Round-up for WHB #181

Welcome to the round up for Weekend Herb Blogging #181! Started by Kalyn, and now run by Haalo, this is the first blogging event I ever took part in, so I’m very excited to be hosting it again. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to take part, but will hope to join you soon in one of the forthcoming WHBs. Many thanks to Haalo for giving me this opportunity, and many thanks to all of you who took part this week!

Herbs

Coriander

Coriander, cumin and chilli quiche ~ by mangocheeks from Allotment 2 Kitchen (Scotland)

This is a special quiche, with flavours reminisce of mangocheeks’s childhood. She explains it came about from memories of her limited vegetarian school dinner options, “which was mashed potatoes with peas, or chips with beans; or chips with cheese quiche; and then when I returned home, it was my mothers cooking which often included these three flavours cumin, coriander and chilli. So I decided to combine the two flavours into one dish and this is what we have.” Perfect with chips, she says. It sounds absolutely lovely to me!

Shrimp skewers with coriander/cilantro pesto ~ by Pam from Sidewalk Shoes (USA)

Pam celebrates the bbq season with these gorgeous looking shrimp skewers with cilantro/coriander pesto. The shrimps are marinated in olive oil, garlic, chilli flakes, paprika and lime, grilled and then served with this lovely coriander and lime pesto. This is a dish with a serious zing that just sings out spring/summer.

Marjoram

Potato Croquettes with Speck Ham and Marjoram  ~ by Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Italy)

Graziana shares a recipe for stuffed potato croquettes made with marjoram from her garden. She loves this herb, which she says goes really well with walnuts, eggs, cheese and legumes. Here she pairs it with potato and ham to produce some delicious croquettes, worth every bit of effort that goes into making them.

Rosemary

Glazed Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes ~ by Soma from eCurry (Plano, Texas, USA)

Soma says:“The dried & fresh leaves of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L) are used to compliment a variety of dishes in the culinary world, whether it be salads, savory, grilled food or desserts. Rosemary is a perennial herb with a very fragrant needle like leaf, native to the Mediterranean Region. The name rosemary is derived from the Latin name rosmarinus, which is from “dew” (ros) and “sea” (marinus), or “dew of the sea” — probably because it is frequently found growing near the sea.” And here is an interesting tip: “Rosemary as  a herb works wonderfully with grilled or roasted food as the flavours of the leaves intensify when burned.”

Thyme

Polenta snacks with thyme in bloom ~ by Cinzia from Cindystar (Bardolino, Lago di Garda, Italy)

Cinzia’s polenta snack with thyme in bloom are not just breath-takingly beautiful, but also a great way of using any leftover polenta if you have it. Actually, I think I might be tempted making it from scratch anyway just to make these little beauties!

Mixed herbs

Mini strudel with herbs ~ Brii from Brii’s blog in English (Valsorda, Lago di Garda, Italy)

Brii shares with us a delightful strudel recipe made with ricotta, grapefruit and with the herbs picked from her garden: old man’s beard(clematis vitalba), nettles (ortica dioica), sald burnet (pimpinella o sanguisorba minor) and wall pellitory (parietaria diffusa).

Vegetables

Asparagus

Asparagus Risotto ~ by Jerry from Jerry’s Thoughts, Musings, and Rants (Ontario , Canada)

Seasonal asparagus star in this beautifully coloured, and subtle-flavoured risotto prepared by Jerry. He says he loved the fact that the risotto “had two shots of asparagus in it – tips and chunks are added near then end but a beautiful, green puree of asparagus is added to finish it.”

Baby Turnips

Brisket Stracotto ~ by Haalo from Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once (Australia)

Baby turnips are quite tangy and full of flavour, says Haalo. Perfect for use in a very slowly cooked stracotto, the Italian version of stew or casserole. Hallo says the end result is very tender meat, “beautifully infused with the flavours of the vegetables and herbs, which in turn are also flavoured by the meat.”

Fava beans (and green almonds)

Braised Lamb with Fava Beans and Green Almonds ~ by Jude from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté (Chicago, USA)

Jude says that “this ancient Berber dish is prepared around March or April in Morocco, when both green almonds and fava beans are seasonally available. The lamb is slow-cooked with ground mace and finished with the almonds, the beans, and a generous helping of sauteed onions.” In case you’re wondering about the almonds, Jude says they tasted like crunchy green beans.

 

Jicama/Yam

Jicama salad ~ by Joanne from Eats Well With Others (USA)

Jicama is a root vegetable that is also known as a yam bean or Mexican turnip, that, says Joanne, tastes pretty much like a cross between apple and potato. As such, this C vitamin-rich vegetable is used mostly in fresh fruit salads because of its crisp texture and semi-sweet taste (and here’s a recipe for you!), “but like any good root vegetable, it can also be mashed, baked, or fried. It’s also a really good substitute for water chestnuts in stir fries.” Very interesting! Thanks, Joanne!

Lemon Cucumber

Lemon cucumber with lentils ~ Jai & Bee from Jugalbandi (North Western U.S.)

Lemon cucumber may be new to many of us, but this description from Jai & Bee makes it very enticing: “This cuke is sweet, lemony and juicy – like a tart honeydew melon – absolutely delicious just with salt and cayenne.” Or try it with this simple and flavourful dal! I’ll be on the look-out for it!

Mixed herbs and veg

Cannellini Bean and Lentil Stew with Ham ~ Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen (Utah, USA)

Slow-cooked to perfection, this thick, comforting and warming soup is perfect for combating the cold weather that Utah has been suffering recently. The leguminous star of this dish are the cannellini beans, white kidney beans that “have great flavor and keep their shape better than most white beans.”

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Thank you all for taking part!

This week, Chris from Mele Cotte is hosting Weekend Herb Blogging #182.

 

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Posted by Maninas on 4 May, 2009

https://maninas.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/round-up-for-whb-181/