Therbsday: Herb Pull-Aparts

A pretty, as well as tasty, bread

Ingredients: 1 c. rye flour, 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 2 pckgs dry yeast, 2 tblsp sugar, 1/2 c. minced onion, 12 oz light beer at room temperature, 2 tblsp. sesame seeds, 2 tblsp. caraway seeds, 1 tblsp. poppy seeds, 1 oz swiss or gruyere cheese, shredded

Instructions: Combine all dry ingredients with onion in a food processor or by hand. Add beer in a thin stream for 20 seconds and begin processing the dough until a moist, sticky ball forms. Add flour to dough as needed.
Rinse a large bowl with water, do not dry. Transfer dough into the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside until dough triples in volume, about 2-3 hours depending on rooms temperature. Turn dough onto generously floured surface and cut into 3 equal pieces. Cut each piece into five more pieces, so you have a total of 15 pieces. With floured hands, shape each piece into a smooth ball.
Sprinkle 1 tblsp of sesame seeds evenly in the center of a large baking sheet. Place 1 ball in the center of the bake sheet. Place 5 balls of dough barely touching the first ball, in a circle around the center. With wet hands, moisten 3 balls coat both sides generously with remaining sesame seeds. Dip next 3 balls in caraway seeds and the final 3 in poppy seeds. Arrange these 9 balls in an outer ring around the other 6 balls. Cover the dough with a dry towel and set aside for 90 minutes until dough doubles.
Bake in the oven, on the lowest rack, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese before sliding into the oven. To serve, pull the bread apart.

Caraway

Caraway (Carum carvi) also known as meridian fennel, or Persian cumin, is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe and Northern Africa.

Medicinally caraway has a long history of use. It is mostly used as a decoction (tea) (tisane), either from the fruits or from fresh or dried foliage. A tea the “seeds” is used as a remedy for colic, loss of appetite and digestive disorders. An infusion of fruits and foliage is used as a vermifuge (to dispel intestinal worms).

The plant is similar in appearance to a carrot plant. The roots may be cooked as a root vegetable like parsnips or carrots.

The fruits, usually used whole, have a pungent, anise-like flavor and aroma that comes from essential oils, mostly carvone and limonene.

The plant prefers warm, sunny locations and well-drained soil rich in organic matter.


The etymology of caraway is complex and poorly understood. English usage of the term caraway dates back to at least 1440.

creole tomatoes

It’s winter. It’s cold. And tomato season and long warm nights are months away. I have to dream a little.
Paging through all my photographs this morning, brought me to this shot of a wall I would drive by, constantly, whilst in New Orleans.
What is a Creole Tomato, anyway?

“The Creole tomato is such a bright red that it sometimes looks more like a painting of a tomato than an actual fruit. It’s okay to admire its beauty, especially if you are practicing the skill of delayed gratification, but most of us can’t look for very long – there is eating to be done.” – an essay by Diane Dees about Creole Tomatoes

… able to survive our wretched Louisiana summer because of the Creole tomato. The humidity is always at dripping-sweat level, the temperature ceaselessly in the 90s. If we’re lucky, summer lasts only four months, but some years we are doomed to suffer from May to October. The roses become distorted and faded, their leaves covered with blackspot. Giant grasshoppers devour amaryllis leaves within seconds. There are piles of laundry, as we deceive ourselves into believing fresh shirts will make us feel better. Our cars turn into heat capsules, and the deck smells like a mass of rotting organisms.

All summer produce is marvelous, of course, and we buy luscious Alabama peaches from roadside stands, pick cucumbers and squash from our friend’s generous garden. But anyone can do that. You have to live in south Louisiana to eat Creole tomatoes.

The Creole tomato is grown only in certain parts of south Louisiana, where the soil is just right. It can be large or medium-sized, and has an imposing corona at the top. No corona? Not a Creole.

Burlesque Thanksgiving Dinner

An exploration into cooking Thanksgiving Dinner in our underwear.

-Oakland, Calif

lavender salt turkey (cooking my first turkey)

Boldly going where I’ve never gone before, Turkeylandia.

After reading copious notes in my Betty Crocker Cookbook I swiped from my Mom’s house and having my grandmother, Beverly, give me the full run down on what I needed to do to execute a good turkey, I still felt nervous.
Nevertheless I gave my 15lb turkey a bath in the kitchen sink.

I was a little disturbed by this weird plastic thing tying her together. At first, like an idiot, I thought it was the built in pop up thermometer. But I quickly sighted a 6pack of Duff beer in my kitchen and made the connection. Scissoring through the plastic I freed my girls wing and we were back in business.

Stuffed her with herbs, tied her wings down with twine and then smothered her in lavender sea salt until she cried ‘Uncle”.

Now she sits in my fridge until tomorrow, when I will begin baking her at 400 degrees for about 3 hours with a 30-minute post-cooktime nap, so her juices can sink back into her meats.
Mmmm.
Turkey.

Meanwhile I took all her insides and threw them into a crockpot along with rosemary, leeks, carrots, onions and celery to make a thick stock for the gravy I plan on whipping up in the early afternoon.

