usually just leave the cheese out altogether, letting the flavor of the basil, garlic, olive oil and nuts show through.
From: norrisj.boalt.berkeley.edu (Jennifer Norris)
I make a potato salad with it. Instead of the usual mayonnaise, I add pesto. Besides potatoes, I add fresh snap peas, green onions, and if I want to make it a really substantial meal, black beans. Gets rave revues....
From: MiKe McClain
Uses for pesto not mentioned: I put it in omelettes, quiche and deviled eggs, mac and cheese, and gravies. I also mix a tps. of pesto with 3-4 Tbs. mayo for a sandwich spread.
From: Matthew Shapiro (MattheSh.MEDCENTER.UCSF.EDU)
Black Bean Pesto
a terrific, easy-to-make, savory dip for chips, served warm.
1 can black beans
garlic cloves (as anti-vampiric as you like)
dried basil (you can use fresh, but use more)
romano cheese (or the sardo cheese, if you can get it)
black walnuts, heated dry in a pan until fragrant
juice of ½ to 1 lemon
fresh ground pepper
a little salt, to taste*
olive oil
Preheat oven to 250-degrees.
Combine black beans (including water), garlic, basil, cheese, walnuts, lemon juice, pepper and salt, and add a little olive oil to get it started. Process and through the hopper, slowly add more olive oil until the mixture just turns creamy.
Pour out dip into oven-safe (like Corningwear) baking dish and pop in the oven. Bake until the top isn't wet anymore, and the inside is warm to hot. Serve with your favorite corn chips.
*Watch out with the salt addition. The corn chips and the cheese may make it all salty enough without adding more.
I wasn't real specific about the amounts of basil and nuts and such because it's adaptable to anyone's taste or existing favorite pesto recepie, and I don't normally measure them out. Note, too, that it's easy to except the cheese and make this a great vegan recepie.
4.9.3 Miscellaneous
Potatoes with Tarragon
From: phuyett.CCTR.UMKC.EDU (Donna Beach)
one large onion
1 tbs. oil
4 medium potatoes.
1 bay leaf
3 tbs.-¼ cup vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
one tbs. chopped fresh tarragon
Chop onion and sautee till transparent. Peel and slice potatoes, ¼" thick. Add to onions and sautee for a couple of minutes, then add bay leaf, tarragon, salt and pepper. Add about ½ cup water to the skillet, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes or so--till the potatoes are done. Stir from time to time to make sure they aren't sticking and adding extra water if needed. Serve with the pan drippings.
I've seen a similar recipe using rosemary instead of tarragon.
> I'm seeking a recipe for ginger salad dressing (like you get at a Japanese steak house)
Ginger Dressing
From Sam Waring <waring.infomail.com>:
2 T Ginger, fresh; peeled & -coarsely chopped
2 T Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Hoisin sauce
1 T Balsamic vinegar
1 T Soy sauce, light
Cayenne pepper; to taste
1 T Sherry
2 T Sesame oil
¼ c Oil
Blend ingredients in blender or processor. Makes about 1 ½ cups.
Fuvesleves (Herb Soup)
From: DonW1948.aol.com
1 tsp. Marjoram leaves
1 tsp. Thyme leaves
1 tbs. 1" pieces of Chives
1 tsp. chopped Applemint
4 tbs. unsalted Butter
1 tbs. all-purpose Flour
6 c Water
1 tsp. Salt
a pinch of black Pepper
3 Egg yolks
1 tbs. Sour cream
3 hard Rolls, cut in half, toasted
Cook all the herbs in 2 tablespoons butter for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour, then stir and cook another 4 minutes. Set aside. Pour 6 cups of water into a pot and bring to a slow simmer. Add salt and pepper.
Mix egg yolks, sour cream and remaining butter; whip into the simmering soup. Cook soup over low heat, stirring, until it thickens. Add herbs and simmer another few minutes.
Place half of a toasted roll in a soup plate and ladle soup over it.
