Battle Rosemary

Dear Judy Ruf,

 

Thank you for the early Christmas present!  In our small apartment, we have no room for a big Christmas tree, so mom gave us a unique and tasty substitute—a rosemary tree!  Even for us crazy foodies, it will be a challenge to make use of the bountiful sprigs on this functional decoration before they start to wilt and the holiday season ends. We think Judy may have had alternative motives (i.e., She too has too much rosemary in her window planter box as well, and is slyly seeking assistance in recipe ideas).  No matter, we entertained ourselves for a day by creating new rosemary concoctions listed below.  Merry Christmas!

 

Rosemary and Lemon Marinated Olives

Both Fricks family members have an addiction to munching on olives while we’re cooking. We have enjoyed sampling the various stuffed and marinated flavors at our grocery stores “olive bar.” For the first time, we decided to try our hand at making some of our own. This does take some planning ahead, as the flavors peak after at least a day of marination.

 

Ingredients:

·         4 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, minced

·         1 sprig whole rosemary

·         5 strips lemon zest

·         1/2 cup lemon juice

·         4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly

·         1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

·         1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

·         1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

·         2 cups green olives

 

Directions:

1.    Combine all ingredients in an airtight storage container. Make sure your olives are completely covered in liquid for the best results. Add additional lemon juice, white wine, water, or oil to cover, as needed. Store mixture in the fridge for at least a day, to allow flavors to meld.

 

Roasted Almonds with Rosemary & Garlic

We thought these would be a nice crunchy snack-atizer...wrong! We burned the first batch and the second didn’t actually take in any of the rosemary or garlic seasonings either. We followed 2 separate recipes and both times were underwhelmed by the results. We’ll stick to eating our almonds plain in the future.

 

(no picture necessary)

 

Directions:

1.    Don’t make them.

 

Rosemary White Bean Dip

A close relative of hummus, this dip is really good with pita chips, pretzels, and fresh veggies.

 

Ingredients:

·         1 (15.5 oz) can white beans (butter or white kidney), rinsed and drained

·         1/2 TBSP olive oil

·         2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

·         1/2 tsp lemon zest

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 TBSP fresh rosemary, chopped

·         1/2 tsp ground cumin

·         1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt

·         salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

 

Directions:

1.    Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until blended well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Prepare yourself for a battle, because the thick consistency of hummus does not like to be blended. You may need to add some water or additional lemon juice to achieve a “hummus-like” consistency.

 

Rosemary & Red Onion Foccacia

Breads and herbs are a natural and delicious combination.  Also, to highlight our love of onions, we added some red onions into the mix.  This is a delicious bread to dip in the white bean dip or any other hummus type of dip.

 

 

Ingredients:

·         1/2 envelope instant yeast

·         2 tbls minced rosemary

·         1/2 cups warm water

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         1/2 cup whole wheat flour

·         2-3 tsp olive oil

·         1 tsp salt

·         1/2 red onion chopped into slivers

 

Directions:

1.    Sprinkle yeast in a small bit of warm water to prove (about 10-15 minutes).

2.    Mix the flours, rosemary, salt and yeast thoroughly.

3.    Mix in 2 tsp of olive oil.

4.    Slowly mix in the warm water until the dough becomes springy and elastic.

5.    Knead on a floured surface for approximately 5 minutes.

6.    Place in a covered bowl and let rise for approximately 50 minutes (dough should approximately double in size)

7.    After the 50 minutes, punch the dough in and knead into a ball.

8.    Spread the dough out flat on an oiled baking sheet.

9.    Press the red onion slivers into the top of the dough.

10. Cover the baking rack with a towel and let rise for about 20 minutes.

11. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

12. After the 20 minutes, lightly brush the top of the dough with olive oil.

13. Cook for 25 to 40 minutes (time will vary depending on your desired thickness).  Once the top/edges start to brown, the bread is likely done.

