Fennel is a light, juicy, crunchy,refreshing taste treat. There is a whiff of licorice or anise flavor to it. Both the tender bulb, stalks, and dill like leaves are edible, though the bulb is used the most. Fennel goes quickly served raw as a crunchy addition to salads, or just on a plate with kosher salt (!) or a dip,or a simple dressing of olive oil,lemon juice and salt. To use, trim the stalks and bottom of the bulb,then cut it in half. Lay each half flat and quarter, slice, or chop as you like. It’s also wonderful for clearing the palate between a meal and
dessert.
Store it loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge. Be careful not to let it get too cold. Like lettuce and celery, fennel's high water content makes it prone to freezing in overly cold fridges. Fennel fresh from the farm will keep up to 10 days. When cooked, fennel is tender and sweet. Add it as wedges or slices to sautes, roast it, add it to the pan with other vegetables when roasting a chicken, or slowly cook it in olive oil or butter until tender and gently browning.
Shhh, don’t tell! As children we loved to chew on fresh fennel. The adults would give us the stalks, which we would put them on our noses and “play Pinocchio,” probably because the Italian finocchio sounded a lot like this character’s name.
submitted by Patti Andrews
About...Sorrel!
from: Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book
About Sorrel Jane Grigson writes:
"I learnt the advantages of sorrel in France, where every garden however small -- or at least every garden in Touraine and Anjou -- has a patch of [sorrel] as close to the kitchen door as possible. We visit a friend in the early evening... Suddenly ... she remembers food and rushes to the nearest corner of the vegetable patch to grab a couple of handfuls of sorrel. In a quarter of an hour we are eating a lively soup, fresh and agreeably sharp, that she has made with the minimum of trouble.
In France everyone, it seems, knows about sorrel, and the homely standby of quick sorrel soup... Sorrel soup, sorrel omelette, sorrel sauce with fish or eggs mollet, turn a frugal meal into something special. People wonder if it's spinach with lemon juice? No...
Sorrel comes half-way between vegetables and flavouring. A few chopped leaves can be added to a green salad for zest. A larger quantity can be cooked down to fill omelettes, like spinach, or to make soups and sauces. The best-known of French sorrel soups is made purely of sorrel and water, with an enriching finale of egg yolks and cream."
About cooking garden "things":
"Most people spoil garden things by over boiling them. All things that are green should have a little crispness, for if they are overboil'd they neither have any sweetness or beauty."
~ Hannah Glasse
submitted by Patti Andrews
About Sorrel Jane Grigson writes:
"I learnt the advantages of sorrel in France, where every garden however small -- or at least every garden in Touraine and Anjou -- has a patch of [sorrel] as close to the kitchen door as possible. We visit a friend in the early evening... Suddenly ... she remembers food and rushes to the nearest corner of the vegetable patch to grab a couple of handfuls of sorrel. In a quarter of an hour we are eating a lively soup, fresh and agreeably sharp, that she has made with the minimum of trouble.
In France everyone, it seems, knows about sorrel, and the homely standby of quick sorrel soup... Sorrel soup, sorrel omelette, sorrel sauce with fish or eggs mollet, turn a frugal meal into something special. People wonder if it's spinach with lemon juice? No...
Sorrel comes half-way between vegetables and flavouring. A few chopped leaves can be added to a green salad for zest. A larger quantity can be cooked down to fill omelettes, like spinach, or to make soups and sauces. The best-known of French sorrel soups is made purely of sorrel and water, with an enriching finale of egg yolks and cream."
About cooking garden "things":
"Most people spoil garden things by over boiling them. All things that are green should have a little crispness, for if they are overboil'd they neither have any sweetness or beauty."
~ Hannah Glasse
submitted by Patti Andrews
Green Beans With Herbs
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. minced chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to season
Preparation:
Place all the green beans and half the onion in a pan with water, or a microwave safe bowl with a small amount of water, and cook for 10-15 minutes 'til tender. Drain. Melt the butter in a skillet and add the remaining onion, lemon juice, herbs and paprika. Cook for 5 minutes til the onion is soft, add the beans and stir to coat. Cook for a minute or two and serve. 6 servings.
recipe from: http://oldfashionedliving.com/thyme.html
Submitted by Patti Andrews
Thyme and Cheese Biscuits
2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fresh minced thyme
1/2 tsp. minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
Preparation:
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside. Mix flour, baking powder, herbs and cheese in a large mixing bowl, using a fork. Cut in the butter. Mixture will be crumbly. Add the milk and stir until dough holds together, you may add more milk if necessary.
Drop by large spoonfuls on the cookie sheet an inch apart. Bake 10-12 minutes.
recipe from: http://oldfashionedliving.com/thyme.html
Submitted by Patti Andrews
Buttermilk Herb Dressing and Croutons
Dressing:
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. each pepper and minced garlic
2 tablespoons snipped chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Preparation:
In small bowl whisk all ingredients together.
Croutons:
2 slices of thick Italian bread, crusts trimmed and cubed
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. finely chopped thyme leaves
Preparation:
In large skillet toast bread cubes in oil over medium high heat tossing for about 5 minutes until golden. Remove from heat and stir in thyme.
recipe from: http://oldfashionedliving.com/thyme.html
Submitted by Patti Andrews
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. each pepper and minced garlic
2 tablespoons snipped chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Preparation:
In small bowl whisk all ingredients together.
Croutons:
2 slices of thick Italian bread, crusts trimmed and cubed
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. finely chopped thyme leaves
Preparation:
In large skillet toast bread cubes in oil over medium high heat tossing for about 5 minutes until golden. Remove from heat and stir in thyme.
recipe from: http://oldfashionedliving.com/thyme.html
Submitted by Patti Andrews
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)