Glazed Carrots with Tarragon

Tarragon is called the "King of Herbs" by the French, but I'm not quite sure I'm on board with that. I have heard of tarragon and know that I've never grown it, but I thought I had cooked with it before. However when I recently made Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Apple and Tarragon it seems to be the first time I really remember tasting it. I was surprised at the licorice-type flavor, like a mild anise. And even though I wasn't too happy with that soup, I decided to give tarragon another try.

I had pulled down my copy of Padma Lakshmi's Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet cookbook recently and fell up this recipe for Glazed Carrots with Tarragon. The photo looked so tasty and I think I have a new thing for carrots lately so I knew I had to try it. I think it's fun buying carrots with the big long greens on the top. That is somewhat new to me because I used to by them already shredded or whole ones in a bag. But I feel very natural buying the whole carrots and peeling them is kind of meditative.

We were all thrilled with these carrots! And we all had a second impression on tarragon. They went perfectly with the carrots and there was no over powering licorice flavor this time. Making glazed carrots is always fun because I love it as the carrots cook up with all the butter, and the touch of maple syrup make is fun. The whole house smells great while these are cooking and we loved them so much we wish I doubled the recipe!

Glazed Carrots with Tarragon Serves 4 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon butter ½ cup finely diced onion 1½ pounds young carrots, scraped and sliced 1 inch thick diagonally ⅓ cup loosely packed fresh tarragon 1½ teaspoons maple syrup ⅓ teaspoon salt

Heat a deep skillet on medium heat; add the oil and butter. When the butter is melted but not burned, add the onions. Lower the heat if the butter starts to burn, and stir for a couple of minutes.

Add the carrots, and continue to stir for 6 to 7 minutes, depending upon the width of the carrots.

Add the tarragon leaves, ripping them apart as you add them to the skillet. Drizzle the maple syrup into the skillet, add salt to taste, and stir the carrots until they are glazed uniformly, cooking approximately 3 to 4 minutes more. Serve as a side dish.

Honestly, I made this recipe with Weekend Herb Blogging in mind because fresh tarragon was an herb that seemed new to me or something I hadn't worked with in a while. Look for more herb recipes at Mele Cotte who is hosting this week's Weekend Herb Blogging roundup.

Baby Arugula, Orange and Fennel Salad with Grilled Shrimp and White Balsamic Vinaigrette

I'm not a big fennel person, but this recipe for Baby Arugula, Orange & Fennel Salad with Grilled Shrimp and White Balsamic Vinaigrette sounded so good I overlooked the heavy use of fennel ingredients. I'm glad I did too because all of the orange flavors really balanced the fennel out and the fennel tasted amazing! And there are so many different uses of fennel in this recipe I decided to use it as my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging. The main fennel bulb is sliced up and used in a salad. I thought it was interesting that the recipe advised chilling the fennel in a bowl of ice water to crisp it up before adding it to the salad. Fennel fronds (I had to look up online) are the grassy parts at the top of the fennel stalk and they are used in the marinade and the vinaigrette. Toasting the fennel seeds in a pan on the stove smelled really great too. I didn't really grind them up before I added them to the vinaigrette. I just pounded them a bit with a wooden meat mallet. But I think it released some of the flavors and it added a bit of a crunch to the salad.

Overall, this recipe was amazing. I like dinners where I prepare on part the night before and then marinade overnight as I did with the shrimp. There is quite a bit of chopping both for the marinade and the vinaigrette so if I were to make this again I'd make the marinade and the vinaigrette at the same time. The vinaigrette can be stored for up to two weeks. So if I did all that prep work the night ahead all I would have to do is grill the shrimp and chop the veggies for the salad. I didn't grill the shrimp on a grill, I used a grill pan on the stove and cooked it in batches.

I have to admit that I only made half of the veggies for the salad but I made all the shrimp. So I had salad for 3-4 servings and shrimp for 6-8 servings. There were only two of us and we ate almost all of the shrimp because it was so good!

Baby Arugula, Orange & Fennel Salad with Grilled Shrimp and White Balsamic Vinaigrette Makes 6 to 8 servings Shrimp 1 tablespoon undiluted orange juice concentrate Pinch of red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons minced orange zest 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons minced shallots 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons minced fennel fronds 1 tablespoon fennel seed, toasted and crushed 2 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 pounds large raw shrimp (32 to 40) Salad 1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed 6 oranges or tangerines 6 cups baby arugula 2 heads baby frisee, torn, rinsed, and spun dry White Balsamic Vinaigrette (see below)

To marinate the shrimp, whisk all the ingredients, except the shrimp, in a large bowl. Peel, devein, and remove tails, then add the shrimp to marinade and toss to coat. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour to overnight.

