Mmmmm...herb! Not that kind!

Well, Colorado is the GREENEST state I know, but the kind of herbs I am talking about you don't smoke. I was asked about this in a comment made about my last posting, and as it was going to take too long to explain in a response, I thought I would post my thoughts here.

My cousin Katie wrote:
And on the subject of seasoning, how do you handle your fresh herbs? I have sorta tried to do the Rachael Ray thing and wash, dry, and store my fresh herbs as soon as I get them home from the store, but I must have been too impatient or something because I think they were still a little wet: they still wound up slimy and black before I could use them up. It's impossible for me to use up a whole bundle of cilantro unless I'm making Guac for England.

Now, you guys don't know how often Katie actually makes guacamole for the whole of England! But, I know there are days when she doesn't, and I have some suggestions for fresh herbs.

Cilantro can be really dirty and gritty when you buy it, so washing it is a good thing. Getting it washed as soon as you get home so that it is ready to go is totally a timesaver, but if you aren't careful, it does get slimy and nasty. When I get home, I usually wash it and fan it out on paper towel to let it dry. Once it is dry, wrap it up in the paper towel and put it back into its bag and put it in the fridge. This will keep it nice for quite a while. But, the best thing to do with it after it is washed, is to cut an inch or two off the stems, and store it standing up in a container with water in the bottom--like flowers in a vase. Just keep the leaves out of the water. If this still doesn't keep your cilantro long enough, I say you aren't using it enough! I will put a recipe below that I LOVE and use often. It takes quite a bit of cilantro.

FYI--this works well for asparagus and celery also.

Honestly, I buy potted basil and rosemary if I am going to be somewhere for 3 months or longer. I use an awful lot of those two, and even if I only used it once or twice a week, it is SOOOO much better when it is picked fresh. If you have a window that gets morning or afternoon full sun, they will grow well inside. I currently have them sitting on my balcony, and as long as I keep them watered, they do really well. If you are not moving often and want to buy them, let them get acclimated to their new home for a week or two, and then re-pot them in something larger with good potting soil. One warning about rosemary: My dog loves rosemary and if it is planted in the ground, seems to think it is the BEST place to pee. I recommend keeping it in a pot if you want to eat it!

When we lived in Santa Maria, Josh and I had quite the little garden going. He grew all the bell peppers, chilies, eggplant, and "pee" rosemary for Scottie. I had an incredible potted herb garden on the patio. That is a good way to keep the herbs under control, and it is easy to monitor watering, re-seeding, etc. I grew:

Basil
Rosemary
Dill
Cilantro
Chives
Thyme
Tarragon
Chocolate Mint
Sage

hmmm...I'm forgetting something. Oh well, you get the idea. But, I don't grow all those now, since I move so much. When I need them, I buy them. At Trader Joe's, Sunflower, and Whole Foods, you can get any of those now. At a lot of grocery stores, you can find a fair number of them, and they generally come in little plastic boxes. Chives go bad fairly quickly, and dill can also. But, I think that there is no equal to them fresh. Tarragon and sage I usually use in the dried form, although there are times when I buy fresh sage leaves.

Thyme is a great herb in so many things. It has a light citrusy taste and I put it in everything. I use it when I roast garlic if I do not want an overpowering taste of rosemary with it. I like this one fresh too. Hmmm...maybe I will go pick up a potted one. If you buy it in the little plastic box, it is very hardy and will last quite a while.

I didn't mention parsley. I hate parsley. I think it tastes like alfalfa, and honestly, I am happy leaving that for the horses! I only use it in the dried form and I only use it for one thing--sauce. It helps take the acidity away from the tomatoes, and is, therefore, a necessary evil. I made parsley dumplings once--OMG! Nasty!

And Chocolate mint. Yum! You will love how this smells. It is great to chop up and use with fresh berries for a nice summer dessert, but I like it for Mojitos! Mmmmmmm!

Chocolate Mint Mojito

small bunch chocolate mint, fresh, leaves only
1 teas sugar
ice
light rum
club soda
lime wedges

Put mint and sugar in the bottom of a double/rocks glass. Crush together with back of spoon to release oils from mint. Pack ice over top of crushed mint about 3/4 to top of glass. Pour rum over ice to about 1/2 inch from top of glass, and add a splash of club soda. Squeeze the juice from a lime wedge on top and toss wedge in for good measure. Stir and enjoy.

