About Dill Seed
About Coriander Seeds
Harvesting Coriander Seeds
Pasta with Tomatoes & Basil
Carrot and Orzo Salad with Fresh Dill
Italian Parsley & Arugula Salad w/ Mushrooms
Green Herb Frittata
Sweet and Hot Seared Onions
Coriander Bread
See also:
Chicken
with Orange, Spinach, and Cherry Tomatoes on the Spinach page (dill)
Tomato Basil Dressing on the Tomatoes page (basil)
Stuffed Peppers on the Bell
Peppers page (basil)
Yankee Gardener's Summer Squash with a Chunky Tomato / Caper Sauce
on the Summer Squash page (basil)
Salad of Grilled Summer and Zucchini Squash
with Warm Olive and Tomato Vinaigrette on the Summer Squash page (basil and
parsley)
Grated Turnip and Apple Salad
on the Turnips page (parsley)
Yukon Gold Potato and Artichoke Salad on the Potatoes page
Herbs have been used for thousands of years to enhance the flavor of the foods we eat. But they’re good for more than just flavor.
Members of the Lamiaceae family, which includes basil, mint, oregano, rosemary, and sage, contain compounds that kill the nasty bacteria and yeasts that can make us sick, like e. coli and salmonella. They also prevent LDL cholesterol from being oxidized and blocking our arteries.
Lamiaceae along with Umbelliferae, which includes dill, parsley, cumin, coriander, and caraway, also protect against some cancers and tumors. Lucky for us that they also taste so good!
Eat your herbs while they’re fresh. (You can dry them, but many of the ingredients that contribute to their best flavor will evaporate.) Enjoy them in the recipes below.
From Culinary Herbs: Providing More than Just Colour & Flavour by Dr Winston Craig for Summer Good Food News 2002.
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About Dill Seed
This
week's harvest includes the flower heads of the dill plant, with their supply of
fragrant dill seeds. Dill seeds have
a more potent flavor than the weed. They
can be used in breads, stews, rices, root vegetable dishes and most notably, the
making of pickles. When combined with vinegars, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper,
dill seed produces the dilled pickles that have that wonderfully puckery
quality. You can also add a few seeds to cucumbers, green beans and other
vegetables and they're good in tomato juice and cottage cheese.
To
harvest the seeds, put the seed head in a clean paper bag with the stalk
sticking out the top, and wait for the seeds to dry completely. (If you want,
you can tie the top of the bag around the stalk and hang it up. I usually just
throw mine in a corner somewhere, though.) When completely dry, rub the seeds
off the seed head into the paper bag. Dump in a bowl and clean the little
whiskery stems off as best you can. Store in a clean glass jar in a cool, dark
place.
Adapted
from forums.gardenweb.com.
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About
Coriander Seeds
Coriander
seed comes from a plant that grows native in both the Mediterranean and Asia,
but its most prevalent use is in the cuisines of India and the Middle East. The
Spanish called it "cilantro," and it is a frequent component in the
cuisines of Mexico and the American Southwest. It is used as frequently there as
we use seasonings like salt and pepper. In fact it is teamed with cumin as
frequently as those two ingredients are here, a dash of one or the other is
usually all that is needed to finish chutneys, curries, pilaus, pickles and
relishes, couscous, tagines and any number of other meat and vegetable dishes.
It is also a welcome ingredient in preparations that are "a la greque",
adding flavor to cooked oil and herb dressings poured over vegetables. It has a
distinctive sweet, strong smell and a hot, balsamic flavor with a hint of burnt
orange peel, and delivers quite a complex bouquet of flavors when it is
used.
From
chefshop.com.
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Harvesting
Coriander Seeds
To prepare the coriander seeds for use, cut the stems and tie them together. Hang them in a cool, dry place to dry out. Make sure to place a container under them to capture falling seeds. When dry, place flower heads in a bag and shake to harvest seeds. Make sure seeds are completely dry before storing.