14. Enjoy!

 

Prosciutto Wrapped Figs with Goat Cheese & Rosemary
Did you know—you can only make figgy pudding at Christmas time?  Apparently, fresh figs are only available at the grocery store during the week or 2 before Christmas. Our Hyvee has yet to stock them, so we sadly had to substitute canned figs. The end result was still irresistibly tasty!  Now we’re looking forward to trying another round of this appetizer with fresh figs in the weeks to come. As you can see in the picture, we used sprigs of rosemary in place of toothpicks or kebab skewers. We were hoping this would infuse an extra boost of rosemary flavor. The difference was subtle, so feel free to use normal toothpicks when you make this, unless of course you too have a rosemary Christmas tree with way more of the herb than you could possibly need.

 

 

Ingredients:

·         ripe figs

·         goat cheese

·         ground black pepper

·         fresh rosemary, minced

·         Prosciutto slices, halved lengthwise

·         Finely grated lemon zest for garnish

 

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.    Halve figs lengthwise. Place figs on a work surface, skin side down. Gently make a small indentation in each center with a teaspoon.

3.    In a small bowl, mix together goat cheese, pepper, and rosemary until evenly incorporated. Taste and adjust spices to your liking.

4.    Fill the indentation in the fig with herbed cheese.

5.    Wrap a prosciutto slice around each fig half.

6.    Spear a rosemary sprig or toothpick through the center to hold the prosciutto in place.

7.    Place figs in a lightly greased baking dish. Bake in oven until prosciutto begins to crisp, about 15 minutes.

8.    Remove from oven and transfer figs to a platter. Lightly sprinkle with lemon zest. Serve warm.

 

Chicken with Grapes and Rosemary

I’ve become a real fan lately of pan seared chicken dishes where you finish cooking the chicken in a sauce.  This is a variation of that type of dish with some interesting elements (grapes?!) thrown in. 

 

 

Ingredients:

·         1 chicken breast

·         2 shallots

·         1/4-1/2 cup white wine

·         1/2 cup chicken broth

·         2 TBSP Dijon mustard

·         20 capers—approx.

·         1/2 cup grapes (halved)

·         1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

·         1 TBSP minced rosemary + 1 sprig rosemary

·         salt/pepper/dry rosemary

 

Directions:

1.    Cube the chicken breast and season with salt, pepper, and dry rosemary.

2.    Heat olive oil in a pan and sear the chicken (approx. 5-6 minutes).  Do not worry about cooking the chicken fully at this time.

3.    Remove the chicken and set aside, lower the heat on the stove.

4.    Add the white wine, chicken broth, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, capers, rosemary sprig, and minced rosemary (in that order).

5.    Reduce the mixture by approximately one-half and return the chicken to the pan.

6.    Meanwhile, prepare cauliflower couscous. Roughly chop florets and discard stems. Process in food processor until texture and size of granules resembles couscous. No cooking needed!  Just transfer to serving plate/bowl.

7.    Finish cooking the chicken and stir in grapes until slightly wilted.

8.    To serve, first spoon sauce mixture over couscous to coat and heat the cauliflower. Top with chicken pieces, grapes and capers.  

 

Rosemary Sausages

Creating your own sausage is a very fun task.  The seasonings on this are all just suggestions and can be varied greatly.  Part of the fun of sausage is creating your own flavor profile.  I used pork tenderloin which is very lean and leads to a more dry final product—this is why I added the olive oil and ground beef.  You can use pork butt or any other cut of meat for these. 

 

 

Ingredients:

·         1 pork tenderloin

·         1/4 to 1/2 pound of ground beef

·         2 tsp kosher salt

·         1 tbls pepper

·         2 tsp sage (dried or fresh)

·         1 tsp thyme (dried or fresh)

·         2-3 tsp rosemary (dried or fresh)

·         1 tbls brown sugar

·         1-2 tsp nutmeg

·         1 tsp cayenne pepper

·         1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

·         3-4 tbls olive oil

 

Directions:

1.    Chop the pork tenderloin into 1 inch cubes

2.    Place the pork into a food processor and process until finely ground (or you can us a meat grinder for this step).

3.    Combine the pork with the ground beef.  The ratio should be about 4-5 to 1 pork to ground beef.

4.    Mix all of the herbs/spices in with the pork mixture.  All of the seasonings may be adjusted up or down based on individual preference. 

5.    Add the olive oil and mix thoroughly.

6.    Form into patties or links (or whatever shape you want!) and pan fry until done.  Time cooking will vary on the shape/size of your pork.

