Subject: Culinary herbFAQ (v.1.14) Part 7/7 Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1998 10:18:07 GMT From: HeK@hetta.pp.fi (Henriette Kress) Organization: ...ei meill' oo... Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible,alt.folklore.herbs,rec.food.preserving,alt.answers,rec.answers,news.answers Followup-To: rec.gardens.edible Archive-name: food/culinary-herbs/part7 Posting-Frequency: monthly (on or about 20th) Last-modified: 1998/04/06 Version: 1.14 URL: http://sunsite.unc.edu/herbmed/culiherb.html Available by ftp: sunsite.unc.edu or sunsite.sut.ac.jp /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/faqs/ ========== 4.7.5 Rose beads ----- From Kcl58@aol.com (Kacey): First thing to do is collect the rose petals in a brown paper bag so they don't get crushed. Optimum time is in the morning just after the dew has dried. I guess early evening wouldn't hurt either but I don't know about that. You can use petals that have dropped on the ground, i.e. after a rose has 'exploded' as my kids say, but don't use any brown edges of the petals. I just snip these off with scissors. Second, the way I used to do this was with mortar and pestle but now I use a mini chopper. Take the rose petals, you can mix colors as they are all going to turn to a dark shade of ebony anyway and you can mix scents too if they are compatible, and put them in the chopper dish and chop until very fine. Take out that bunch and put in a glass jar and continue chopping the rest of the petals a dish full at a time. Put them all in a glass jar and cover loosely. Third, the next day you can chop more fresh or slightly fresh petals then add them to what is in the jar and process the whole bunch again. Continue doing this for the next few days until you get at least a cup of rose petal paste. Then start the process over with a new jar. This takes a lot of paste. Fourth, once you've got the paste to the consistency of playdough take a small amount and roll it in your hands to make a ball the size of a green pea. For this step you will also need a large sheet of cardboard, I cut up sides of cartons from grocery store, and some rustproof straight pins. Once you have made the 'pea' stick a straight pin through it and stick this into the cardboard but don't let the bead touch the cardboard. Fifth, put them in an out of the way place as they have to dry until hard. This time varies depending on the amount of humidity in the air but we have AC in the summer so it is usually no longer than 3 or 4 days for me. Sixth, once they have dried polish them with a soft lintfree cloth, actually I have found that baby diapers work well, until they have a lustrous shine. They will be dark, depending on the color of the petals some are very black and some are a little shade of black but I have always mixed my Duets, (very pink) Don Juans, (very red), and some smelly yellow ones that I don't remember the name of. Lastly, I use beading thread and a small eyed needle and string them in long enough strands to go over a head, as I make them for different people, knot the thread well, put a small dab of hot glue on the knot and you are off and running. Every once in a while I polish them up with another rub with a cloth, perhaps once or twice a year, and when you wear these in the summer months the fragrance of roses is pretty strong, not like being doused with perfume but you can tell they are there. My girlfriend's grandmother got some made by her mother when she was a girl of 7 or 8, she is now 92, and you can still smell the fragrance of the roses. A wonderful side benefit is that as you are making the paste your kitchen will smell like roses for most of the day until you cook something with a strong odor. Good luck Kacey BTW: If you are driving through your neighborhood at the crack of dawn collecting fallen rose petals from your neighbor's gardens, you are on litter patrol. ========== 4.8 Alcoholic beverages ===== 4.8.1 Wine ----- From: Baker.325@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Gwen Baker) (who got it from Terry Pelley on rec.winemaking) Rose petal wine One day before you prepare the must you should make a yeast starter: For one gallon of wine: 4 oz. Water 1 tsp. sugar 1/4 tsp. nutrient Pinch of citric acid 1/4 tsp. yeast For five gallons of wine: 2 cups water 2 tbs. sugar 1/2 tsp. nutrient 1/4 tsp. citric acid 1 package of yeast Mix all the ingredients in an appropriate size bottle and shake to combine. Loosely cover the bottle, do not seal it tight; a cloth held in place with a rubber band will work fine. After sitting for a day this mixture should be fermenting and can be added to the must. The must: 6 cups rose petals (fresh) whites removed 1/4 lb. chopped white raisins 5 3/4 cups sugar 2 tsp. yeast nutrient 2 tsp. acid blend 1 Campden Tablet (crushed) Yeast - All purpose or Rhinewine Boil one gallon of water and combine with rose petals, raisins, and sugar in your primary fermenter. Allow the mixture to cool to around 75 degrees and add yeast nutrient, acid blend and campden tablet. ===== 4.8.2 Ginger ale / ginger beer ----- From: Jeff Benjamin I normally post this to homebrewing newsgroups or mailing lists, so for those who are fermentationally challenged, here are a few notes on the recipe