Rosemary.

Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 17:51:26 -0400
To: The Culinary Herbs & Spices List <HERBS.HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
From: "Mary E. Hall" <IOMA2.AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Rosmarinus officinalis

> I wanna know all usages that have this herb, and learn how make interesant things with this plant. Any idea is acepted.

Julio,
When I was growing up, my mother used Rosemary only once a year--and that dish she would not cook without it. Before she roasted the lamb for Easter dinner, she rubbed Rosemary and garlic all over the outside. Since then, I have seen people actually poke a knife into the meat to stick the rosemary and garlic slivers inside.

I like to chop it fine to make a marinade for chicken; I combine it with other herbs, some vinegar, and maybe a little oil if Robert isn't looking. It is one of many herbs that can be stuffed into a bottle of vinegar and used without oil on lettuce, as a salad dressing. It is very nice to add to "leftovers" that you are making soup out of. (Boil bones, fatty bits, skin, and vegetable trimmings together; strain; cool it off enough to get the fats off the top; and you have a broth that can be eaten that way, have seasonings and noodles and other tidbits added, or it can itself be added to other foods to make it tastier.)

Here in the US I can go to the library and look in the catalog for cookbooks. I suggest you find a book about French cooking, because it should have several recipes for rosemary.

What kind of food, spices, etcetera, did you grow up with? What grows near you already?

From: just 'lil ol me <dfraschi.VOICENET.COM>

Julio,

Try adding some fresh Rosemary when roasting vegetables. It is heavenly.....

From: just 'lil ol me <dfraschi.VOICENET.COM>

I love roasted vegetables! I've never written it down, it's alot of this and that. There are a couple of variations but here is the basic recipe.

Cut into large cubes or strips (maybe ¼" - ½" thick) -
Zucchini
Yellow squash
Onions
Mushrooms
Red or green bell peppers
(These are my favorite, use your imagination)
Combine:
olive oil
vinegar (sometimes I use balsamic, sometimes I use herbal I have made)
fresh garlic crushed
fresh herbs - Rosemary, Chives, oregano, sage (depends on my mood - but ALWAYS Rosemary)
Salt and pepper

Toss the vegetables with the dressing, lay single layer on cookie sheet or roasting dish and broil until brown, turning once. This is also great cooked on the grill. OR use the veggies to make vegetable kabobs on the grill !! (We did that this weekend. For that I added tomatoes cubed. It was fabulous!)
Note - the amount of oil used varies. Since I try to cook low fat I use only a tablespoon or two for a large bowl of vegetables. It just needs to coat them lightly.

If anyone tries this, I would love to hear how they turn out. Enjoy.

From: Robin G. Isaacs <isaacs.RMI.NET>

These 3 recipes were created by Jesse Cool of the "Flea Street Cafe" in Menlo Park, CA and were featured in February/March issue of Kitchen Garden. Simply splendid...

Roasted Vegetables with Balsamic Vinegar
6 servings

4 pounds assorted root vegetables
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, marjoram, oregano, or sage or a combination
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Scrub the vegetables and trim the tops and root ends. Cut into 1 ½ -inch to 2-inch pieces. Toss with the oil. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Stir in vegetables, lower heat to 375 degrees and continue roasting another 10 minutes. Add the garlic and herbs, and continue cooking until the vegetables ar soft when pierced with a sharp knife, 15 to 30 minutes more. Pour on the balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss gently.

Moroccan-Spiced Vegetables Kebabs
4 servings

The article suggests serving the kebabs with couscous and minted yogurt. Because of my penchant to consume large amounts of garlic, I naturally changed the amount suggested in the recipe; but that is the only alteration I made.

8 young turnips
8 new potatoes
8 young beets
8 pearl or small onions, or whole shallots
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Pinch of cayenne
4 long or 8 short bamboo or metal skewers

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and trim the turnips, potatoes, and beets . Peel the onions or shallots. Lightly coat the vegetables with about 1 tablespoon of the oil and roast on a baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft enough to pierce with the skewers. Remove vegetables from oven. Lower the heat to 375 degrees.

Toss the partially-cooked vegetables with the rest of the oil, the garlic, and all the of the spices. Let the vegetables marinate until cool enough to handle, and then thread them onto the skewers. Put the skewers on a baking sheet and then back into the oven, cooking until all vegetables are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Save the remaining spiced oil to drizzle over the cooked vegetables.

