The herbs have officially taken over, and something needs to be done.
I know that lately this blog has been all about the basil — Exhibit A pictured above, and believe me I am still looking for anything to make that has basil as a key ingredient. Or even better, as part of the recipe title. However, the basil has lots of friends out there in the herb garden, and they are close behind in terms of mass production. So here is my master plan of attack, and tell me if you have any other ideas…
Parsley. This is the easiest one, because parsley is a great little garnish for just about anything. I chop it up and scatter it over omelets, pasta dishes (it is perfect over pasta carbonara), salads, you name it. My favorite side dish this time of year is some chopped up Jersey tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, a little coarse salt, a little balsamic vinegar and some chopped parsley or basil or both.
Sage. All of my other herbs need to be replanted every spring, but my sage plant is both hardy and faithful and comes up every single year. Sage is a powerful herb and is great for cooking with chicken, but my absolute favorite use of sage is as follows: cut up one beef tenderloin filet into bite-size chunks. Chop up a good handful of fresh sage. Melt about 1/2 stick butter. (I did not say this was a low-fat dish.) Saute filet and sage in the butter until the meat is just cooked to rare/medium rare — about 3-5 minutes. Pour the whole thing on top of cooked pasta and toss. Top with fresh parmesan and fresh ground pepper. The BEST.
Rosemary. Can I just say, those little spice jars of dried rosemary, hard as little needles, should be outlawed?? Fresh is the only way to have rosemary. Rosemary and potatoes are a match made in heaven. Get a heap of those small baby potatoes, toss them up with coarse salt, olive oil and chopped fresh rosemary, and bake them in a 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until they are tender, tossing them once during cooking.
And last but not least..you guessed it. Thyme. The only issue with these babies is getting those teeny leaves off the stalk. If the stalk is tender, don’t even bother, just chop them up. If it is hard and woody, hold the top of the stalk between your thumb and first two fingers and just run your fingers down the stalk, stripping off the leaves as you go. The absolute best recipe I have made with thyme lately has been the Red Pesto Ravioli I posted a few weeks ago — here’s the link to that one:Red Pesto Ravioli
So there you go. Go get those herbs. And if you have any herb recipes for ME, by all means bring ‘em on.
Chimichurri is a fabulous on steak and a great use of fresh herbs! Here is a basic recipe, but there are several variations in which to choose.
Chimichurri Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems
3-4 garlic cloves
2 Tbsps fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Method
1. Finely chop the parsley, fresh oregano, and garlic (or process in a food processor several pulses). Place in a small bowl.
2. Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Adjust seasonings.
Serve immediately or refrigerate. If chilled, return to room temperature before serving. Can keep for a day or two.