below: * "Sanitized fermentation vessel" simply means a glass container, like a gallon juice jug, that has been sanitized with a dilute bleach solution. Fill the container with a mixture of two tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water. Let sit for 15 minutes, then drain. Rinsing with clean water is optional, although if you do not rinse, let air dry completely before using. * An airlock, in this case, is used to allow CO2 produced during fermentation to escape while not letting air (and airborne bacteria) in. There are a couple of different varieties; you may remember the S-shaped ones from high school biology. You can pick up one of these at your local home-brew supply shop. If there isn't such a shop in your area, simply cover the top of the jug with some plastic wrap and tie *loosely* with string, so that it's not completely sealed. * On yeast: again, you can get packages of dry ale yeast from your home-brew supply shop. The fancy varieties of liquid yeast are overkill; a 99-cent package of dry yeast (Red Star, Edme, M&F, etc.) will do just fine. Bread yeast would probably work fine, although I've never tried it. * On bottling: sanitize the bottles before filling, just like the fermentation vessel. If you use any auxiliary implements, like a funnel, it wouldn't hurt to sanitize them too. You can re-use the white plastic screw caps on the 2l PET bottles; sanitize them as well. Geez, now I've probably made the whole operation sound like nuclear physics. Well, it ain't. It is a little more like canning or pickling, in that there are some safety concerns, although the sanitizing is more to prevent off odors and flavors than to prevent deadly diseases. Honestly, it's really pretty easy to do. As the homebrewers all say, "Relax, don't worry." Have a ginger ale. Ginger Ale 1 gallon water 1 pound white sugar (either granulated or corn will do) 1/2 oz cream of tartar 1 oz grated ginger 1 lemon your favorite ale yeast Boil water, stir in sugar, cream of tartar, ginger, and zest of lemon (yellow part of peel). Cool to pitching temperature (<75F), add juice of lemon. Transfer the whole mess to a sanitized fermentation vessel, pitch yeast, and cap with an airlock. Bottle after 48 hours, using strong bottles (champagne or 2l soda pop bottles work well). Let condition at room temperature for 2-3 days, then refrigerate. Helpful Hints: * You can use more ginger (up to 3-4 oz per gallon) to get spicier ginger ale. * The jury is still out on whether it is necessary to peel the ginger. I peel it simply because it's easier to grate that way. * Don't second guess the fermentation time, and don't be worried if the air lock is still perking after 48 hrs. If you let it go past 48 hrs, you will probably end up with somewhat flat, not-very-sweet soda. * Please don't use regular beer bottles. Champagne bottles are much stronger. 2l PET bottles work very well because you can squeeze them to see how carbonated they are, and relieve pressure if you're worried. * Make sure you store the ginger ale in the fridge. This will help minimize any unwanted further fermentation. * Make in small quantities and drink soon. The refrigerating will *minimize* fermentation, not stop it, so eventually you will run the risk of gushers or grenades. ----- Ginger Beer From Sam Waring : 6 oz Ginger, fresh; bruised 3 qt Water 5 lb. Loaf sugar 1/4 lb. Honey 1/2 c Lemon juice 17 qt Water 2 Drachms essence of lemon (about 2 ts) 1 Egg Put ginger and 3 quarts water into a very large kettle and boil for 30 minutes. Add sugar, honey, lemon juice and 17 quarts more water. Strain through a cloth and when it is cold, add essence of lemon and egg. Let stand for 3-4 days before bottling. Yield: 1 serving. From Sam Waring : Homemade ginger beer 1 oz Ginger, fresh; peeled & -crushed 1/3 c Lime juice Lime peel; of 3 small 1/2 c Sugar 3 3/4 c Water, boiling 1/4 tsp. Yeast 1/4 c Water, lukewarm Combine the crushed ginger, lime peel, juice and sugar in a jar or at least one quart capacity. Pour in the boiling water. Cover loosely and let cool to room temp. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and add. Seal the jar as tightly as possible and let stand at room temp overnight. Chill, strain and serve. Yield: 1 quart. From: yorksman@teleport.com (David S Inman) Ginger Beer on Dried Ground Ginger This recipe doesn't use ginger root - but it is good! First you need a starter . . . Either Half fill a jam jar with tepid water, stir in one teaspoonful sugar and one teaspoonful ground ginger, plus one teaspoonful dried yeast; or, as above without yeast. Add one teaspoonful sugar every day and leave uncovered in jar until fermentation starts by natural yeast spores in the air. Then add one level teaspoonful ginger and one of sugar to starter and stir well each day for six days. On the seventh day strain and halve the starter (keep one half for the next batch). To strained liquid add twelve English cups (120 fluid ounces) of cold water, three cups sugar melted in four cups boiling water and juice of two lemons. Bottle and cork (do not use screw tops, bottles might explode) and keep for four days. Result is mildly alcoholic! ===== 4.8.3 Herbal teas ----- For 'tea' -tea (Camellia sinensis) check out the FAQ of rec.food.drink.tea. For 