To prepare the salad, finely shave the fennel bulbs with a sharp knife or a mandoline and crisp in ice water for 10 minutes. Spin dry before using. Cut the peel off the oranges, trim away all the white pith, then cut the fruit into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Flick out any seeds. (If prepared ahead, refrigerate the fennel and orange slices separately, for up to 2 hours.)

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill, or preheat a gas grill to high. Grill the shrimp until just pink and done, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, toss the arugula, frisee, fennel, and oranges with enough of the vinaigrette to coat nicely - taste for flavor, adding more dressing if needed.

Server the salad on a large platter or divide among individual plates, arrange the shrimp on top, and drizzle with a little extra dressing if desired.

White Balsamic Vinaigrette Makes 2 cups 1/2 cup while balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoon minced shallots 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/4 cup undiluted orange juice concentrate Pinch of red pepper flakes, or 1 tablespoon harissa paste 2 teaspoons kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon fennel seed, toasted and ground 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds

In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar, shallots, mustard, and juice concentrate. Whisk in the pepper flakes, salt, pepper to taste, and fennel seed. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly to emulsify. Stir in the fennel fronds. If made ahead, refrigerate until shortly before needed, then re-whisk before using. The vinaigrette keeps, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.


Checkout the Weekend Herb Blogging roundup hosted by Vani from Batasari sometime next week.

Zucchini, Potato and Ham Soup

I'm back! I'm back and in a new place. A new, old place actually. I have moved back to Chicago. I spent the last two weeks driving up here and getting unpacked. Now I have my cookbooks all up on the shelf and all of my cooking utensils unpacked - so I'm ready to go! It's been about 6 months since I've been actively cooking. So much has gone on in my life. But now I am home and I have people to cook for so I am so excited! Tonight was my first night in the kitchen after a long time - and it was a new kitchen to boot. But, I have a Whole Foods right down the street from me and I am in Heaven.

I knew I wanted to cook tonight but I have not gone through my cookbooks to pick out something special yet. I turned to the October issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine and flipped to the "7 days, 7 dinners" section and picked something out. I chose the Zucchini, Potato and Ham Soup because it seemed quick and tasty. And I wanted to make sure I got in an entry for The Doubly Delicious Two Year Celebration of Weekend Herb Blogging. It just cooled off here in Chicago so soup was the perfect thing for me to prepare.

This soup feature fresh dill. I LOVE the smell of Dill. I haven't found it to be an very versatile herb because if something contains dill you usually know it distinctly. However zucchini is one of the most versatile ingredients out there. Use it raw in salads, roast it up, puree it to make bread . . . the possibilities are endless! And according to the entry in Wikipedia, "In 2005, a poll of 2,000 people revealed the Zucchini to be the Britain's 10th favorite culinary vegetable." I'm not surprised at all!

This Zucchini, Potato and Ham Soup is super easy to make. The hardest part was peeling the potatoes - I used a mandolin to slice the potatoes and zucchini and a chopper for the onions. My mom and I had it for dinner tonight with nothing else but the suggested Pumpernickel bread and a glass of Syrah. My mother is a much more cautious cook than I am. She'll try anything at a restaurant but she tends to prepare old standards of meat and potatoes at home. The first thing she told me when she saw me cooking tonight was that she usually doesn't like creamed soups (but she'll try whatever I make). I explained to her that this soup doesn't have any cream in it and that it is very healthy. She watched me break out the immersion blender and was impressed with the results. She commented at least five times how much she liked this soup. I thought it was a tasty and healthy dinner to enjoy on a cool night. Perfect for fall.

Zucchini, Potato and Ham Soup 1 tablespoon butter 2 onions, chopped 2 large yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon gold (about 1 pound total), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick 3 zucchini (about 1 pound total), sliced 1/4 inch thick Salt One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth Two 1/4-inch-thick slices cooked ham (about 8 ounces), finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill Pinch nutmeg Pumpernickel bread, for serving

Instructions
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes and zucchini and season with salt. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil; cover, lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Using a blender, partially puree the soup, leaving some chunks. Stir in the ham, dill and nutmeg and serve with the bread.

Check out the round-up for the The Doubly Delicious Two Year Celebration of Weekend Herb Blogging by the gal who started it all at Kalyn's Kitchen.

Weekend Herb Blogging Roundup

A whole bunch of people submitted entries for this past weekend's Weekend Herb Blogging event. Sorry to all for the delay in getting these all posted! Now here's the roundup:

Katerina from Daily Unadventures in Cooking used lemongrass in a thai soup called Tom Yum Gung (Shrimp in Hot Lime Broth).

