HERBS

A GARDEN OF HERBS Susan Branch writes in her book “The summer Book” (author of “From the Heart of the Home”): Herbs “are steeped in superstitions & folklore -- witches, fairies & countrywomen have used them to cure everything from heartache to gout. They are symbols of such virtues as courage, friendship, fidelity & remembrance. They can be grown casually, here & there in the garden; they also make beautiful formal gardens. You’ll find them growing wild in the woods, in cracks & crevices of rock walls, on old paths to the sea & in pots on balconies & window sills. Many herbs are perennial & return year after year. They’re easy to grow & are a fresh, natural way to flavor foods -- no kitchen garden would be complete without them.”

ingredients

BASIL is the symbol of love & devotion; an annual that grows best in full sun -- pinch flowers off as soon as you see them. Basil is fragrant and delicious with tomatoes, cheese, pasta, salads & eggs. Grow lots of it so you can make pesto and freeze it for the winter.
ROSEMARY for remembrance. Rosemary likes sun & is a tender perennial so it must be taken inside in winter where temps fall below zero. (Afterall, it IS a Mediterranean plant!). Great with lamb, pork & chicken, with roasted potatoes, in pasta salads, baked with goat cheese -- on tomatoes, focaccia, & in salad dressings -- brush rosemary butter on grilled fish.
MINT, for virtue. Spearmint & peppermint are most popular but others such as apple, orange & pineapple mint, are lovely too. Mint likes partial shade; it’s best kept in a pot. Fresh mint adds a cool, refreshing flavor to many foods. This versatile herb is easily paired with both sweet and savory dishes. Spearmint (the mint you’re likely to find at the grocery store) is the most popular variety for cooking, thanks to its sweet, mild flavor; true peppermint has a more pungent flavor and is used to flavor ice creams, candies and extracts. STEEP IN SIMPLE SYRUP to use in cocktails like mojitos and mint juleps, or stir into lemonade. PERK UP POTATOES: Toss about 3 lbs freshly roasted potatoes with a generous handful of chopped fresh mint leaves and 3-4 minced garlic cloves. Stir and let sit 10 minutes (the heat from the potatoes will warm the garlic). Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper; serve warm or at room temperature. TOP FRESH FRUIT: Whisk together equal parts fresh lime juice and mild honey, then stir in chopped fresh mint leaves to taste. Drizzle over fresh cherries, or use a few spoonfuls to add a zingy note to fruit salads.
CHIVES: a perennial requiring requiring full sun or part shade. Pull the flowers out by bottom of tough stem before they go to seed. Delicate flavor, wonderful in cream cheese, any potato dish with peas, eggs; in salad, with fish & on sandwiches. Tie little bundles with chive leaves. (See more on chives, later in this section.)
FRENCH TARRAGON: Another perennial but it needs protection from frost -- cover it with leaves; it prefers sun but not too hot or humid. It’s most important to get French Tarragon & not the less flavorful Russian variety. It is delicious in vinaigrette & a must in Bearnaise sauce -- wonderful over butter new potatoes. Use it for chicken, in mayonnaise for cold salmon & salads.
THYME: The herb of courage, thyme is a hardy perennial that loves full son & fairly dry soil. Bees love thyme. A little goes a long way in many dishes: fish & seafood salads & chowder, onions, stuffings, salads & vegetables. Makes delicious herb butter for steaks or chops or on pasta.
CILANTRO: An annual that goes to seed easily in too-hot weather -- reseeds itself & with a little mulching it will even grow in the snow. The fresh leaves are called cilantro but the seeds are called coriander & taste very different. Cilantro is great with tomatoes -- perfect in all Mexican food -- salsa, in ceviche & on quesadillas. It’s great in chili & curry, with cheese & in salads.
DILL is a hardy annual; plant in sun & pinch off flowers as soon as you see them. Tall & graceful, this lacy herb is disliked by witches (in case you’re having issues....) but best on poached fresh fish like salmon, on cucumbers, in potato salad & cream cheese dips, in vegetable salads & omelets.
NASTURTIUM flowers taste like radishes -- they come in peach, yellow and orange -- beautiful in salads, leaves, too. Easy to grow in full sun.
BORAGE -- sweet-tasting blue flowers -- float them in summer drinks, cold soups, salads, whipped cream.
LEMON VERBENA -- a shrub that can get to 6 feet -- plant it near a window to bring fragrance inside; in bath; scented bunches; garnish lemonade.
ALSO TRY: Summer Savory, Lovage, Oregano, Salad Burnet, Sage, Lavender & Marjoram.
FRESH HERBSICLES
Fresh herbs add delicious flavor to soups and stocks. To ensure a year-round supply, tie bundles of thyme, parsley, rosemary and a bay leaf, and freeze them with water in small plastic cups. They’re easily stored in resealable plastic bags in the freezer. When needed, just pop an “herbsicle” into your stock pot!

