Weekend Herb Blogging #236: the roundup
As the host of last week's edition of WHB, I have the honor of presenting a very interesting set of posts submitted by bloggers from around the world. I have decided that I like the presentation in alphabetical order by featured ingredient (as seen in the roundup of #235 by Haalo), so I will adopt it for this edition.
For every contribution, I will offer a small bite, a sample of the delicacy to be fully savored by reading the relevant post.
a favorite ingredient of Anh from A Food Lover's Journey.
Anh used Brasilian nuts, together with dried apricots and dates, to make Nut and Dried Fruit Cake, the ultimate ‘power slice’.
and Brii of Briiblog used it to make Cauliflower Pesto "very quick, very easy, very tasty :)"
She served some with spaghetti and a lot of black pepper.
and this year, Rachel, The Crispy Cook, foraged for them at a grocery store. She's learned that, while "the coiled-up new growth of several different varieties of fern can be eaten,... many varieties are inedible and may in fact be poisonous."
She describes her Steamed Fiddlehead Ferns as "one of the most beautiful vegetables one can behold on the plate."
and Christine of Kits Chow discovered that her 15-minute Stove-top, Roasted Garlic
is an asset in the kitchen.
"Spread some garlic paste on pieces of crusty bread for a delicious snack or store the paste in a jar, cover with olive oil and keep it in the fridge" for future use.
L is for lovage
which Simona of briciole planted in her vegetable garden last year.
She is now enjoying the leaves of this perennial plant as a flavoring for her homemade fresh chèvre.
"Piperies Florinis are red long sweet peppers, named after the prefecture of Florina, in Norther Greece, where they are produced."
In the hands of Ivy of Kopiaste..to Greek Hospitality, these flavorful red peppers have been turned into a dip, which needs bread, so we have No Knead Ciabatta Bread and Piperis Fiorinis Dip.
and Cinzia of Cindystar used some ripe, juicy raspberries to top her Chocolate Mini Pies with Chilled Grana Padano Cream and Raspberries, of which she made two versions, one using chocolate puff pastry and one using chocolate shortcrust pastry.
Grana Padano is one of the best cheeses of the world, produced in my country of origin, Italy.
"a most elusive root," as Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once describes it: "Here in Australia finding it commercially is an almost impossible task and they do tend to sell as soon as word gets round that they are available."
Finally getting her hands on one specimen inspired Haalo to prepare Salsify and Shimeji Bruschetta, in which the root is paired with mushrooms in a beautiful and satisfying combination.
... and for shiso
of which Lauren of Besides Pho says: "Japanese Shiso also known as Perilla is a herb of the mint family. Its cousin Tia To (with a purple-garnet underside) is often used in Vietnamese cuisine as garnish in grilled meat or egg roll and noodle dishes. Both offer fragrant hints of cinnamon, mint and lemon."
Lauren used this interesting herb to prepare some refreshing Shiso Apple Granita.
Peppers were not the only red food that inspired Ivy of Kopiaste..to Greek Hospitality last week.
"The strawberry season is almost ending and now you can get them quite cheap. If you like having strawberries, year round (not that they’ll last so long) you can preserve them," by making her Strawberry Spoon Sweet. The post includes also a recipe for apricot spoon sweet.
take two
Strawberry season is long in California, and Simona of briciole takes advantage of this by repeatedly making Fresh Strawberry Mousse with Yogurt.
Low-sugar and non-fat, this is a nutritious and flavorful dessert option.
and Stacey of Fessenden Farmstead used it to make Tarragon Vinegar.
She actually added something more than tarragon (from her herb garden) to white wine vinegar: garlic and red pepper flakes (her own peppers, dehydrated and ground) also went into the mix. The flavored vinegar will be ready in a few weeks.
Though the name is "completely lackluster," Janet of The Taste Space found that Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce "is one of those incredibly delicious and flavourful meals where simple ingredients make something special."
She liked the dish so mach that she won’t complain if she eats it all day.
Many thanks to all who contributed to produce a varied and interesting collection of both savory and sweet dishes for this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging. I do hope I have not left anybody out of the roundup. If you find that, notwithstanding my best intentions, I actually have omitted a post, please send me a note.
Anna from Anna's Cool Finds is currently accepting submissions for this week's edition. You can always look ahead to who's hosting on this page. And if you are new to the event or need a reminder, the rules for participating are detailed on this page.
A final thank you to Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, who has been organizing for over a year and a half the event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. It gives me special pleasure to be part of an established tradition that links so many food bloggers around the world.
I enjoyed this alphabetical roundup for WHB very much! Brava, Simone!
Posted by: Rachel | June 07, 2010 at 05:22 PM
Thanks for this lovely round-up. Everything looks wonderful.
Posted by: Ivy | June 07, 2010 at 08:05 PM
So many delicious recipes all in one place Simona. Your roundup looks amazing:D
Posted by: bellini valli | June 08, 2010 at 06:54 AM
Gorgeous roundup and so many delicious dishes to try! Thanks so much for hosting!
Posted by: Haalo | June 08, 2010 at 07:17 AM
What a delicious spring/summer round-up! Thanks for hosting, Simone!
Posted by: saveur | June 08, 2010 at 08:07 AM
Wonderful lineup. Now, I'm hungry. ;-)
Paz
Posted by: Paz | June 08, 2010 at 09:03 AM
Thanks, Rachel. I am glad you liked the format.
You are welcome, Ivy.
Thanks, Bellini Valli. I am glad you enjoyed it.
My pleasure, Haalo, as always.
You are welcome, Saveur.
I can see that could happen, Paz. A not-unexpected side effect.
Posted by: Simona Carini | June 08, 2010 at 03:36 PM
Una gran quantità di idee interessanti :))
Posted by: lenny | June 15, 2010 at 11:41 AM
Si', e' proprio vero. Grazie, Lenny.
Posted by: Simona Carini | June 17, 2010 at 04:32 PM
ciao simo, sono in ritardo coi giri nei blog, ma questo round up è proprio carino, sempre idee ed ingredienti nuovi con spunti interessanti!... e approvo in pieno l'idea di seguire l'alfabeto, chissà, magari ci posso fare un pensierino anche io!
buonissimo w.e.!
Posted by: cinzia | June 25, 2010 at 02:35 PM
Ciao Cinzia. Mi fa piacere che il riepilogo ti sia piaciuto.
Posted by: Simona Carini | June 29, 2010 at 01:10 AM