A short introduction to herbs
The soil is still a bit cool for tomatoes and their cousins,
peppers and eggplant, to go in, so we’ve been scratching the spring
gardening itch with a few things that do well sprouting in cooler
soil.
A short introduction to herbs
The soil is still a bit cool for tomatoes and their cousins, peppers and eggplant, to go in, so we’ve been scratching the spring gardening itch with a few things that do well sprouting in cooler soil.
There are rows of carrots, radishes and cilantro getting twice daily inspections as we wait for the green sprouts to appear.
We’ll stick in potatoes in a few days. For the uninitiated, freshly dug potatoes are a revelation. They bear almost no resemblance to whatever you may bring home from the supermarket.
But the garden addition I am most anticipating so far is the cilantro. Its briny-spicy scent and tangy taste may not be for everyone, but it is a staple for us. It’s easy to grow, and does best before and after the summer heat, when the plants race to set seeds (which are also used as the spice coriander).
Our garden is filled with herbs that hide among rocks, as groundcover, and as background to the flowers they share their small plot of earth with.
The meager little bundles in supermarkets will not do. We need herbs that are harvested in fistfuls.
Thyme appears in several varieties, from the almost-scentless elfin thyme used as groundcover to creeping thyme and perfumy lemon thyme.
None of us is too fond of tarragon, but it’s such a pretty shrub that it has its place, too.
The lemon verbena is anything but pretty. It is a rangy woody shrub that defies orderliness. But the reason to give it a berth is the strong, lemon-drop candy scent of its long, pointed leaves. A few steeped in a cup of boiling water is a satisfying refresher, and a sprig in iced tea is better than any lemon.
Most herbs beg to be abused. The marjoram and oregano don’t seem to mind if nobody remembers to water them for a few weeks. In fact, once established, judicious watering only concentrates their flavor.
We have a large patch of lavender, thriving in the corner of the garden with the thinnest, rockiest soil.
A towering rosemary plant began life as a sprig, offered to us as a wedding favor. Today, it stretches to the eaves of the house. I just measured it, and this one-time sprig now stands at a stately nine feet, filling the air with its piney scent and attracting clouds of honeybees on warm days.
Flatleaf parsley makes a great edging plant, and there’s always some tucked in someplace in the garden.
Nasturtiums are usually treated as a flowering plant, but their peppery leaves and spicy blossoms are regular additions to our summer salads. Eating a plateful of greens sparkling with yellows, oranges and reds from nasturtium petals just feels a little decadent. Once planted, nasturtiums have the habit of resowing themselves, and returning for years to come with a minimum of attention. If you don’t spray toxic chemicals on them, many flowers make flavorful additions to your salads and desserts. Borage lends a cucumber note in its blue flowers and wrinkled leaves. Rose petals contribute a light scent and a feeling of elegance. Both are easy to grow.
One herb that demands its share of attention is basil. It likes it warm, but not torrid. It likes regular watering.
But that’s not the challenge of basil. As much as we love it, snails and slugs seem to love it more, and we race them to the tender leaves each year. Now we plant more than we need in staggered plantings over time, harvesting fistfuls in the summer that decorate fresh tomatoes, go into sauces or get turned into pesto.
In recent years, some of that pesto got poured into ice cube trays – less its addition of freshly grated parmesan – and frozen. There’s noting like a bowl of minestrone in January, spiked with a dollop of summer from a pesto ice cube.
Years ago, a book landed in our home that is now faded and tattered with use.
“Herbs: Gardens, Decorations and Recipes,” by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead, is hard to classify. It is part picture book, with photos of gorgeous English gardens that will only humble mere mortals. It’s also a garden guide, with species descriptions, photos and growing tips. Finally, it’s a cookbook, and some of the recipes have become go-to standards in our home.
What follows are a few of them, with a bonus addition of Marcella Hazan’s blender pesto recipe from her, “The Classic Italian Cook Book.” It’s the best we’ve ever had.
Chicken with Goat Cheese and Basil
2 whole chicken breasts, split
3-4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
1 small bunch of fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Basil Cream Sauce (see recipe below)
Bone the chicken breasts and carefully slip fingers under the skin of each breast half, creating a large pocket. Cut off a dollop of about one ounce of goat cheese, and wrap it in several basil leaves, inserting a packet under the skin of each breast portion. Season with salt and pepper.
Grill over a hot fire until juices run clear.
To serve, pour a puddle of Basil Cream Sauce onto each plate, top with a chicken breast and garnish with julienned basil.
Basil Cream Sauce
2 shallots, chopped
1 c. heavy cream
Fistful of julienned basil
Gently cook the shallots with the cream until reduced by two thirds, about five to six minutes. Add half the basil, using the rest as garnish.
This dish is delicious – and lower in fat – without the sauce, and it’s as good served at room temperature as hot.
Blender Pesto
2 lightly packed cups of basil leaves (If basil is a large-leafed variety, tear into smaller pieces before measuring)
½ c. olive oil
2 tbsp. pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed and peeled
½ c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. romano cheese (we usually omit this)
3 tbsp. butter, softened.
Combine basil, oil, pine nuts, garlic and (optional) salt in a blender and mix at high speed. Stop from time to time and scrape ingredients down using a rubber spatula.
When blended, pour into a bowl and beat in cheeses by hand. (Hand beating takes only a few seconds, and ensures a better texture.) Once the cheese is mixed in, incorporate the softened butter.
Before adding the pesto to pasta, be sure to add a tablespoon or so of the hot water in which the pasta has been cooked.
While pesto is usually used over pasta, it’s a great addition to sauces, sandwiches, soups, salad dressings or anything else that cries out for a taste of summer.
I’ve seen recipes for pesto that swap pine nuts for walnuts and oregano for basil. Sometimes, we serve pasta with a cumin cream sauce and a cilantro pesto, so feel free to invent a little.
Most herbs do fine in containers, so there’s no reason even for apartment dwellers not to have a patch out on the “back 40.”
Good gardening and bon appetit!