Shawnda from Confections of a Foodie Bride used cilantro in her pico de gallo recipe.

Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen highlighted radishes in her Roasted Radishes Recipe with Soy Sauce and Toasted Sesame Seeds.

Sara from I Like to Cook used zucchini to make Grilled Zucchini and Proscuitto Pizza with Sage.

Burcu from Almost Turkish Recipes used okra in her Baked Okra (Fırında Bamya).

Katie of Thyme for Cooking, the Blog used ingredients other than cilantro in her Tomato Olive Salsa.

Peter of Kalofagas - In Pursuit of Delicious Foods used lemon verbena in a Mojito Cocktail.

Alysha from The Savory Notebook users her fresh grown basil in a recipe for Lemon Basil Vinaigrette.

Sarina from The TriniGourmet highlights coconut in her entry.

Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook used haricot verts in her own recipe for The Ultimate Almondine.

Zorra from 1x umruehren bitte aka kochtopf used rosemary in her marinated feta.

Ulrike of Küchenlatein used mint in her strawberry jam with mint which she made in the microwave.

Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything used Buddha's Hand in her Candied Buddha Fingers.

Genie from The Inadvertent Gardener used dried lavender in a recipe for Lavender Coolers.

Sher from What Did You Eat? featured mint in an Asian-Style Cole Slaw.

Anna from Morsels & Musings used oregano in her pita pizza.

Angie from My Kitchen: My Laboratory uses adzuki beans in an original dessert soup.

Anh from Food Lover's Journey used chive in the recipe for Individual Tomato Tarts with Chive Ricotta.

Pille of Nami-nami used stinging nettle in a recipe for Nettle Soup with Eggs & Herbs.

Sra from When My Soup Came Alive used Malabar Spinach in an interesting stir-fry.

Emily of Superspark used some gorgeous yellow stuffed blossoms in her recipe for stuffed squash blossoms.

Eve from In Mol Araan used thyme in her recipe for White Beans and Thyme.

Kate from Veggie Friendly used nori in her recipe for Vegetarian Sushi.

Nicole from Pinch My Salt used fresh mint in her recipe in a Tzatziki Sauce.

Astrid from Paulchen's Food Blog made a Flowery Herb Mix.

Sauteed Chicken with Fresh Sage

Tonight I made Petti di Pollo alla Salvia (Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Fresh Sage). This is from Trattoria, one of my favorite cookbooks. It is a meal that I have not made in a long time. It's funny because after I first made it the first time I swore I would make it again and again. I am not big on repeating recipes because there are so many good ones out there still to discover. But this was one of the first "impressive" dinners I had ever made. Up until that point I had made a lot of spaghetti and broiled alot of meat. Accomplishing the recipe brought me alot of joy and pride. The first time it came out perfect. The second time I burned the sage leaves and the third time something was missing. So then I tired of it.

Now it is about twelve years since that last attempt and I am enjoying it again. It feels good to pull out a recipe from the past every now and then. I am as amazed as I was back then. The ingredients are so simple, but the chicken turns out with an amazing flavor. It's one of those things you can't believe that you made yourself. Sage is a gorgeous herb and it smells so wonderful when it is fresh. But while cooking it with the chicken it crisps up just a little bit. You can't believe how wonderful it tastes. I realize that even though the ingredients are simple, you should take your time making this. Don't cook it with too much heat because you may burn the butter or sage. Watch the chicken until it browns but do not overcook.

I hope you all try this one! Look for the roundup of Weekend Herb Blogging at Kalyn's Kitchen hosted this week by Kalyn herself.

Petti di Pollo alla Salvia (Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Fresh Sage) Serves 4 Ingredients: 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 28 fresh sage leaves 3 tablespoons unsalted butter Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 lemons, halved, for garnish

Instructions:
Marinate the chicken with the lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of the oil and the sage leaves. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat drive. Strain the marinade into a bowl and remove the sage leaves, reserving them.

Melt the butter and 2 remaining tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat until hot and bubbly. Add chicken and cook until one side is browned, about 5 minutes. Turn breasts and season the cooked side generously with salt and pepper. Tuck the sage leaves around the chicken and cook until the chicken is browned on the bottom and just white throughout, about 5 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to scorch the sage.

When done, place the chicken on a cutting board and season the bottom side with salt and pepper. Slice the chicken breasts on the diagonal into thick slices. Place them on a serving platter with the sage leaves placed over the chicken. Cover loosely with foil.