Notes: This recipe comes from Gyula Vasvary, master chef in the 1820's of Hungary.
Spice rubbed Turkey
From mflesch.mail.coin.missouri.edu (Mary A. Flesch):
I got this recipe from our local newspaper over Thanksgiving and used the last of my summer sage, marjoram and thyme (dried of course) to make this:
2 T dry mustard
2 t ground sage
1 t garlic powder
1 t thyme
1 t marjoram
1 t paprika
1 t salt
1 t fresh ground pepper
½ t ground ginger
Mix together well. Makes enough to season a 10-12 pound turkey. I think this would also be good on pork chops.
Herb Garden Dressing (uses dried, which will tide us all over til summer)
From Mindy Vinqvist <mvinqvist.mta.ca>:
1 c dried oregano
1 c dried basil
½ c dried marjoram
½ c dried dill weed
½ c dried mint leaves
½ c onion powder
2 tbs. dried mustard
2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. freshly ground pepper
Combine ingredients, keep in sealed jar to use as needed
Dressing - 2 tbs. dried mix, 1 ½ c extra-virgin olive oil, ½ c cider vinegar.
Mix and let stand 1 hour before serving. Mix again just before serving.
Can also be used dried and sprinkled over things (I recommend food things)
4.9.4 Spice mixes and herb blends
From: DonW1948.aol.com
Cajun Spice
9 tsp. Pepper, cayenne
4 ½ tsp. Pepper, black
4 ½ tsp. Salt, sea
6 tsp. Oregano, dried, ground
6 tsp. Thyme, dried
6 tsp. Fennel, dried
6 tsp. Cumin, ground
6 tsp. Cardamom, ground
6 tsp. Garlic powder
6 tsp. Chile powder
6 tsp. Coriander, dried
Whirl in blender or mix all together by hand and fill up jar to store.
Source: A Vegetarians Ecstasy, by Natalie Cederquist and James Levin, M.D.
From: DonW1948.aol.com
Cajun Spice Mix
1 c Sweet paprika
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tbs. Pepper, black
1 tbs. Pepper, white
3 tbs. Pepper, Cayenne
1 tbs. Garlic powder
1 tbs. Onion powder
1 tbs. Salt
1 tbs. Rosemary
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend together. I usually put in twice the amount of cayenne for my taste.
From: DonW1948.aol.com
Jim Echols' Cajun Spice
1 tbs. Paprika
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Onion powder
1 tsp. Cayenne powder
1 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. Crushed chilies
1 tsp. Ginger powder
¾ tsp. Pepper, white
¾ tsp. Pepper, black
½ tsp. Thyme
½ tsp. Oregano
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container. Use in preparing blackened (Cajun) trout. -- A special surprise for guests at shore lunches. Also try it in hamburgers, on sauteed chicken or turkey, and on popcorn.
From Calgary Herald, by Terry Bullick (89.05.03)
From: DonW1948.aol.com
Sazon Preparado (Prepared Seasoning)
3 medium Onions; chopped
1 green bell Pepper; seeded, chopped
1 red bell Pepper; seeded, chopped
4 large Garlic cloves; peeled, chopped
1 tbs. Oregano
1 cup Scallions; chopped, both green and white
½ cup Parsley; coarsely chopped
½ cup Coriander; chopped
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tbs. Paprika, sweet
1 c Tomato paste
1 c Oil, olive
½ c Vinegar, white
Salt to taste
Combine all ingredients and blend, bit by bit, to a puree in blender. Pour into saucepan and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Cool and bottle. Used to flavor stews, beans, rice and vegetables. Easy to make and useful to have on hand. Yield: 6 cups
From: DonW1948.aol.com
Seasoning Mixture
2 medium Onions; chopped fine
2 tbs. Chives; chopped fine
3 Garlic cloves; crushed
1 red hot Pepper; seeded, mashed
1 tsp. Oregano
½ tsp. Cloves, ground
1 tsp. Salt
1 tbs. Lime juice
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly.
