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Recipe Box: Herb Gardens
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Recipe Box: Herb Gardens
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Recipe Box: Herb Gardens
One great way to add vibrant flavor to a dish, without adding salt, sugar or fat, is to grow your own fresh herbs, in either outside or indoor gardens.
You could always buy those expensive fresh herbs displayed in plastic clam shells in the grocery store’s refrigerated case, but the thrifty route of growing your own herb garden in a sunny windowsill is pretty simple and room brightening.
“As long as you have good sun and good soil, you’ll likely have success growing herbs indoors,” says Tom Kasper, master gardener and president of Duluth’s Garden Flower Society. “The trick is to not over-water. Also, be careful to choose compact varieties for indoor growing. Thyme and rosemary do especially well in sunny windowsills all year round.”
When it comes time to move the herbs outdoors, the options for what you plant open up almost as wide as the sky.
“Basil is a top choice for kitchen gardens because it’s called for in so many recipes, along with oregano, rosemary and dill,” says Tom.
This magazine’s editor can vouch for the fact that oregano grows well in our climate … and can take over the outdoor herb garden, returning perennially on its own.
I like container gardens and the planters on my deck prickle with edibles, including basil, cilantro, chives, dill and rosemary. Basil is delightfully easy to grow, and wonderful to use in dishes. I enjoy it in my own pesto, add it to tomatoes for a fresh pasta sauce, or pair it with fresh mozzarella in sandwiches.
Cilantro is versatile and easy to grow, though it goes quickly to seed. It is a familiar flavor in salsas, but can add distinctive flavor to south-of-the-border soups and salads.
Chives, which are perennials in our northern gardens, provide a delicate onion flavor when added to dishes at the last minute. Hold off tossing it into the dish, though; heat destroys its classic flavor. Chopped chives make a great addition to dips and are a perfect topping for everything from soups to salmon and baked potatoes.
Dill is pretty to look at and in my opinion makes everything better, especially goat cheese, seafood, potato salads and anything with cucumber.
Rosemary is powerfully aromatic, very good in any kind of roasted meat paired with garlic and olive oil, and also makes a tasty focaccia.
“One herb you’ll probably want to keep in a container is mint, which can spread aggressively in a garden,” Kasper says, suggesting that mint be treated as an annual. “Try spearmint or chocolate mint.”
To store these homegrown herbs, rinse and dry with a paper towel, form a bouquet of herbs and place stems in a medium jar in water. The bouquet can be left to grace a counter, or covered loosely with a plastic bag and kept in the refrigerator. If there are more herbs than you can use in a week, either chop or process in a blender with olive oil, and then freeze in an ice cube tray. Store the cubes in bags separated by herb for later use in sauces, sautés or roasted dishes.
Growing herbs is a delight for the senses, improves nearly everything you cook … and is easy on that aching pocketbook.
Creamy Cucumber Salad with Fresh Dill
- 2 cucumbers sliced thinly (mandolin or food processor)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1-1/2 c. sour cream (12 oz.)
- 1/2 small onion sliced thinly
- 1/2 c. snipped fresh dill
- 2 Tbsp. white or red wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. pepper
Put sliced cucumbers in a colander, mix with salt and let stand 15 minutes. Press down gently to drain excess moisture. In a separate large bowl, combine remaining ingredients mixing until smooth. Stir in cucumber, cover and refrigerate at least one hour.
Basil Pesto
- 1 large bunch of fresh basil, about 2 c. packed leaves, stems removed, washed and dried
- 1/3 c. toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts
- 3 medium cloves garlic
- 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3/4 c. parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Combine the basil with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add garlic and cheese, and pulse a few times more. Add the olive oil slowly as the food processor runs. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container and drizzle additional oil over the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. (I freeze some in ice cube trays for easy serving sizes. Some prefer not to freeze it with cheese, but add that later.)
Fresh Tomato Salsa
- 3-1/2 c. tomatoes, chopped (your favorite variety)
- 3/4 c. chopped green bell pepper
- 1 c. onion, diced
- 1/2 c. fresh cilantro, minced
- 1/4 c. fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped and include seeds
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp. (heaping) ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve.
Juli Kellner hosts “WDSE-Cooks” on WDSE-WRPT PBS 8 in Duluth.