'herbal' teas look here. ----- From: Rick Jarvis (On uses of cinnamon basil:) I use cinnamon basil primarily in tea. (Not many people think of basil as a tea herb.) Cinnamon basil mixes well with mint, catnip, scullcap, etc. in bedtime teas. I use licorice basil in combination with the above herbs, and often throw in some anise hyssop. Lemon basil gets mixed into any number of lemony mixes, that also incorporate lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon grass, and lemon catnip. If you enjoy herb teas (actually, technically they're infusions, because they don't contain any real tea), try using some basil. (after being prompted for more info:) I do have some advice on developing your own recipes. Take an herb that seems like it would make good tea, make some tea and try it. If you like it, keep using it. After you have tried a few herbs that you enjoy, try mixing them. If there's an herb with certain properties that you want to use (such as catnip or scullcap for a sedative effect at bedtime), but you dont like the taste, mix it with an herb you like that will mask the flavor. The important thing is to keep records of what you put into the blends that you like, so you can reproduce them when you run out. I make most of my herb teas from dried herbs, although I do make some sun teas using fresh herbs combined with pekoe tea bags. To start, use what you have available. Experiment some, too. (I wouldn't have thought to used flavored basil for tea until my wife tried it and we liked it.) Some of the herbs we use or have experimented with in tea are various mints, flavored basils (lemon, cinnamon, licorice), anise hyssop, lemon verbena, calamint, catmint, catnip, lemon catnip, lemon grass, chamomile, sage, pineapple sage, lemon balm, clary sage, scullcap, sweet marjoram, and thyme. There are *LOTS* of others. Have fun! ----- From CKimb28370@aol.com: For Autumberez who asked for herbal tea recipes. These are two of the ones that I came up with myself. If anyone else has any to share with me it would be much appreciated. Spice of Life Mix the following ingredients to taste. Cinnamon Basil Apple Mint Chamomile blossoms (German) Cinnamon Stick Orange peel Let 1 tsp. of tea steep in a boiling cup of water for approx. 5 min. Add honey or sugar to taste. Berry Punch Dried Black and Red Raspberries Lemon Basil Cinnamon Basil Pineapple Sage Cinnamon Stick Chamomile Blossoms Orange peel Prepare as in above. ----- From dgholston@aol.com (DGholston): The fresh or dried leaves of pineapple sage can be used as a mild-flavored substitute for common sage in cooking or to make herbal tea. ----- > I am looking for recipes that use lavender flowers to make herbal teas. From Paul Kentaro Matsumoto : A real simple and delicious recipe: a tablespoon of dried lavender, a couple sprigs of sage (fresh or dried), a couple sprigs of pineapple mint or apple mint, and just a little rosemary. Hope you like this one! ----- From curtis nehring bliss (nobody@nowhere) If you want a wonderful tea with a citrussy kick that tastes great hot or cold try this: Forgotten Harvest Herbal Tea 1 part hibiscus flowers 2 parts lemon grass 3 parts raspberry leaf Let steep for twenty minutes. It's a very refreshing blend when served ice cold to help you get through these summer days ----- From: sjahner@sojourn.com (Barbara Jahner) * Equal parts of sage, thyme, marjoram, oregano and chamomile is nice and it will help you fall asleep too. * Also: 5 oz dried red rosebuds, 2 oz dried balm, 1oz dried rosemary. * Also mix in equal parts: balm leaves, rosemary, lavender, spearmint, and cloves. Personally I like a little less cloves but it's up to you. Enjoy! ========== 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 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/4 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 1/4 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 1/4 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.) 1/4 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 1/2 cup blanched sundried tomatoes 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 Tbs. tomato paste 3/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp. dried thyme 2 cloves of garlic 1/4 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 1/4 Onions, red; chopped 1 tbs. Mustard, dry 1 tsp. Salt 1 tsp. Pepper, black 1 pn Pepper, cayenne 3/4 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 1/4 or 1/2 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 1/2 c fresh basil leaves, 2-5 garlic cloves to taste, 1/4 c pine nuts, 1/4 c fresh parmesan and 1/4 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 1/4 c manicotti. ----- > ... pesto turning brown... From: Xiaoyan Ma 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: 1/2 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: mmm@alpha2.csd.uwm.edu (Michelle Marie Manke) Make pizza with a layer of pesto on the crust, then mozzarella cheese, then dotted with feta. Try using reduced-fat mozzarella, and scattering black olives & fresh tomatoes on top! 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.... ===== 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.