For suckling pig, use 1 cup rubbed well into the inside of the pig prepared for roasting. To season whole cleaned fish, gash 2-3 times on each side of backbone. Any fish or meat may be seasoned with this mixture. Cook as directed in the individual recipes. Yield: 1 cup.
From: DonW1948.aol.com
Sweat Sauce
16 habanero chilies; stemmed, seeded
1 can Plums (17 oz)
1 can Apricots (17 oz)
1 c Pimentos
2 c granulated sugar
1 c Plum Jam
1 c white vinegar
HEAT SCALE = HOT
This is a hot, spicy sauce for meats, poultry, or fish, or add it to soups, like you would add Tabasco sauce. Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
From chili pepper magazine, reposted by DonW1948.aol.com
Yield: 6 servings
Here is some recipes that Denise Rounds <rounds.ionet.net> posted to rec.food.cooking in May 96. Thanks to Karen Gann <jkgann.ix.netcom.com> (http://www.anaserve.com/~gann/) for sending these recipes over:
Herbs de Provence
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp summer savory
½ tsp lavender
¼ tsp rosemary
½ tsp oregano or basil ¼ tsp sage
Herbs de Provence is made up of every herb that grows easily in the south of France. The mix is best if made with dried herbs as when used and cooking is longer than 20 minutes; fresh herbs tend to lose their flavour while dried holds it.
This blend is wonderful mixed into ¼ lb. of butter. It is great in soups, on potatoes, on rice, pasta, fish and bread. Try it on an oiled chicken that you then bake. Or make oven fries with it! Yummm.
It is not easy to find the lavender so you may have to ask around a bit for that ingredient. You want an edible version that has not been sprayed with any chemicals.
Try preparing roasted vegetables using the Herbs de Provence blend. Cut up red peppers, green and yellow, too, eggplant, zucchini and summer squash, and leeks (shallots or any onion) into bite sized pieces. Pour some extra-virgin olive oil (just enough to oil the veggies so the herbs have something to "stick" to) over the veggies along with 2 tsp. of the herbs de provence blend (that has been crushed between your palms as you let it fall into the veggies). Stir to mix the oil and the herbs evenly. Put into a 9 x 13 inch pan in a 400 degree f. oven (or 375 F if your oven runs hot). Let roast for 15 to 20 minutes. This is delicious and impressive! And so EASY!
Fines Herbs
1 sprig fresh parsley, minced
1 sprig fresh tarragon, minced
1 sprig fresh chervil, minced
1 fresh chive, minced
Pull leaves off of herbs by pulling in the opposite direction they are growing in. Chop all finely in a food processor. Use in classic French foods. This is good in vegetable soups, potatoes, butters.
Add 2 recipes of this to 1 cup of unsalted butter. Blend and use of potatoes, rice, pasta, fish, or bread.
Bouquet Garni
3 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 dried or 2 fresh bay leaf
Wrap these together with kitchen twine. Add to recipes during the cooking but be sure to remove before serving the food! Good in soups, stews, chicken and dumplings, and in goulash.
Use this to make a delicious Tuscan White Bean dish: Heat a large saucepan and add some olive oil. Add one chopped leek or some yellow onions and shallots. Saute 'til soft and then add six cans of white beans, 5 to 6 roma tomatoes, 1-½ cups of chicken broth and one bouquet de garni. Cook at simmer for ½ hour or longer.
Garam Masala
2 tsp cardamon seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1-½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp peppercorns
½ tsp whole cloves
½ whole nutmeg (you will grate a part of it)
2 inch piece of a cinnamon stick, broken up
This is a northern India blend. The mixes are slightly stronger in the southern section. Bake the seeds in an oven until they are darker in colour. Use a 350-degree oven and keep close watch on them. Put the seeds and all the remaining spices into a food processor. Grind it finely.
Use this blend in vegetable stew to which you have added some apple juice or apple cider, try with potatoes, vegetable stock, over rice, in quick breads such as pumpkin and apple.
