Rosemary, dew of the sea

I have been thinking and talking an awful lot about rosemary lately! With my students and in my own life Rosemary seems to be all around. Perhaps it is the spring season, and those lovely little purple flowers that pop between rosemary’s beautiful bounty of green leaves, or perhaps the taste has just been calling to me. Regardless, just as with spring, rosemary gives us a lot to celebrate. A member of the mint family, rosemary is stimulating to the skin and the senses. It can be helpful as a facial steam for relieving acne, dry skin or sinus pressure and as a hair rinse to stimulate hair growth and relieve an itchy scalp. Rosemary is anti-bacterial and has a rich tradition as a culinary herb. It is also renowned amongst herbalist for its nourishing and healing actions on the heart muscle.

There are two types of rosemary commonly found throughout the bay area. One is the upright rosemary with long, thin leaves and the other is crawling, creeping or hanging rosemary that has a tendency to be more decorative and aesthetic. What I call hanging rosemary usually has smaller, dark green leaves with a lighter underside. While both are edible and tasty, you can probably tell from my description that I prefer the upright rosemary for cooking. If you purchase fresh rosemary at the store or farmer's market, this is the kind you will find.

In cooking I usually chose to pair the strong taste and fragrance of rosemary with saltier foods, although nothing beats a honey mustard salad dressing with a splash of balsamic vinegar and a handful of fresh rosemary leaves. I love fresh rosemary on pork, chicken, steak, lamb and most other meats, on potatoes and other root vegetables and in soups. I also enjoy rosemary as an accent in pesto and combined with orange peel and warming spices in teas, see Rosemary Spice tea below. I also like to add rosemary leaves to my bread and I always enjoy it paired with thyme, sage and winter savory.

Rosemary’s Latin name, Ros Marinus means dew of the sea. I always thought this seemed appropriate, especially in the bay area where rosemary bushes are common and plentiful, those little green leaves as tasty and magical as the dew drops of the sea.

Rosemary Spice - Herbal Tea

INGREDIENTS
2 fresh rosemary branches, or 2 Tbs. dried leaves
½ cinnamon stick, or 1 tsp. cinnamon chips
1 Tbs. orange peel, or the peel of one small organic orange or tangerine

These measurements are approximate; follow your nose and your tongue. This recipe makes about 1 quart of tea, about the size of a large teapot.

To make an herbal tea/infusion place the herbs in a cup, teapot or glass jar and pour boiling water over to fill the jar or pot. Place on a tight fitting lid and let stand for anywhere from 15 minutes to up to 8 hours. The longer you let the herbs sit the better, especially with these herbs the flavors will release and become richer over time. You can strain your tea before you drink it or let the teapot catch the big pieces and enjoy the little tid bits that make it into your mug. If you do a long steeping infusion you may want to heat your tea slightly on the stove, or add a little fresh boiling water to your tea to heat it up before drinking.

Rosemary Aioli

Aioli is essentially mayonnaise, a beautifully whipped blend of egg yolk and olive oil, flavored with a little salt and sometimes herbs or garlic. It makes a great dip for vegetables, as an ingredient in salad dressing or as a sauce for fish and other fine foods. Once you have a little practice aioli is fun and easy to make… not to mention it can turn any meal into a fancy feast! I am including it here as an accompaniment to my earlier posting for celery root hash. The hash sautéd nicely into hot cakes and I used the aioli sauce with a hint of fresh rosemary to bring out the rosemary in the hash and the creamy undertones of the celery root. Even if you have not yet tried making the hash, don’t wait to make aioli!

Aioli is one of those simple foods that must be made with quality ingredients to taste good. Use fresh flavorful egg yolk and good olive oil! The trick to making good aioli with the perfect consistency is to whisk it vigorously the whole time and add the oil slowly. The oil should be at room temperature and the egg yolk too, although it works fine for me right out of the refrigerator!

INGREDIENTS
1 egg yolk
¾ to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
1 tsp. filtered water
1 tsp. fresh, finely chopped rosemary leaves

Separate the egg yolk from the white and store the white for another use. Add a generous pinch of salt to the yolk and begin to whisk, slowly add 1 tsp. filtered water. When the water and yolk are well blended slowly begin to add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking all the while. As you whisk your aioli will slowly start to thicken, as it thickens you may slowly add more olive oil. Again, whisk it until thick and slowly add a bit more. The oil will initially dilute your aioli and alter the texture, but as you whisk it in they will combine and become thick again. Handmade aioli will rarely turn out as stiff as commercial mayonnaise, but it should be stiff and form peaks similar to whipped cream.