**Note** This can be made as a "virgin" drink by just using club soda. Minty and refreshing.


Cilantro-walnut pesto

1/2 bunch cilantro, washed
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper

Chop leaves off of the larger stems. Remember that the thinner stems are totally edible, so you don't have to waste your time pulling individual leaves off the small stems. Put the cilantro in food processor with walnuts and cheese. Process on low, drizzling oil in until it is the consistency you prefer. As far as I can tell, this is a very personal thing. Some people like pasty pesto, some like it runny. Sometimes it needs to be a certain consistency for a specific recipe. I don't care. Make it how you like. Pour it into a container, add salt and pepper to taste. I like to put it away for at least an hour to let the flavors meld together, but it will keep for a while in the fridge in a sealed container. I don't really know how long, because I just eat it really quickly.

**Note** For those people who don't like walnuts, it can be made with pecans, but I personally find the flavor lacking. Eh, to each his/her own.

What do you do with this recipe? Well, I like to grill thin slices of marinated eggplant, spread the pesto on a French roll, and then layer the eggplant with slices of jack cheese and carmelized onions. Tasty lunch on a weekend or light dinner anytime.

Roasted garlic

1 head garlic
2 teas olive oil EVOO is good here--lots of flavor
1 sprig rosemary or thyme (heck, why not use both!)

Leaving the garlic wrapped in its own skin, cut the top of of head. Center it on a piece of foil (Reynold's Wrap makes one that is from 100% recycled aluminum) and pour oil over top of exposed garlic. Place herb sprig(s) on top and carefully wrap entire thing with the foil. Then, place that on another piece of foil and wrap a second time. Place in 250 degree oven for about an hour. Garlic is done when you can squeeze it, and it starts to smush out the top.

This can be done using a clay garlic roaster instead of foil, just remember to soak roaster in water for 20 minutes before using it, otherwise the garlic will dry out.

One last thing. If you are going to be making enough guac for the whole of England, remember that most of them probably won't like cilantro anyway. It seems to be an acquired taste if you don't grow up with it. We in the Southwest are lucky in that regard. On the other hand, give them enough of the Mojitos, and they will probably like anything!


**Update--4 May 2009

As my mom and I are sitting here watching FoodTV, I was searching for the recipe we just saw, and remembered that I have a folder on my desktop with recipes that I have created and liked. I found this one, and realized it would go well with this post. I made it up while working in San Diego. So here it is, and I am going to add an alternative way of making it at the bottom of the recipe that I tried and enjoyed in Houston. It is kind of a Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee, with out the huge blond hair and boobs hanging in my food!

MUSHROOMS WITH SAUSAGE AND PESTO

2 PORTOBELLA MUSHROOMS
1 SAUSAGE LINK (ITALIAN, CHIPOTLE CHICKEN, ETC.)
1 RECIPE CILANTRO WALNUT PESTO (BELOW)

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.

REMOVE STEMS FROM MUSHROOMS AND OIL CAPS. LAY CAP SIDE DOWN IN BAKING DISH.

REMOVE SAUSAGE FROM CASING AND COOK AS CRUMBLES. IF SAUSAGE IS PRECOOKED, REMOVE FROM CASING AND CHOP INTO SMALL PIECES. DIVIDE SAUSAGE AND PLACE HALF INTO EACH MUSHROOM CAP.

PLACE 3 TABLESPOONS OF PESTO ONTO TOP OF SAUSAGE IN EACH MUSHROOM AND SPREAD OUT.
BAKE FOR 17-20 MINUTES DEPENDING ON SIZE OF MUSHROOM

I made a version of this, which wound up being fun for a quick breakfast, or snack when I got home from work--a little appetizer.

Instead of Portobella mushrooms, buy the Baby Bellas. You also need one canned biscuit can. (That sentence seems redundant) Here's what you do.

Roll out one canned biscuit so it is no more than 1/4" thick, and place a mushroom--stem removed--cap side down in the center. Take a teaspoonful of pesto, place in cap, and top with a small spoon of sausage. Wrap biscuit around the whole thing and seal. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-17 minutes.

Let them sit for a while--THEY ARE HOT!!!