4.9.5 Mustards
Also see Using / Preserving Horseradish, 2.20.3.
From: Christel Reeve <Creeve.banyan.com>:
Whole Grain Mustard
1 T. whole coriander seeds
6 T. whole mustard seeds (black and yellow)
1 T. green peppercorns
½ t. dried thyme
¾ c. water
2 t. honey
¼ c. red wine vinegar
Toast coriander seeds in dry skillet. Crush mustard seeds, peppercorns and coriander seeds in a mortar. Mix seeds, thyme and water in upper pan of double boiler. Let stand at least 3 hours. Heat water to boiling. Stir in honey and vinegar and cook 10 minutes or until desired consistency.
Herb mustard
¼ c. black mustard seeds
¼ c. yellow mustard seeds
¼ c. dry powdered mustard
¾ c. cold water
¼ c. dry white wine
¼ c. white wine vinegar
1 t. dried herb
⅛ t. ground allspice
Mix seeds and mustard with water in upper pan of double boiler. Let stand at least 3 hours. In another pan, mix wine, vinegar, herb and allspice and bring to a boil. Strain the liquid into the mustard and blend well. Cook in double boiler until desired consistency.
English Pub Mustard
1 c. dry mustard
½ c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 t. salt
¼ t. turmeric
6 oz. flat beer or ale
Put all but beer in food processor or blender. With machine running, pour in beer in steady stream. Let sit in cool place for 2 weeks, then refrigerate.
Horseradish Mustard
1 c. dry mustard
½ c . powdered sugar
½ t. salt
½ c. white wine vinegar
¼ c. oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
¼ t. grated lemon peel
5 T. horseradish
Blend all ingredients. Let age in cool place for 2-8 weeks, then refrigerate.
Dijon mustard
2. dry white wine
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 c. (4 oz) dry mustard
3 T. honey
1 T. oil
2 t. salt
Combine wine, onion and garlic in a non-aluminum saucepan. Heat to boiling and simmer 5 minutes. Cool and discard solids. Add liquid to dry mustard, stirring constantly til smooth. Blend in honey, oil and salt. Heat slowly til thickened (watch fumes!) stirring constantly. Cool in covered jar. Age 2-8 weeks in cool place, then refrigerate.
Bavarian Brown Mustard
½ c. whole brown mustard seed
¾ c. dry sherry
1 c. dry mustard
¼ c. brown sugar
¼ t. salt
Combine seed and sherry and let stand 2-3 hours. Blend until almost smooth. Add remainder of ingredients. Let age 2-8 weeks (in cool, dark place), then refrigerate. The longer you let it sit out before refrigerating, the milder it will be.
From: Sam Waring <waring.ima.infomail.com>:
Sweet German Mustard
¼ c whole Mustard seeds
½ c hot tap Water
¼ c cold tap Water
2 T dark brown Sugar
2 small peeled and halved Garlic cloves
2 pinches ground Cloves
5 T Dry mustard
1 c Cider vinegar
2 slices of Onion
1 ½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. ground Cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. crumbled dried Tarragon
3 T light Corn syrup
¼ tsp. Dill seeds
Soak together the mustard seeds, dry mustard, hot water, & ½ cup of the vinegar for at least 3 hours. Combine in a saucepan the rest of the vinegar, cold water, onion, brown sugar, salt, garlic, cinnamon, allspice, dill seeds, tarragon & cloves. Bring to a boil, boil for one minute & cover. Let stand one hour.
Scrape soaked mustard mixture into a blender. Strain into it the spice infusion, pressing solids into a strainer to extract all flavor. Process the mustard (covered) till like a coarse puree with a definite graininess. Pour mixture into the top of a double boiler set over simmering water & cook 10 minutes, stirring often till the mixture is noticeably thicker. Remove from heat, add the Karo and pour into a storage jar. Let it cool uncovered, then cap and store. Can be refrigerated or not. Makes about 1-½ cups.
-- Better than Store-Bought by Schneider and Colchie
