Herb Garden Spreads Culinary Joy

Every time we’ve had a sunny day recently I’ve started dreaming about getting into my yard and planting vegetables. Then it rains, and my enthusiasm fizzles a little.

If spring’s unpredictable weather has you in a funk, start your gardening season by planting a container herb garden. Fresh herbs will add a delicious dimension to your cooking. They bring lots of flavor to dishes without adding salt. Raising your own herb patch is also a great way to save money. Herbs can be expensive this time of year, and you often have to buy them in large bunches even if you only need a couple teaspoons.

Many herbs grow well in pots or other containers. You can grow some warm weather herbs, like basil and cilantro, in the house if you have a sunny window. Herbs are beautiful mixed into a flower bed if you happen to have one. Some of them, like chives and oregano, produce flowers once the weather starts to warm up.

Parsley, thyme, oregano, chives, sage and rosemary are fairly hardy and can survive most Oregon winters. If you want to grow mint I would definitely advise growing it in a pot. Mint grows on runners and can quickly take over the yard. Most garden stores sell herb starts that you can take home, plunk in a pot, and start harvesting from (sparingly) right away. Make sure the pot and soil have good drainage, and water your plants regularly.

Lamb Stew has plenty of yummy herbs and is a great way to use a meat that’s often associated with spring. It tastes best after the flavors have time to blend, so I usually make it the day before I want to serve it. If you’re looking for something different for Easter dinner, Lamb Stew is a great choice.

Lemon-Herb Chicken is fast and easy to make. You can use whatever herbs you have on hand and it will still taste delicious.

Dried herbs work in these recipes too. Use one-third the amount of fresh herbs called for, as dried herbs have a stronger flavor. (For example, if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, substitute 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.)

However, I’d suggest using fresh herbs whenever possible. It’s hard enough to find fresh food this time of year. Herbs are an easy way to capture the taste of spring without much effort or cost.

Lamb Stew
Makes 4 servings
1-1/2 lbs. lamb, cut into cubes
2 T. butter, divided
3 onions, quartered
3 carrots, thickly sliced
4 small red potatoes, quartered
2 c. beef stock
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 T. flour
2 t. parsley, chopped
2 t. chives, chopped
1 t. thyme, chopped

Melt 1 T. butter in a large oven-proof kettle with lid. Saute meat over medium heat until brown; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Saute carrots and onions in drippings until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add lamb, potatoes, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Remove from stove, cover and place in oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Remove meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon; set aside. Pour pan juices into a separate bowl. Add remaining 1 T. butter to pan and melt over medium heat. Add flour and stir until smooth. Whisk in pan juices. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened. Return meat and vegetables to pan. Add herbs and heat through.

Lemon-Herb Chicken with Angel Hair
Makes 2 servings
1/4 lb. angel hair pasta
1 T. butter
2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. minced mixed herbs (such as oregano, sage, thyme and rosemary)
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In the meantime, heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, herbs, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes. Serve chicken over cooked pasta; sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Cacao Tree Inspires Chocolate Desserts

Christopher and I recently traveled to Kauai, the western-most Hawaiian island. We enjoyed some good food on our trip, including Kalua pork nachos, fresh pineapple, and a pie made with macadamia nut ice cream. However, my best foodie discovery turned out to be something I saw rather than something I ate.

One of our outings was a visit to the McBryde Garden, a tropical botanical garden. They have a variety of culinary plants including allspice and pepper trees, vanilla bean vines, ginger and turmeric roots, and – best of all – Theobroma cacao, the tree that produces chocolate.

Chocolate starts its life in a purple oblong pod. The pods produce seeds that are dried, roasted, and broken open to reveal the cocoa nibs, the real source of chocolate. The nibs are ground to produce cocoa butter and a dark brown liquid called chocolate liquor. The liquor can be left as-is and sold as unsweetened baking chocolate. Manufacturers add sugar and cocoa butter to produce bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate. The addition of milk (either powdered or condensed) produces milk chocolate. Cocoa butter without the liquor makes white chocolate. Liquor with most of the fat and liquid removed is ground into baking cocoa.

Winter comes even in Kauai, so most of the culinary plants weren’t producing anything. The cacao tree, on the other hand, had dozens of purple pods hanging from it. That beautiful tree was the inspiration for this column, and I’m delighted to share a couple of my favorite chocolate recipes with you.

The first is Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Tart. This recipe from Gourmet Magazine is the best chocolate dessert I've had in a long time. Thanks to my friend Shannon for bringing it to a party and passing on the recipe. The tart is super rich, so plan to cut it into very small slices.

You won’t believe something as amazing as Honey-Almond Truffles can have only three ingredients. A friend in Portland brought these to a Christmas party one year and I immediately asked for the recipe.

Another of my favorite chocolate desserts is Turtle Brownie Sundaes. It’s hard to beat chewy brownies topped with vanilla ice cream, caramel ice cream topping and pecans. After eating a macadamia nut turtle on Kauai I’m convinced you could substitute macadamia nuts for the pecans in this recipe with delicious – and tropical – results.

Honey-Almond Truffles
1 c. roasted unsalted almonds
¼ c. honey
1 c. bittersweet chocolate

Finely grind almonds. Pour into a bowl; mix in honey to make a paste (if honey is too thick, warm slightly to liquefy). Cover bowl and chill for one hour.

Shape mixture into balls no more than 1” in diameter. Set on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and chill in freezer for 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave. Dip balls in chocolate until completely coated. Drizzle any remaining chocolate decoratively over the top. Chill one hour before serving. Store in refrigerator.

Turtle Brownie Sundaes
Makes 18 servings
1¼ c. flour
1¼ c. sugar
½ c. baking cocoa
1 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
4 eggs
¾ c. butter
2 c. toasted pecans, divided
Caramel ice cream topping
Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” x 13” pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl combine eggs and butter. Stir into flour mixture. Fold in pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan. Drizzle about 1/3 c. caramel ice cream topping over top of batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack and let cool completely.

Cut brownies into 2” x 3” rectangles. Place each on a plate and top with a scoop of ice cream, some caramel ice cream topping and about 1 T. pecans.