The amount of oil you add is up to you, you may decide you like your aioli to have more of an egg flavor or more of an olive oil flavor. In theory an egg yolk should be able to “take” up to a cup of oil. Meaning that an aioli made with one yolk will continue to thicken with up to a cup of oil, after that it may begin to thin it out. When you have added all the oil you wish to use, add the finely chopped rosemary leaves, this is also a nice time to add finely chopped garlic, parsley, a little lemon juice or other herbs. Make sure the rosemary is finely chopped so that the flavor remains subtle, we do not want it to overpower the delicate flavor of the aioli. Experiment, 1 tsp. of fresh herbs may be too much for you, start with ½ and then add more as desired. You can serve aioli with anything! Aioli keeps in the refrigerator for a few days, but I always prefer it fresh. If you know you only need a little bit for that occasion, use less oil and enjoy a small amount of fresh aioli with a more pronounced egg flavor.

Celery Root Hash

On Wednesday afternoons I cook and do childcare for a family in Oakland (they are all in this picture somewhere...and no, I didn't make the cake). When I first arrive I investigate the contents of their weekly produce box for inspiration. Then I look in the fridge and pantry for supplementary items. To accommodate a special diet, I am asked to cook without any starches including most grains and flours, potatoes, certain legumes and some other foods. I often make soups or curries usually with a base of chicken stock, vegetables and meat. This week there was chicken already cooked and lots of roots. Friends of the family had recently made a corned beef hash and I was asked if I could experiment with something like that. This is what I came up with and I must say, I think it’s a keeper!

I love Celery root and suggest you give it a try in this recipe, particularly if you have never had it before! Don't be alarmed by the roots gnarly appearance, it is easy to tackle. The texture is similar to that of a potato and it has a lovely earthy and herby celery like flavor. It is more mild than celery however, and for those of you who can not eat potato I fell it is the best substitute....besides sweet potato of course. To use the root, start by cutting off the straggling and small roots on the end and the top stem area. Then cut it down the center and peel each half. From there either grate it, as in this recipe, or cut it as you would a potato. You can also roast celery roots whole (skin and all), which is easy and delicious, be sure and clean off all of the dirt first.

For the chicken you can use meat left over from a roast chicken or meat from making stock and broth. If you are a vegetarian or do not have chicken on hand substitute potato, sweet potato, other grated vegetables, nuts or even grains for the chicken and make veggie patties!

INGREDIENTS
From the Produce box I used, 1 medium sized celery root, 3 sprigs of green garlic, 2 celery stalks and 1 small fuji apple.

From the refrigerator I used, 1 pint of cooked chicken and 2 eggs (from the same farm as the produce!).

From the garden I used, three sprigs of fresh rosemary leaves!

Peel and grate the celery root and finely chop the green garlic into moons. Remove the leaves from three sprigs of rosemary, slice celery into thirds and finely chop, and core and finely chop the apple (include the skins). In a skillet, over medium high heat, sauté the grated celery root, green garlic and rosemary in 2 Tbs. of extra virgin olive oil. When the mixture is soft and partially cooked add salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and add chopped celery and apple. Continue to cook until flavors are well blended and all is soft, then add two cups shredded, cooked chicken. Continue to cook for a bit and check for salt!

You can serve the hash as is, or you can form it into patties, which is what I did! To make patties, whisk together two fresh eggs. Allow the hash to cool slightly and then add it to the eggs and stir all ingredients together. Form into patties, using about a half a cup of hash in each and sauté in olive oil over medium heat. They should be golden brown on each side and cooked long enough so that they stay in tact when you flip them, about 5 minutes per side. Garnish with paprika and serve with fresh avocado slices and rosemary aioli (rosemary aioli recipe will be posted this week!).

Amaranth - a savory side

Amaranth is an itsy-bitsy grain from South America. Like quinoa, another South American favorite, amaranth is high in the essential amino acid lysine, making it higher in protein than other grains. When cooked, amaranth becomes thick and a little gooey with soft and satisfying pops as you chew. It has a mild, nutty flavor and is quite often eaten as a breakfast cereal or porridge. I think amaranth makes a great addition to a decadent meal or on its own as a quick dish or snack. This particular amaranth I served with breaded eggplant rounds, crumbled Bulgarian feta cheese and a chervil salad with lemon vinaigrette. Try serving it with the goodies in season near you!


INGREDIENTS

Group 1: soak for 12 – 24 hours
2 cups Amaranth
2 cups filtered or de-chlorinated water
½ lemon, juiced

Group 2:
2 Tbs. butter
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup filtered or de-chlorinated water
½ lemon, juiced
1 carrot, grated
½ onion, grated
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt/ to taste

In a bowl or saucepan soak group one at room temperature for 12-24 hours, the longer the better.

In a saucepan on medium heat, sauté grated carrots, garlic, rosemary and 1 tsp. pepper. After 2 -3 minutes add onion and salt and mix well. Once the mixture is hot, add the soaked amaranth (pour off excess water), 1-cup chicken stock and 1-cup water. Bring to a soft boil on medium heat; it should look smooth with rolling bubbles. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring often. The amaranth is done when the excess water and broth has cooked off, slight sticking to the edges of the pan is usually a sign. The amaranth should be thick, but very soft and easy to stir. Add lemon and salt to taste. Serve hot, garnish with rosemary and black pepper.