Saturday, December 13, 2008

cooking with rosemary



As with my post about the cedars, I am learning to appreciate those plants that thrive here in this challenging clime. And rosemary is tops for us. It creates a large bushy shrub, has that fantastic scent, and provides endless material for cooking. I have a number of recipes using rosemary that are on regular rotation at our house, and I wanted to share them with you!

This first recipe is so easy, and these veg are just gorgeous when spread out on a plate to serve. (If you want, you can add sliced chicken breast and it will cook right alongside the vegetables, on the same baking sheet!)

Roasted Vegetables with Rosemary

Ingredients
  • olive oil
  • 1 sweet potato, sliced
  • 2 russet potatoes, sliced
  • 3 carrots, sliced and quartered lengthwise
  • 2 red peppers, sliced lengthwise
  • 2 yellow onions, sliced into rings
  • leaves removed from two 6-inch sprigs of rosemary
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup parmesan, shredded
  • 20 kalamata olives, halved
  • Sea salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover the bottoms of two cookie sheets generously with olive oil. Arrange veggies and onions over olive oil, spreading vegetables evenly over two sheets. Sprinkle each evenly with salt, rosemary, and garlic. Toss to cover veggies. Roast at 450 degrees for 40 minutes or until the skins of the peppers start to blister. Remove from oven, arrange veg on a platter, and sprinkle with parmesan and halved kalamatas. Enjoy! (Serves 6)

White Bean Soup with Rosemary (this is my lazy-mama, vegetarian version of Ina Garten's fabulous recipe)

Ingredients

  • 3 cans white cannelini beans
  • 4 cups yellow onions
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 large branch fresh rosemary (6 to 7 inches)
  • 2 quarts vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Saute the onions in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and saute 3 min more. Add beans, veg stock, bay leaf, and rosemary. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes, until reduced slightly. Mash beans with a large fork. Remove bay leaf and rosemary and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot. Serves 4-6.

This last is from Sean Conway's fabulous website, Cultivating Life. The website (go ahead and click!) will surely inspire you to get out into the garden, and this recipe is unique and incredibly inventive. It is served on a chilled rock!

Strawberries and Cream on the Rocks (with rosemary!)

Ingredients:
  • 1 large flat rock, washed and dried
  • 12 large stem-on strawberries
  • 1 cup mascarpone cheese
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, minced, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons Demerrera or light brown sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:
1. Put rock in freezer for 8 hours or overnight.

2. When ready to serve, stir mascarpone and rosemary together until well combined.

3. Remove rock from freezer. Dollop mascarpone mixture onto cold rock. Garnish with sprinkle of rosemary and Demererra sugar.

4. Arrange strawberries on rock. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

No comments:

Post a Comment