 

Rosemary and Leek Mashed Potatoes

Apparently we weren’t over-saturated with mashed potatoes following our 4 Thanksgiving feasts last week!  This recipe provides a fun and unique twist on the traditional version. Ours got cool while waiting for our sausage to cook, so we placed them in ramekins and transferred them to the oven for a second cooking. Topping them off with some crunchy Cornflakes made them close cousins of our favorite cheesy party potato casserole.

 

Ingredients:

·         2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into quarters

·         2 leeks, white part only, coarsely chopped

·         2 cloves garlic, finely-chopped

·         1 TBSP fresh rosemary, chopped

·         2 TBSP dry white wine

·         2 TBSP chicken broth

·         1 TBSP horseradish

·         1/4 cup sour cream

·         2 TBSP milk

·         Salt and white pepper to taste

·         shredded cheddar cheese, optional

·         cornflakes, crushed

 

Directions:

1.    Place potatoes in salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat, cover, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender.

2.    While potatoes are cooking, lightly sauté garlic in olive oil. Add leeks and cook until soft and golden. Stir in rosemary and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add wine and chicken broth, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

3.    Drain potatoes thoroughly and return to the pot over low heat, stirring to evaporate any excess water. Add leeks, sour cream, milk, and horseradish. Mash until well-combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust to your liking. Stir in cheddar cheese, if using. Serve now, or continue on, if you want to make a more casserole-like version.

4.      Lightly grease a casserole dish or individual size ramekins. Spoon potato mixture in and top with crushed cornflakes and a little more chopped rosemary. Bake in a 350 degree oven until potatoes are hot and bubbly and cornflakes are lightly browned. Note: if using a toaster oven, wait until the final few minutes to add the Cornflakes, to prevent burning.

 

Rosemary Vinaigrette

The surprising winner of the night! What started out as an afterthought ended up being our favorite rosemary flavored food of them all. We’d recommend serving the dressing atop a bed of spinach, red onion, shaved Brussels sprouts, and pepitas. Toss in a few croutons for crunch as well.

 

 

Ingredients:

·         1 clove, finely minced garlic

·         1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced

·         1 heaping TBSP Dijon mustard

·         1 tsp olive oil

·         1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

·         1 tsp honey

·         fresh ground black pepper

·         dash of salt

Directions:

1.    Whisk together all ingredients until well combined. Taste and adjust flavors to your liking.

2.    Cover in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour, preferably longer, to allow flavors to meld before serving.

 

Lemon Pear (and Cranberry) Crisp

Rosemary dessert?!?  Yes, please. Placing a few sprigs of fresh rosemary in the bottom of the pan allowed the flavors and aromas to infuse nicely without over-powering the dish. The tartness of the cranberry and lemon played nicely with the sweet pears. Be sure to serve with some sort of creamy element. You’ll all be shocked to hear that we did not serve ours with homemade ice cream.  We came to the sad realization that our ice cream maker was still in STL, so we had to suffer through with some cottage cheese instead.

 

 

Topping Ingredients:

·         1/3 cup brown sugar

·         2 cups Old Fashioned oats

·         1/2 cup flour

·         1/2 cup pecans, chopped

·         5 TBSP butter

·         2 tsp. cinnamon

·         1/2 tsp. cardamom

·         1/4 tsp. salt

 

Filling Ingredients:

·         3 fresh rosemary sprigs

·         6 cups pears, cubed

·         1 cup fresh cranberries

·         1 TBSP brown sugar

·         2 TBSP flour

·         2 TBSP lemon juice

·         1/4 tsp. lemon zest

 

 Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.    Combine all of the topping ingredients into a medium sized bowl.  Mix together until topping forms moist clumps.

3.    Place rosemary sprigs in the bottom of a lightly greased 13 X 9 inch pan (or individual ramekins). Thorough stir together brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Then stir in fruit.

4.    Place fruit mixture atop rosemary sprigs and place in oven.

5.    Bake the dish until the fruit is bubbly and the topping is crispy (about 40 minutes).  Let the dish cool and coagulate for 15 minutes before serving. 