Discard the fat from the skillet and heat it over moderately high heat. Add the reserved marinade and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. The sauce will boil almost immediately. As soon as it reduces to a brown glaze (less than one minute), pour the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with lemon halves and serve immediately.

Creole Sausage and Shrimp

Although this recipe for Andouille Sausage and Shrimp with Creole Mustard Sauce is featured in the February, 2007 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine, it was brought to my attention by Becky from Key Lime and Coconut. She reviewed this recipe and used it as her submission for her Weekend Herb Blogging entry a few weeks ago. I hope Becky knows that imitation is supposed to be the highest form of flattery . . . because I am totally copying off of her. Not only did I make the recipe for dinner tonight, but I'm also going to use it as my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging which is being hosted by Tomatom. I was going to do something else, but I ended up with a thyme story so I figured I'd write about it here.


First of all, the recipe . . . Make this. Go out and buy yourself a pound of shrimp, some spicy sausage, creole mustard and creole seasoning. You will be happy you did. It's pretty easy to make and is nice because it only uses one pot. The hardest part was taking the shells off of the shrimp but you can purchase them without shells to make it even easier. I had one issue with the recipe because my sauce did not thicken in two minutes. It took mine more like 8 minutes and I was worried that the veggies would over-cook but the whole thing came out just perfect. This dish has a bit of spice to it, but it's wonderful spice. The flavors are just amazing and it's super satisfying. Now for the thyme. . .


Thyme is a Mediterranean herb but it grows easily in many parts of the world and has become a standard for various ethnic cuisines. The thyme leaves are tiny and by the time I got mine home, they had folded and looked more like an evergreen than small parsley. This recipe calls for chopped fresh thyme. I have one of those Pampered Chef food choppers so all I have to do is pill up my herbs and then stomp, stomp, stomp . . . it's all chopped. Well, most herbs anyways. This was not the case with the thyme. My normal practice is to chop the herbs stems and all. Those thyme stems are some tough suckers! I kept chopping and chopping and they wouldn't break down fine enough. I brought out the knife but they just weren't cooperating. So my advise is to take the time to pull the leaves off of the stems when working with thyme. This was definitely a learning experience for me with using fresh herbs. But isn't that what this is all about?

Andouille Sausage and Shrimp with Creole Mustard Sauce 4 to 6 servings Ingredients: 1 pound uncooked peeled deveined large shrimp 1 tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 1 pound andouille sausage, cut crosswise on diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick pieces 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 1 cup low-salt chicken broth 5 tablespoons Creole mustard (such as Zatarain's) 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Instructions:
Toss shrimp with Creole seasoning in medium bowl to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add sausage pieces, cut side down. Cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to bowl. Add shrimp to skillet; cook until browned and just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sausage. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, bell pepper, and thyme to skillet. Sauté until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add broth, mustard, and vinegar. Stir until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Return sausage and shrimp to skillet. Simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Eggplant Ricotta Bake

Oregano: widely used in Greek and Italian cuisines


I chose oregano as the featured herb for my Weekend Herb Blogging entry hosted this week by Scott of Real Epicurean. Fresh oregano, not dried. I cook with oregano all the time but I barely ever buy it fresh. That will be changing. The fresh oregano that I added to ricotta cheese to make an Eggplant Ricotta Bake really made the dish.

Last week Everyday Food on PBS featured this healthy recipe and I new I wanted to make it sometime this week. I have been trying to cook with eggplant in different ways. While watching this recipe being prepared, it seemed to me that it was like an eggplant lasagna. Eggplant was being used instead of any noodles. It is stacked between tomato sauce and ricotta cheese layers.


Since it is made in an 8x8 dish, I made four portions of out it. I had it right out of the oven last night and really loved it. But it was even better when I had some leftovers for lunch! This is a great meal to make and take to work during the week. I think the flavors melded together a little bit more, plus the shape held together better after it cooled completely. This is a healthy meal that is filling without making you overly full.

Eggplant Ricotta Bake (serves 4)

Ingredients
2 large eggplanats (1 to 1 ¼ pounds each), sliced lengthwise ¾ inch thick
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dish
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
(1 2/3 cups)
3 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 jar (16 ounces) store-bought marinara sauce (2 cups)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. Brush lightly on both sides with oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until eggplant is tender and golden, turning halfway through, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta, eggs, ½ cup Parmesan, oregano, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoons pepper. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with oil.

Lay a fourth of eggplant slices in bottom of prepared dish; spread with half of marinara sauce. Top with another fourth of eggplant; spread with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat layers, ending with ricotta; sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Parmesan. Bake until bubbling and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.