To use the seeds, crush them in a mortar and pestle or spin them in a coffee grinder or small food processor. Toasting the seeds in a dry pan brings out their best flavor.
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Pasta with Tomatoes & Basil
12 oz uncooked spaghetti, rigatoni, penne, or mostaccioli
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large clove garlic; thinly sliced
6 medium tomatoes; peeled, seeded & chopped (3 cups)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta to desired doneness; keep warm.
Cook garlic until lightly brown in hot oil. Remove and discard.
Quickly add tomatoes, salt and pepper to pan. Cook until tomatoes are soft and juice evaporates and a thick sauce is formed, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil; remove from heat. Add to spaghetti along with cheese; toss and serve.
Serves 4. From www.hugs.org.
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Carrot and Orzo Salad with Fresh Dill
3 lbs. carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into
2-inch pieces
5 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
¼ cup olive oil, divided
1 lb. orzo pasta
Juice of 2 lemons
Zest from the 2 lemons
4 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped
1/2 cup loosely pack fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 450°.
In a small bowl, toss carrots and garlic cloves with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until carrots are browned and tender. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10-15 minutes.
Squeeze out pulp from garlic cloves into a small bowl and discard skins. Mash pulp with the back side of a spoon until it resembles a paste.
Cook orzo according to package instructions. Drain in a colander (do not rinse) then transfer to a large bowl. Toss with remaining olive oil then add carrots.
In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, zest, scallions and garlic paste. Mix in dill then pour over orzo mixture and toss until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 8. From
www.metrokc.gov.
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Italian Parsley & Arugula Salad w/ Mushrooms
1 cup Italian parsley leaves, loosely packed, washed, spun dry
1 cup arugula, loosely packed, washed, spun dry
3 firm white cultivated mushrooms; sliced thin
Dash salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup thinly-sliced red onions, soaked in ice water 15 minutes, drained
Parmesan cheese, shaved in thin curls
In a large bowl toss the parsley, arugula and mushrooms with the salt. Add the oil and toss well. Add the lemon juice and toss well. Season to taste with the black pepper. Divide the salad among plates and add to each portion some of the onions and Parmesan curls.
Serves 4. From www.foodtv.com.
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Green Herb Frittata
3/4 pound mixed leafy greens
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon wine vinegar
10 eggs
black pepper to taste
1 cup flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup rice, cooked
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan, add the chopped garlic, and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the chopped greens & a little salt, and sauté, stirring & tossing frequently, until all the greens are wilted & tender, about 5-7". Sprinkle the greens with a little wine vinegar. Beat the eggs lightly in a large bowl with 1/2 tsp of salt, some pepper, the chopped herbs, & Parmesan cheese. Stir in the sautéed greens & cooked rice.
Heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a 10-inch pan. Pour in the frittata mixture, spread it evenly, & lower the heat. Cover the pan & leave the frittata on a very small flame for about 10" before checking it. If the top is still very runny, leave it a few minutes more. When the top is only slightly runny, put the frittata under a hot broiler for a couple of minutes to finish & brown the top. Remove from heat as soon as the surface is set.
Turn the frittata out on a large plate & cut into wedges to serve. Use leftovers in a split baguette as a sandwich.
Serves 6.
From The New Vegetarian Epicure.
Thanks to Steve Carrow for this recipe!!!
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Sweet
and Hot Seared Onions
This relish shows off the flavor of coriander seeds. The cookbook suggests
serving it alongside shrimp fried in seasoned cornmeal.
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons cracked coriander seeds
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon minced fresh red or green chile pepper of your choice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Throw in the onions
and stir vigorously until they begin to turn dark brown (not black), 7 to 9
minutes. Add the pineapple juice and vinegar and cook, stirring frequently, for
4 minutes. Add the coriander, molasses, chile, and cilantro and remove from the
heat. Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.
From Big Flavors of the Hot Sun by Chris
Schlesinger and John Willoughby.
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