 

Lemon Rosemary Cocktail

Mint is a common herb used in cocktails, but I really enjoy rosemary, basil and thyme as an herbal element to a drink.  This drink obviously used rosemary, but you can substitute any herb for rosemary to create the same/similar drink.  This was made more as a dessert drink, so it’s sweeter than I would normally create, but you can add more bitters, lemon and/or less simple syrup if you want to adjust the taste. On day #2, the extra simple syrup was a yummy combo with all Brandy (in place of the Cava, which was long gone). Cheers!

 

Ingredients:

·         Juice from 2 lemons

·         1 cup water

·         1/2 cup sugar

·         4 sprigs rosemary

·         1 cup Cava (this is a fizzy type of wine—almost like champagne)

·         bitters

·         1 tbls brandy (bourbon can be substituted as well)

·         2-4 lemon wedges

·         Ice

 

 Directions:

1.    Add water, sugar, lemon wedges, and rosemary sprigs to a sauté pan and heat until the mixture comes to a light boil and the sugar dissolves.  This is your rosemary simple syrup.

2.    Remove from the heat and let the rosemary steep for at least 15 minutes.  You can even make this the day or week before and store in the fridge.

3.    Combine the lemon juice, Cava, brandy, and ice.  Taste and add bitters to your personal desire. 

Winter Squash & Sage Ricotta Tarts

 

Inspired by an item in the Starbucks bakery section (that I ironically did not even taste…), these tarts emanate the fall season!  I used acorn squash because we had it on hand, but in hindsight I think butternut squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato would be better as they tend to have a bolder flavor. Enjoy for brunch or while on a picnic!

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. butternut squash, sugar pumpkin, or sweet potato (peeled, seeds removed, and cut into bite-sized cubes)

·         1/4 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, shredded

·         1/2 medium sized red onion, thinly sliced

·         8/10 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

·         balsamic vinegar

·         1/2 cup ricotta

·         1/4 cup goat cheese

·         1 sheet ready-made puff pastry dough

·         1 egg (or Egg substitute)

·         flour, for dusting

·         salt & pepper

 

Directions:

1.    Remove puff pastry from the fridge. Place on counter and cover with towel. Allow dough to come to room temperature as you prepare remaining tart components (this will take about 40-45 minutes, but longer is fine).

2.    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3.    Peel, remove seeds, and cube squash.  Place in a medium-sized bowl with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.

4.    Shred sage leaves. Add 3/4 of the sage to the bowl with the squash and oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

5.    Place seasoned squash on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, to prevent sticking. Roast in the heated oven until squash is slightly under cooked. It should have some give when poked with a fork, but be careful not to cook thoroughly, as it will continue to cook while pastry dough is baking. When squash is ready, remove from oven and allow to return to room temperature.

6.    Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.

7.    Meanwhile, very lightly sauté onions and mushrooms with a splash of balsamic as a faux carmelization. Season lightly with salt and pepper. These veggies also will continue to cook in oven while pastry dough is baking, so again be careful not to over-do it here.

8.    In a small bowl, combine remaining sage, ricotta, and goat cheese. Mix with a fork until thoroughly combined.

9.    Lightly flour a table or countertop as a surface for working with pastry dough. Diving dough into 6 equal sized rectangles. Roll dough a bit thinner with a rolling pin or side of an aluminum can.

10. Lightly grease an air-bake baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place pastries on baking sheet. Poke each tart with a fork multiple times in the middle where you will be placing cheese and veggies. This will allow air to escape and prevent dough from puffing up underneath your other ingredients.

11. Assemble tarts. First, spread on a thin layer of the cheese and sage mixture in the middle, leaving about a centimeter border around all the edges. Next, arrange carmelized onions and mushrooms on top of the cheese. Finally, top with squash cubes.

12. Create egg wash by beating the egg in a small bowl. Use a paintbrush to spread egg wash around the edges of the tarts. This will help with brown the dough to get a nice crispiness.

13. Pinch the edges of the dough inward to form a crust-like outer rim (sort of like pizza).

14. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and cooked through. Serve warm or allow to cool and eat at room temperature. If saving, store in an air-tight container in the fridge.

