Weekend Herb Blogging Round-Up #143

I've been buying produce at farmers' markets more this summer than I ever have before. I make a point to go every Saturday, even that means just walking down the street to our local market. I love all the fresh produce, but more than anything, I love the fresh herbs...particularly the basil. I didn't get a chance to plant an herb garden this year, because we had tons of rain in the St. Louis area this spring and early summer. My planter was much too wet. When I first saw fresh basil at the markets in June, I got so excited! I bought a huge bunch; then my car & my kitchen smelled like basil. Wonderful!


Without further ado...and speaking of basil...here are this week's entries for Weekend Herb Blogging, an event created by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen:


Basil
For the inaugural post on her new blog Food, Margaret uses 2 whole cups of Thai basil and cinnamon basil leaves in a Thai Basil Eggplant dish. She also includes many good tips about cooking Thai food!







After experiencing painful kidney stones, Lalaine decided to use fresh herbs instead of salt to season her food. She uses basil in this Caprese Sandwich with Pesto Mayonnaise. You can see the recipe at The Cook Mobile.








Mint
Liza, a former colleague of mine, writes a new food blog called Knick Nosh, and she submitted a recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato that uses fresh mint from her garden. This is definitely on my list of things to make soon!








Turmeric
On Living to Eat, Ros's Cambodian Pork and Butternut Curry has an "intense yellow flavour [that] comes from the use of turmeric and a herbal paste called Kroeung, which is made from blending lemongrass, turmeric, ginger or galangal, onion, lime leaf and garlic."





Lavender
It's "Lavender Fields Forever" over at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, where Natashya showcases several ways to use lavender...including lavender salt & sugar, Herbes de Provence, lavender simple syrup, lavender vinegar.






Garlic Greens
Padma of Padma's Kitchen uses fresh garlic greens from the farmers' market in Hare lasun ki dal (green garlic dal), an Indian lentil stew.








Kale
Kalyn experimented with growing Russian Red Kale in her garden this summer. She's posted a recipe at Kalyn's Kitchen for Red Russian Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw with an Ancho Chile Mayo dressing that's sweetened with agave nectar.





Arugula
Laurie of Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska was surprised to see the arugula in her garden had wintered over and emerged this spring after the snow melted. She posts several recipes, each showing how to use arugula in a different way...like this Arugula & Tomato Salad with Anchovies.





Gooseberries
I'm so jealous that Anna had gooseberries to make a gorgeous old-fashioned Gooseberry Pie inspired by her mother's recipe at Anna's Cool Finds.







Fiddlehead Ferns
A Scientist in the Kitchen is talking about fiddlehead ferns, otherwise known as "pako" in the Philippines, and making a Pako Salad with tomatoes, onions, and a ginger vinaigrette.








Potatoes
Jude of Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté (love the alliteration!) baked a beautiful Rosemary Potato Bread (which was made with mashed potatoes), the perfect bread for dipping into olive oil.











Sweet Potatoes
Speaking of potato bread...Haalo has Sweet Potato & Chevre Bread mini-loaves on the menu at Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once. The recipe also includes nutmeg and lots of sage. This is a dough that doesn't need to rise, so I'll be trying it soon (I am still a bit scared of bread doughs!). Oh, and, I'm awarding a gold star for the use of the word "amalgamated." ;-)













Purslane
I'd never heard of purslane until I read Lia's post on Swirling Notions. Then, all of a sudden, I'm seeing articles, blog posts, and recipes featuring the plant everywhere! Lia explain what purslane is and features a recipe for Beet Salad with Purslane.






Black Truffles
Anh of Food Lover's Journey used Perigord Truffles in a delicious & decadent looking Black Truffle Risotto, which she calls "undoubtedly the best thing" to come out of her kitchen and the most expensive meal she's ever cooked. Anh, if you're ever in the St. Louis area, you are welcome to come over to my house for dinner...but you have to make this dish!



Black Beans
At Heart and Hearth, Ning writes about a whole Seabass in Black Bean Sauce, a recipe that uses small black soybeans that have been preserved in salt. She explains that "fermented black beans (tausi) is widely available here in Manila. In your country, maybe you can look for it in Asian Markets and groceries."





Thyme
Pam infuses red wine vinegar with honey and thyme and lets the mixture steep for two weeks to make a Honey Herb Vinegar that she features on her blog, Sidewalk Shoes.

Root Beer Plant
Victoria gives us an informative post about Hoja Santa or The Root Beer Plant on her blog, Flavors of the Sun. She writes, "I’ve heard it said that hoja santa (Piper auritum) tastes like anise with hints of tarragon, black pepper, nutmeg, and sassafras thrown in. Perhaps. But to me, the name given to the plant in the Southern United States says it all: Root Beer Plant. Crush one of the velvety, heart-shaped leaves in your hand, and you’ll know what I mean. Root Beer. Pure and simple. And it’s hard to imagine that one plant could capture so complex a flavor, but Hoja Santa does just that." Interesting!



Rice Noodles
Wandering Chopsticks details an interesting way to cook rice noodles for Vietnamese pan-fried rice noodles sauteed with beef. First, the noodles are pan-fried, then they are sauteed to create "a crispy and chewy noodle that soaks up all the beefy juices."






Peppers
Unripe Hungarian Yellow Wax peppers (which, ironically, are red when ripe) are the key ingredient in Graziana's White Gaspacho, a recipe that also includes cucumber, apple, and onion, over at Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs).







Zucchini Blossoms
Dhanggit fried up some Zucchini Flower Tempura using an authentic Japanese tempura recipe in Dhanggit's Kitchen. This is seriously making my stomach growl!

Cucumbers
Old-fashioned Cucumber Salad with vinegar dressing, a simple but delicious looking recipe, is featured at Thyme for Cooking by Katie.

Sorrel
Cheryl gives us Gluten Free Goodness with Sorrel Soup. Never tried sorrel? It's a tart, almost lemon-like, herb that's very tasty in a soup like this!

Grains of Paradise
Here at Sounding My Barbaric Gulp, I tried to use up the 10 pounds of garden cucumbers by making pickles for the first time. I made three varieties: Rosemary Garlic, Sour Dill, and Bread & Butter. They all included Grains of Paradise, an African pepper that has a zesty, herby flavor.






This is my first time hosting a blog event. I loved all the entries, bookmarked several to try, and enjoyed reading a few blogs that were new to me. Thanks to everyone who submitted a recipe! If I've missed an entry, please let me know and I'll get it posted ASAP.