Parsnips and Carrots with Cilantro Pesto
6 servings

5 large or 12 small parsnips
5 large or 12 small carrots
2 onions
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoon ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves
¼ cup unsalted roasted peanuts
2 cups loosely packed cilantro (1 large bunch)
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Scrub the parsnips and carrots. If small, leave whole. Otherwise, trim the tops and root ends and cut the vegetables cross wise into ½- inch rounds. Peel the onions and cut them lengthwise into six wedges. Toss the vegetables with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Spread on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Toss the vegetables with the grated ginger and lower the heat to 375 degrees. Roast until tender, about 10 to 20 minutes more, stirring once or twice to prevent sticking.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, puree the garlic, peanuts, and cilantro with ¼ cup of the oil. Add the cheese and, with the motor running, slowly pour in the rest of the oil. Season with salt, pepper , and red pepper flakes. Let the pesto stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to let the flavors meld.

Toss the roasted vegetables with the pesto until they are lightly coated.
Let stand for another 15 minutes and serve.

From: "Susan L. Nielsen" <snielsen.OREDNET.ORG>

> I love roasted vegetables! I've never written it down, it's alot of this and that.

Lots of vegetables can be grilled, with happy results! Try heading radicchio (cut it into wedges, let stand a couple of hours in a marinade of oil, vinegar, salt & whichever herbs come to mind (rosemary is good, oregano is good, savory is good...), place them on the grill until they're wilted and heated through) -- takes the bitterness out!

From: Sherry Rose <sherry.GORGE.NET>

> Try adding some fresh Rosemary when roasting vegetables. It is

Sounds yummy! And I've seen an herb brush (probably on Martha Stewart Living). Just tie a bunch of edible herbs together with string and use the brush to baste your veggies in oil or marinade whill grilling or roasting. Rosemary should work especially well for this.

From: Esther Czekalski <E.Czekalski.M.BULL.COM>

I just wanted to mention that I don't care for Rosemary in a mixture of herbs. To me, its taste is kind of earthy and I either like it strong and clear or not at all. The first time I tried it in a mixture I kept wondering what tasted so bad. Just a quirk that no one else may share but I thought I would mention it.

I like its appearance in the garden, too. Its spikiness contrasts nicely with other, smoother leafed plants.

From: deborah taube <deborah.taube.SANTAFE.CC.FL.US>

I love it on a pizza crust or "Boboli". Smear around a little garlic infused olive oil on the crust, top with thinly sliced prosciutto or salami, a grating of a really ood parmesan type cheese, a turn or two of freshly ground pepper and rosemary fresh from the garden...mmmmm.

From: "Andrew E. Stein" <aestein.IAC.NET>

It's very rare that I roast a chicken without a branch of rosemary filling the cavity. I use one of those vertical roasting wire gizmos and basting the bird really draws out the flavors well.

If I plan to do a creamy gravy sometimes I'll use a tarragon branch which is also very well suited to chicken.

I grew up with the comforting bounty of a Sunday dinner which no family member would dare to miss. Usually this was roasted beef or fowl and the scent of rosemary was usually leading the herbal chorus. Today, even though my own family is just my wife, son and I, I always try to make Sunday dinner special as the tradition.

Geez, this is sounding bathetically sappy, but I guess it's a good tribute to the significance of herbs in cooking and memories.

From: "Chris McElrath" <chrism.SMHSI-GW.SMHSI.COM>

Hello Julio.
I love rosemary-especially the smell of it warming in the hot sun! I usually add 2 or 3 sprigs to a marinade for beef in which I combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, the rosemary, a little Greek Seasoning if I have it, and chopped onion. Yumm!

You can also roast potatoes in the oven using a little oil and chopped rosemary. I also add a little salt.

I also came up with a new recipe which we like - you don't need any extra toppings with these mashed potatoes: I boil potatoes and mash them with butter (or margarine), low-fat sour cream, and a little milk to get the right consistency. I add 4 cloves of roasted, finely minced garlic and about 2 teaspoons of FINELY chopped rosemary. You can adjust the amounts to your own liking and add salt and pepper to taste.

From: "M. Dee Medley" <mcsmdm.ADMIN.AC.EDU>

I love rosemary potatoes, too! I make them with garlic in olive oil.

Put a bunch of small red potatoes in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Peel a lot of cloves of garlic and scatter them around the potatoes. (If you're not lazy when you eat you don't have to peel them - jsut squeeze them over the potatoes as you eat.) Scatter fresh rosemary leaves over everything. Bake at high temperature until the potatoes are done.