 

Lied Lodge Maple Glazed Pork

1 hour 42 minutes.  Michelle completed her first half-marathon at a lovely trail race in the middle of nowhere (i.e., Shenandoah, Iowa).  After running for almost two hours, hunger had a tendency to set in.  So, even following a full day of eating, we were still in the mood for a nice big dinner.   

We were staying at a bed and breakfast in Nebraska City and had planned to eat at the Lied Lodge—a previous favorite.  We dined on smoked pork with a maple glaze, an acorn squash puree, and mini roasted potatoes.  While we enjoyed the dish quite a lot, we were certain we could do better….

So we did.

 

Maple Glazed Pork

Ingredients:

·         Single pork tenderloin, cut into 5-6 medallions

·         For the spice rub:

o   2X salt

o   2X pepper

o   2X paprika

o   2X ancho chile powder

o   1X cayenne

o   2X onion powder

o   1X garlic powder

o   1/2X allspice

·         For the glaze:

o   1 clove garlic, minced

o   1/2 shallot, finely, chopped

o   1/4 onion, finely chopped

o   1/3 medium-sized green apple, finely chopped

o   3/4 (15 oz.) can chicken broth

o   white wine

o   salt

o   pepper

o   3 scant tablespoons maple syrup

o   1 tsp. orange zest and 1 Tbsp. orange juice

·         12 baby bella mushrooms

 

Directions:

1.    Combine spice rub ingredients in a small bowl.  Sprinkle evenly over pork medallions. Place spiced meat in the fridge and allow it to set while you prepare the glaze.

2.    Put the garlic, shallot, and onion, in a medium sized sauce pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until brown and sticking to the bottom of the pan.

3.    De-glaze with a bit of white wine.  Let the wine cook down (approx. 2 minutes).

4.    Add the chicken broth, green apple, maple syrup, orange zest, orange juice, and more pepper.  Let the sauce cook down for approx. 5 minutes on medium heat. 

5.    Put the sauce mix in a blender and frappe for about 1 minute.

6.    Return sauce to the pan and cook on medium heat for approx. 3-4 minutes more.  Stop once the sauce starts to thicken up a bit.

7.    Prepare mushrooms.  Skewer onto kebab sticks.  Spray with non-stick cooking spray and lightly season with salt, pepper, and onion powder.

8.    Preheat grill to medium-high heat.  Sear meat for about 2 minutes per side to achieve a nice crispy char on the outside.

9.    Meanwhile, position mushrooms on the grill on a spot where the heat is a bit lower.  Grill until tender.

10. Lightly brush on glaze and sear for another minute per side.

11. Reduce heat to medium low and leave meat on grill until cooked through.  You can add another layer of glaze at this point, if desired.

12. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.  Serve with additional glaze, if desired. 

 

Savory Acorn Squash Puree

Ingredients:

·         1 medium-large sized acorn squash, halved and seeded

·         cinnamon

·         nutmeg

·         1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

·         1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion

·         1 small green apple, cored and chopped

·         salt

·         fresh ground black pepper

·         ground sage

·         2 Tablespoons chicken broth

·         2 Tablespoons milk

·         2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

·         freshly chopped sage

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.    Place the squash halves, cut sides up, in a large baking dish. Sprinkle the insides lightly with cinnamon and nutmeg. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan by about 1/4-inch, cover with aluminum foil, and roast until the squash is tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

3.    Remove the squash from the oven, uncover, and let sit until cool enough to handle (you can speed up this process using the fridge, if needed). Using a grapefruit spoon, scoop the flesh from the squash into the bowl of a food processor.

4.    Lightly sauté the shallots, onion, and green apple with olive oil over medium heat until soft and fragrant.  Season lightly with salt, pepper, and sage (remember that you can always add additional seasonings later, if needed).  Add chicken broth and simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are very tender.

5.    Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the apple mixture to a food processor with the squash. Add milk and puree the mixture on high speed until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Finally, add parmesan cheese and puree until smooth.

6.    Keep warm in low-heat oven until you are ready to serve.  Alternatively, you can simply warm it up in the microwave for a minute or 2 before serving.

7.    Sprinkle on fresh chopped sage.  Place pork tenderloin atop puree and serve with mushrooms.