directions

FRESH CHIVES: AN HERB WITH VERVE!!

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When you want a note of onion flavor but not the whole song, or when you crave a pinch of garlic, but not the punch, reach for fresh chives. Chives contribute a refined bit of onion and garlic flavor, and their green color adds lots of eye appeal. They’re not only easy to use and versatile, but they’re also easy to grow and will return year after year. (A 4-inch pot of chives is just a few dollars, and the investment will return year after year, getting bigger and better each time. Chives are undemanding. Plant them in moderately good soil in a sunny spot and water then when the soil is dry. Once established, they look after themselves. Chives are one of the first perennials to pop up in spring and they stay in good picking condition right through the first few frosts.)
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Chive flowers are edible, with flavor slightly more pungent than the leaves, so if you grow your own, don’t overlook this pretty way to garnish a dish. Or add them to salads by snipping or pinching the individual florets from the cluster.
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Chives are a classic with baked potatoes, and with good reason. Mildly pungent chives are fantastic with starchy foods (not only potatoes, but also rice, polenta, and couscous), and with butter and cultured dairy products. Chives are also great with fish, shellfish, eggs, and many vegetables, especially tomatoes and corn.
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CHIVES BRIGHTEN SALADS, SAUCES, DIPS, AND MORE:
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*Add snipped chives to a plain biscuit dough
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*Shortly before serving, stir a generous helping of chives into a pot of tomato or corn soup
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*Stir snipped chives into a white wine pan sauce for fish, or any pan sauce
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*Snip a few strands of chives into a vinaigrette destined for a seafood salad or for fish
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*Add a generous hit of snipped chives to potato salad, rice salad, or bean salad
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*Snip chives into quiches, omelets, or scrambled eggs
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*Punch up a green salad by snipping chives right into the bowl before tossing with the dressing
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*Flavor a risotto with a purée of chives and arugula or other herbs like parsley, basil, cilantro, and dill
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*Use a generous measure of chives in a puréed herb mix in salsa verde or green mayonnaise
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*For a chivey dip, fold chopped chives into softened cream cheese, feta, or goat cheese, and thin with half and half. Season with black pepper, freshly cracked
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*For smoked salmon, offer a mound of chopped chives alongside
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*Work chopped chives and a little salt into softened butter and then chill. Melt a pat of the chive butter on hot fish, steak, or chicken just before serving

POTATO CAKES w/ CHIVES & SOUR CREAM

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These are essentially seasoned mashed potatoes shaped into cakes and pan-fried until they’ve developed a delicious crusty exterior. They can be shaped into patties up to a day before frying. Serve with bacon and eggs or alongside roasted meats. Of course, you can skip the frying and just serve the chive mashed potatoes as is. 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled;
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Kosher salt; 1/4 cup packed finely grated Asiago cheese (1 ounce);
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5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil;
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3 Tablespoons sour cream; more for serving; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 cup thinly sliced chives;more for serving.
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1. Put the potatoes and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and add water to cover by about 1/2 inch. Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Uncover, reduce the heat to prevent a boil-over, and boil until potatoes are tender when pierced with fork, 20-25 minutes.
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2. Drain potatoes and pass them through a ricer or food mill back into the saucepan (or mash them as smoothly as possible with a hand masher).
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3. Add the cheese, 3 Tablespoons of the olive oil, the sour cream, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; mix thoroughly. Add the chives and stir until well mixed. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
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4. Divide the potato mixture into quarters and shape each into a squat patty about 3/4 inch thick.
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5. Heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons oil in a 10-inch nonstick pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, set the cakes in the pan so they aren’t touching. Cook until a deep brown crust forms, 2-3 minutes, and then turn and brown the other side, another 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with a dab of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives.