HERB VINAIGRETTE

A fast and easy way to boost any salad. Choose from any herb listed or mix and match flavours, makes about ½ cup.

In a bottle or jar mix and shake:

3 tbsp oil 1 tbsp wine vinegar
¼ tsp mustard salt & pepper to taste
½ tbsp garlic chives or 1 clove crushed garlic
3 tbsp fresh chopped herb,
Basil, chives, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, lemon balm, dill seed.
Experiment with favourite flavours and blends.

EASY HERB VINEGAR

Start with cider or wine vinegar. Pick enough fresh herbs to loosely fill a jar. Bruise the leaves to aid in the release of flavours and oils and place in your jar. Warm enough vinegar to fill the jar, be sure not to have the vinegar hot, just warm to touch. Seal jar with an acid proof lid, preserving jars and lids are perfect for this and the variety of sized allow for any amount you want to make. Place the sealed jar in a sunny window and each day for two weeks shake it up. After two weeks taste and check for the flavour you want, if you prefer a stronger taste, strain the herbs and repeat process with fresh herbs to infuse with more flavour. After process completed to desired strength the blend can be stored as is or strained through cheesecloth and poured into a nice bottle. Label the bottle or place a fresh sprig of the herb used in the bottle for visual appeal and identification.
If you have friends or relative who appreciate the fine development of fresh vinegars and vinaigrettes these make a great gift with little effort.
Depending on your choice of herb, sliced garlic can be added to the steeping vinegar blend for the first day then removed and 2 cloves can be placed in for the remaining 13 days.

Vinegars For Fruit Salads:
Floral vinegars are an intriguing addition to fruit salads on a hot summer day. Processed the same way as the herb vinegars above some to consider are: rosemary flowers, thyme flowers, clover, elderflowers, nasturtiums, rose petals, primroses, sweet violets. When preparing flowers, remove stems, and all green and white heels from the ends of the petals.

GRILLED OR FRIED TOMATOES

Slice firm red or green tomatoes, dip in a little flour and grill or fry in hot butter. Instead of flour try bread crumbs, you can mix in chopped garlic chives or any herb you like, try a little parmesan cheese in the crumbs for a wonderful side dish.

TOMATO SNACK

Slice tomatoes and sprinkle with a little brown sugar, salt, pepper and cider vinegar. A favourite passed to me from an elderly friend in 1975. She said her mother would make it with homemade herbed vinegars. Simple and tasty.

MELON, TOMATO AND BASIL SALAD

2 cups melon cubed or in balls, cantaloupe or honeydew
2 cups firm tomatoes, cubed or thin sliced (whole grape tomatoes are a nice choice for this recipe)
1 cup cucumber, peeled and grated or diced
½ cup chopped basil
1 cup plain yogurt

Salt & black pepper to taste
Toss melon, tomato and cucumber in a large bowl. In small bowl lightly stir basil into yogurt and blend well, season to taste. Pour over salad and enjoy.

Herb Butter and Herb Cheese

Using soft butter, margarine or cream cheese add finely minced garlic chives or any herb you prefer, mix thoroughly and refrigerate. Overnight is best to blend flavours.

Mix butter, minced garlic chives, grated chedder cheese and a strip or two of cooked and crumbled bacon for a great baked potato topper.

Mix, cream cheese, minced garlic chives, minced basil and a strip or two of cooked and crumbled bacon with hot pasta for a quick meal.

Any blend of butter or cream cheese with herbs, bacon, grated cheese.. can be made a day or two ahead for a fast work night meal.

HERBED CREAM CHEESE AND BUTTERS

Substitute butter in herbed cheese recipes and creamed cheese in herbed butter recipes for variety.
Any butter or herbed cheese recipe can be pressed into little molds for single servings or one larger mold. Ice cube trays are handy for individual portions. Pasta tossed with a herb butter or cheese mixture is a wonderful side dish, I find the ice cube portions perfect, and very handy, for these recipes especially when it is a last minute addition.
These blends are delicious on sandwiches, crackers, grilled meats and fish. Using your own fresh herbs is a great way to enjoy the full flavour from your own backyard.
Any herb suggested in a recipe can be substituted with your favourite flavour and aroma to be coordinated with your dinner for tonight.

Edible Blossoms

Some edible flowers are:

Basil chives marigold borage dandelion oregano
Chive blossoms can be divided into flowerets then sprinkled on Tomato- Cucumber Soup, over home fries, in any salad or meal you would use garlic in.

FREEZING

Chopped: peppers celery onions
parsley chives

Simply spread evenly on a cookie sheet and freeze, once frozen place preferred quantities into plastic bags or freezer containers and place back into freeze.
Peas: I just shell and put directly into freezer bags and freeze. Incredible flavour with Christmas dinner and January deep freeze!

FROZEN CUCUMBERS

1 ½ cups sugar 1 cup white vinegar
2 tsp pickling salt 2 tsp celery seeds
7 cups thinly sliced cucumbers 1 cup sliced onion
1 cup chopped peppers, green or red

Mix sugar, vinegar, salt and celery seeds in a large glass, ceramic or stainless steel bowl. Add vegetables and mix well. Let sit over night.

Place vegetables and brine in freezer bags or containers and freeze. To defrost, place in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours before serving.

A great alternative for end of season cucumbers when you had a bountiful crop and want a variety of recipes to enjoy during the winter months. I like this recipe because it is fast and when there are lots of preserve to do, for me, fast is good!

Left-over green beans

Left-over green beans? Place in bowl, add chopped onion and toss lightly in your favourite salad dressing. Refrigerate and serve on lettuce, rice or sprouts.

OR

Sauté slivered almonds, pine nuts, onions or mushrooms until golden and toss with warm beans, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

FRESH HERB SAUCE

1 cup plain yogurt
½ cup fresh herbs, try basil (lemon or lime), tarragon, thyme
¼ cup chopped shallots
1 small clove crushed garlic or ⅛ cup fresh minced garlic chives
½ tsp pepper

Blend all together in a small bowl and chill.
Great with chicken or as a vegetable dip.

HERBAL VINEGARS

You can use one herb or a combination of any you like.
You do have a choice of the vinegar you use as a base. A lot of recipes use white wine vinegar and this is usually for the visual effect. With the white vinegar you see the sprigs of herbs better. I really like Cider Vinegar and usually chose this one. Try a combination of herbs and vinegars to develop flavours you like.

One Herb Vinegar
4 large springs fresh Basil, or any herb you like
2 cups white wine vinegar
Put the sprigs into a 2 cup bottle and pour in the vinegar. Seal and store for 2-3 weeks before using. This can be split between 2 smaller bottles.

PEPPER RELISH

12 red peppers 12 green peppers
12 onions 8 cups boiling water
2 cups white vinegar 2 cups sugar
3 tsp pickling salt

Chop peppers and onions. Cover with boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes then drain. Combine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Add vegetables and boil for 5 minutes. Pour into hot, sterilized jars, leaving ¼” headspace. Seal, process in boiling-water bath or steam canner for 5 minutes.

As an alternative use Apple Cider Vinegar. Makes 12 cups/6 pints.

Always follow manufactures instructions for sterilizing and processing jars. When preserving, all sterilizing and food safety measures must always be met.

EASY CUCUMBER SALAD

Make as much or as little as you need.Peel and slice cucumber as thin as possible. Put into a bowl and add thinly sliced onions, a teaspoon or two of vinegar, salt & pepper, ¼ cup or more of cottage cheese and chopped fresh basil. Toss together then add a little of your favourite dressing. A nice dressing to try with this salad is to mix equal amounts of mayonnaise, ketchup and water, mix well then add ¼ tsp onion powder and ¼ tsp garlic powder or fresh minced garlic or minced garlic chives. Let sit to blend flavours.

CUCUMBER SALAD

1 cup plain yogurt
1 clove crushed garlic, (try roasted garlic if you have it)
½ cup sliced scallions
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp finely minced ginger root or ½ tsp ground ginger
2 cucumbers thinly sliced

Mix everything together except the cucumbers. Blend well then toss cucumbers lightly. Refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

This recipe came to me from Shelley Morin who has lived from the Arctic to Texas, where she is now, and has collected recipes along the way.