Stay tuned for the results …

Therbsday: Herbed Crêpes

Ingredients: 2 large eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/3 cup water, 1 cup all-purpose flour – preferably bleached, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons butter – melted, plus 2 or 3 teaspoons butter for coating the pan

Instructions: In a blender or food processor, blend the eggs, milk, water, flour, salt, and the 2 tablespoons melted butter for 5 seconds, or until smooth. Stir down and repeat if necessary. Or, to mix by hand, sift the flour into a medium bowl and add the salt. Whisk the eggs until blended, mix in the milk and water, and whisk this mixture into the flour and salt; stir in the 2 tablespoons melted butter. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (though 2 hours is preferable) or up to 24 hours.

Heat a thin lipped saucepan on medium/ medium/high heat. Using a ladle drop in a ladle-full of batter. Gently tilt the pan side to side to evenly distribute the batter. Set on flame/burner. After 1-2 minutes you may begin to loosen the batter from the sides of the pan by using a rubber spatula. Gently flip the crêpe using the spatula. Cook another 1-2 minutes. Using some muscle, flip the crêpe in the air and yell “Se Bon!” as you flip your crêpe.

Store on a plate under a clean dish towel. And begin making your next crêpe.

Tips from my french friends Sigrid and Laura:
- Crêpe batter should be about as thick as heavy cream. If it is too thick, thin it with a little water. If it is too thin, additional flour can be added. Different flours have different thickening properties, and moisture in the flour can vary the amount of liquid needed.

- Add butter to the pan every 4th or 5th crêpe.

- You may put more salt in the batter for savory crêpe and more sugar for sweeter crêpes.

- The girls recommend diced chives or chopped rosemary to be served with cheese, ham and eggs. It would be fun to add the juice from a jar of jalepeno’s along with cilantro for a mexican spin on a french dish.

Therbsday: Saffron Scones

The hands featured in these recipes and those that follow are of my beautiful roommate, close confidante and soul whisperer – Miz Elle Toro. She didn’t know she’d be taking part in the project but I have found it physically impossible to both crush, whip, grate and stir AND take the pictures. So I offer her golden, saffron crusted Thanks for helping me record Therbsdays.

Ingredients: 1/2 Tsp Saffron Threads – 1/2 C Buttermilk – 2 Lg Eggs – 3/4C Butter – 2 C All-Purpose Flour – 1/2 C Sugar – 2 Tsp Baking Powder – 1 Tsp Baking Soda – 1/4 Tsp Salt – 1/3 C Dried Cherries

Instructions: Crush the saffron threads to a fine powder and add to the buttermilk and eggs. Whisk until blended. Set aside. Melt 4 Tblsp of the butter and aside to cool.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the rest of the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the cherries. Add saffron/buttermilk mixture. Stir until soft, sticky dough forms. (This can be placed in a covered container and refrigerated for a few days, or frozen for later use. Return to room temp before continuing).
On a well floured surface, knead the dough once or twice very lightly. Roll the dough into an 8″ square, about 1/2″ thick. Cut into 4 squares. Cut each square into 4 triangles = 16 triangles total. Place the trainagles on a baking sheet about an 1″ apart and brush with the reserved butter.
Or you can do as Elle Toro and I did, we simply dropped the dough into greased muffin tins and let’em bake. I also had considered turning these into drop biscuits.
Bake the scones in the upper-middle rack of a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for up to two months.

** It should be noted that I turned these “scones” into biscuit/cupcakes for easability. I baked them at a friends Fried Chicken party and they turned out just beautifully. These are flexible scones. Also I apologize for the shoddy photos. I was on my way to drunk while handling the camera. **

Saffron

In India and Greece, Saffron is considered a powerful aphrodisiac, so powerful it could cause a woman to swoon with passion.

The history of saffron cultivation reaches back more than 3,000 years.

Saffron-based pigments have been found in 50,000 year-old depictions of prehistoric beasts in what is today Iraq. Later, the Sumerians used wild-growing saffron in their remedies and magical potions

Saffron’s aroma is often described by connoisseurs as reminiscent of metallic honey with grassy or hay-like notes, while its taste has also been noted as hay-like and sweet. Saffron also contributes a luminous yellow-orange colouring to foods.

Studies show that saffron may protect the eyes from the direct effects of bright light and retinal stress apart from slowing down macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.

A pound (454 grams) of dry saffron requires 50,000–75,000 flowers

Therbsday: Spring Onion Savory Foccacia

I love taking a relatively simple recipe and making it different … making it mine. In this case, I took a recipe that called for a teaspoon of dried oregano and morphed it into a chopped cup of summer savory, basil and cilantro with caramelized spring onions. Then I turned that delicious herbed concoction into the foundation of a sandwich with homemade herbed cream cheese and draped heirloom tomatoes with a Walnut Fig Balsamic sheen. Talk about so fresh and so clean, clean.