-1/4 cup vinegar salt & pepper to taste one tbs. chopped fresh tarragon Chop onion and sautee till transparent. Peel and slice potatoes, 1/4" thick. Add to onions and sautee for a couple of minutes, then add bay leaf, tarragon, salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 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 : 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 1/4 c Oil Blend ingredients in blender or processor. Makes about 1 1/2 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 1/2 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 : 1 c dried oregano 1 c dried basil 1/2 c dried marjoram 1/2 c dried dill weed 1/2 c dried mint leaves 1/2 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 1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 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 1/2 tsp. Pepper, black 4 1/2 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 3/4 tsp. Pepper, white 3/4 tsp. Pepper, black 1/2 tsp. Thyme 1/2 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 1/2 cup Parsley; coarsely chopped 1/2 cup Coriander; chopped 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce 1 tbs. Paprika, sweet 1 c Tomato paste 1 c Oil, olive 1/2 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 1/2 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 posted to rec.food.cooking in May 96. Thanks to Karen Gann (http://www.anaserve.com/~gann/) for sending these recipes over: Herbs de Provence 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp summer savory 1/2 tsp lavender 1/4 tsp rosemary 1/2 tsp oregano or basil 1/4 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 1/4 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, 1-1/2 cups of chicken broth and one bouquet de garni. Cook at simmer for 1/2 hour or longer. Garam Masala 2 tsp cardamon seeds 2 tsp coriander seeds 1-1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp peppercorns 1/2 tsp whole cloves 1/2 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 : Whole Grain Mustard 1 T. whole coriander seeds 6 T. whole mustard seeds (black and yellow) 1 T. green peppercorns 1/2 t. dried thyme 3/4 c. water 2 t. honey 1/4 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 1/4 c. black mustard seeds 1/4 c. yellow mustard seeds 1/4 c. dry powdered mustard 3/4 c. cold water 1/4 c. dry white wine 1/4 c. white wine vinegar 1 t. dried herb 1/8 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 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar 1 t. salt 1/4 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 1/2 c . powdered sugar 1/2 t. salt 1/2 c. white wine vinegar 1/4 c. oil 1 T. fresh lemon juice 1/4 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 1/2 c. whole brown mustard seed 3/4 c. dry sherry 1 c. dry mustard 1/4 c. brown sugar 1/4 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 : Sweet German Mustard 1/4 c whole Mustard seeds 1/2 c hot tap Water 1/4 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 1/2 tsp. Salt 1/4 tsp. ground Cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground allspice 1/4 tsp. crumbled dried Tarragon 3 T light Corn syrup 1/4 tsp. Dill seeds Soak together the mustard seeds, dry mustard, hot water, & 1/2 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 1-1/2 cups. -- Better than Store-Bought by Schneider and Colchie ========== 5 Sites to see ========== 5.1 FTP sites ----- I keep archives of alt.folklore.herbs on sunSITE by ftp, or try the mirror in Japan: ftp sunSITE.unc.edu (or SunSITE.sut.ac.jp) /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/archives/afh/ Lawrence London keeps archives of rec.gardens on sunSITE by ftp, or try the mirror in Japan: ftp sunSITE.unc.edu (or SunSITE.sut.ac.jp) /pub/academic/agriculture/sustainable_agriculture/gardening/discussion-groups/rec.gardens/ There's a LOT of other newsgroups on sunSITE, too. I also keep medicinal and culinary herblist logs on sunSITE by ftp, or try the mirror in Japan: ftp sunSITE.unc.edu (or SunSITE.sut.ac.jp) /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/archives/herblist/ or /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/archives/culiherb/ Both alt.folklore.herbs and the medicinal herblist have more traffic on medicinal herbs than on culinary herbs; for herb gardening and culinary uses the usual place to find information is rec.gardens or the culinary herblist. ========== 5.2 WWW pages ----- The only pages needed here are those with comprehensive forward links. With these you should be covered: ----- My Herbal Homepage has some links, and there's more in the medicinal herbfaq, also available here: http://sunsite.unc.edu/herbmed Garden Net's homepage: http://trine.com/GardenNet/ The Garden Gate: http://www.prairienet.org/garden-gate/ The Gardening Launch Pad: http://www.tpoint.net/neighbor/ There is a searchable database of factsheets on Ohio State University's WebGarden. Search for specific herbs to find factsheets on them: http://hortwww-2.ag.ohio-state.edu/FactsheetFind.html The Internet Chef (Real Neat Site): http://ichef.cycor.ca/ ========== THE END. ========== -- Henriette Kress HeK@hetta.pp.fi Helsinki, Finland http://sunsite.unc.edu/herbmed FTP: sunsite.unc.edu or sunsite.sut.ac.jp /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/ Medicinal and Culinary herbFAQs, plant pictures, neat stuff, archives...