Roast enough red peppers for 3 ½ cups finely chopped. Usually 7 or 8 is enough.
2 ½ cups sugar 1 cup vinegar
½ tsp finely crushed chilies ½ tsp paprika
½ tsp salt

Simmer ingredients until syrup slightly thickens, 1-2 hours. Once at desired thickness pour into a small jar and refrigerate. I usually cook until almost a jelly.
Use this sauce with, everything, sandwiches, meat dinners, barbecues. You will find so many dishes to accent with this sauce. A great recipe for all those red peppers in your backyard garden. This recipe is a favourite of mine.

ROASTED RED PEPPERS

On The Grill:
Clean your peppers and place directly on the grill. Turn peppers as needed for the skin to turn black and blister all over. Once it is all black, remove from grill and place into a paper bag with top rolled shut. You can also use plastic bag or a bowl with a lid. Leave the peppers for 10-15 minutes giving time for the steam needs to build up. Remove from container and the skin will be ready to easily pull away, then cut the peppers in half and remove seeds.

In The Oven:
Wash and place peppers in a baking dish or on a cookie sheet. Broil under medium heat, turning frequently, until the entire pepper skin has turned black and blistery. Follow the rest of the instructions the same as on the grill.

BROILED GREEN TOMATOES

Wash and core tomatoes, cut in half and place on cookie sheet. For each full tomato dice 1 slice bacon and spread over tomato halves. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Broil 10 minutes or until bacon is crisp and tomato top is lightly browned. One tomato serves 2 people.

STEWED GREEN TOMATOES

4 medium onions, thinly sliced 2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 red pepper, finely chopped 1 tbsp sugar
1 stalk celery, finely chopped ½ tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
7 large green tomatoes
½ cup water

Sauté onion, pepper and celery in oil until tender. Meanwhile, peel and core tomatoes and cut into ¼” slices. Add to skillet and sauté, stirring gently 2-3 minutes. Add water, cover and simmer 10 minutes until tomatoes are soft. Season to taste with butter, sugar and salt.

I depend on Green Tomato recipes since I always have so many still on the vine every October.

To Preserve Your Green Tomatoes

If your backyard garden is as prolific as mine tends to be recipes for those green tomatoes on the vine when the first frost is about to arrive are a blessing.

Canning:
Wash, core and slice your green tomatoes. Pack them loosely in quart canning jars and cover with boiling water leaving ½” headspace. Add ¼ tsp salt to each jar is optional. Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath.
To use, drain the slices and use in any recipe for green tomatoes.

Freezing:
Wash and core, do not peel. Cut into slices or cubes. Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper and spread in a single layer. Freeze, then place frozen pieces in containers or plastic bags. Use in any recipe for green tomatoes. Frozen slices may be dipped in flour and fried in hot oil without thawing. Salt & pepper to taste.

CHILLED TOMATO-CUCUMBER SOUP

Place the following in a food processor or blender
1 lb ripe tomatoes 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped 1 large carrot peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic 1 cup tomato juice or broth
½ tsp pepper

Blend until smooth, pour into bowl then add
1 cup plain yogurt
Refrigerate to chill. When serving garnish with
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
A nice cool dish for a hot summer day.

FRESH OVEN-ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

Fill a roasting pan (or oven safe pot) with a layer of fresh tomatoes. Add 4 or 5 basil leaves, sprinkle with salt, 3 minced cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, give it all a tumble around to coat then drizzle with olive oil.
Roast at 400° 30-35 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked and bursting in juices.
The recipe now calls for the tomatoes to be put through a food mill, but, if you are like me and you don’t have one I put it in a food processor or small batches in my blender. Then pour the soup through a sieve back into the pot. This will remove the seeds and any pieces of skin. Add additional salt if you like and pepper to taste.
Serve with grated cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese on top.
I serve with plain garlic toast or a fresh bun sliced, toasted with fresh garlic butter and chopped tomato, onion and grated cheese melted on top.
If you keep slowly cooking the roasted tomato soup it will thicken and can then be used as a sauce on pasta, pizza or any recipe requiring tomato sauce.