Ingredients: 1 Tsp dry yeast; 1/2 C Warm Water; 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 C All-Purpose Flour; 1 Tblsp minced fresh or dried oregano; 1 Tsp salt; 4 Tblsp olive oil; 1 Medium onion, thinly sliced; 2 Cloves garlic, minced; Salt and Freshly ground pepper; 1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

Instructions: Sprinkle the yeast over the water in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. The dough can also be made in a food processor or by hand. DO IT BY HAND, FOLKS, IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER! Stir to dissolve. Let yeast and water stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Mix in 1C of the flour, the oregano and salt. Mix in enough remaining flour to form dough that pulls away from the dises of the bowl.

Turn the bowl onto a floured surface and lightly knead until smooth and elastic. About 5 minutes. Oil a medium bowl. Add the dough, turning to coat. Cover and let rise for an hour in a draft-free, warm place, until doubled. About an hour.

Meanwhile heat 2 Tblps oil in a heavy skillet over low heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until the onion and garlic are tender and golden, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Punch the dough down. Turn the dough out onto a surface and roll into a 1/2″ thick rectangle. PLace on a preapred baking sheet. Using two fingers, make indentations over the surface of the dough. Spread with onion, garlic and parmesan cheese. Drizzle olive oil. Let rise in a draft-free, warm place for 30 minutes.

Bake the bread in in a 450-degree oven until crisp and olden brown, about 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Alternatives: Rather than oregano I used 3/4 cup of summer savory and basil (I like my foccacia herby). I diced up 3 small, fresh spring onions and used in lieu of the yellow onion and garlic. I also baked the dough into smaller loaves with a tad more cheese and less drizzled oil atop. Additionally, I made the foccacia into sandwiches by marinating heirloom tomatoes in a Walnut-Fig Balsamic dressing with basil & mixing farmstead cream cheese with parsley, basil, savory and S&P.
Et Voila!

Summer Savory

This herb has lilac tubular flowers which bloom from July to September.

Summer savory is a traditional popular herb in Atlantic Canada, where it is used in the same way sage is elsewhere. It is the main flavoring in dressing for many fowl, mixed with ground pork and other basic ingredients to create a thick meat dressing known as “cretonnade”, which is excellent with turkey, goose and duck. It also is used to make stews such as fricot, and in meat pies.

Summer savory is called borsikafű in Hungarian, Bohnenkraut in German, sarriette in French, θρούμπι, throúmbi, in Greek, and santoreggia in Italian.

Among the most fragrant of herbs, and on this account recommended to be grown near bee-hives.


‘The juice of savory dropped into the eyes removes dimness of sight if it proceed from thin humours distilled from the brain. The juice heated with oil of Roses and dropped in the ears removes noise and singing and deafness: outwardly applied with wheat flour, it gives ease to them.’


Modern gardeners agree that a sprig of either of the Savorys rubbed on wasp and bee stings gives instant relief.

Therbsday: Dill Cottage Cheese Bread

1/2 Cup Milk – 2 Cups Cottage Cheese – 1 TBLSP Rapid Rise Yeast – 1 TBLSP Sugar – 3 TBLSP Minced Green Onion – 2 TBLSP Dried Dill – 4 C Bread Flour – 1 Egg Yolk – 1 TBLSP Heavy Cream – 1/2 TSP Kosher Salt -

Scald the milk. In a food processor or large bowl, combine the milk and cottage cheese. Allow mixture to cool. Add yeast, sugar, dill, green onion and flour. Mix until dough becomes satiny and elastic (5-6 minutes). Transfer to a lightly oiled large bowl, turning to coat the dough. Cobver with damp cloth; let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide into 2 equal parts. From there form 3 equal parts from each section. Roll each piece into a long 12″ rope. Braid three ropes together. Repeat. Crimp and turn the ends under. Place on oiled baking sheet. Make sure there is enough room so the loaves have room to grow in the oven and not touch. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for an additional 45 minutes, until a slight touch leaves a slight indentation.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, at least 15 minutes before the loaves are ready to bake. Whip the egg yolk with cream, brush loaves with the wash. Sprinkle salt and bake for 25-35 minutes. When you tap the bottom of the loaves, they should sound hollow. Cool on a rack away from drafts. This bread freezes nicely.

Makes 2 loaves

Dill

Dill is an annual or biennial herb with a smooth surface, finely dissected leaves, small yellow flowers and elliptic, flattened fruits. The single stalks grow to a height of 1 meter. Eating cooked dill regularly also aids digestion and prevents constipation.

The herb is especially useful for children. One or two teaspoons of decoction of the fresh leaves given – mixed with each baby feed- will prevent digestive disorders in babies and help them sleep well.

Dill seeds are highly beneficial in curing bad breath.

Dill is also useful to pregnant women and nursing mothers. Its regular use after childbirth increases the quantum of breast milk. It prevents any early ovulation thereby establishing as an effective birth control device.

The herb is also useful in stimulating and regulating menstrual flow. It is effective in spasmodic menstrual pain in young girls and absence of menstruation due to anemia, exposure to cold and pregnancy. About 60 grams of a decoction of the fresh leaves mixed with a teaspoon of parsley juice, can be taken thrice daily in the treatment of the above disorders.

A Celebration of Herbs

I hereby declare Thursdays to be forwardly known as Therbsdays.
And every Therbsday I will photograph and create one herb recipe out of my new vintage rummage sale book “A Celebration of Herbs”.

Stay tuned . . .