From Plant to Plate: Herb Garden Recipes

Here are the recipes from the Herb Garden segment:

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho - Serving Size : 4
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds Heirloom Tomatoes (Chopped)
1/2 each Red Pepper (Seeded and Chopped)
1/2 each green bell pepper
1/2 each Red Onion (Chopped)
1 each Garlic Clove -- Minced
1 each Cucumber Peeled Chopped
1/2 each Fresh cerano Chili -- chopped fine remove seeds
1/4 cup Chopped Fresh oregano
1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
1/2 cup Ice Water For Thinning Gazpacho
1/2 cup Lemon (juiced) or balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Olive Oil

Directions:
Blend all the ingredients with the exception of the water until all of the mixture is pureed. Strain and adjust the consistency (if the soup is too thick) and season. Chill for twenty minutes.

Pineapple Sage Mango Salsa - Serving Size : 10

Ingredients:
1 cup onion -- chopped
2 cups mango -- chopped
2 cups tomato -- chopped
6 each jalapeno chile pepper -- seeded and chopped
1 cup green bell pepper -- diced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon stevia leaves -- chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, whole
1/2 cup pineapple sage

Directions:

Using fresh mangos, peel and then strip flesh from the seed with your hands, holding the fruit over a bowl so as to catch the juice also. If using mango fruit already prepared, use just the fruit, not the juice they are packed in.

Jalapeño peppers can be replaced with any mildly hot peppers. The number can be adjusted to your taste for “heat.” To intensify the heat, include the seeds in the salsa; be careful, though, because the seeds really do increase the heat. I recommend using latex gloves when working with the peppers and keeping your hands away from sensitive parts of your body.

The bell peppers can be green, yellow and/or red, depending on what’s available and what you might like to add for color.

Mix all of the ingredients together, stirring after each ingredient, put the mango in last to avoid crushing it. Let the salsa stand for several hours or overnight in a sealed container. Stir, taste and adjust peppers or other spices to taste.

Serve with fish taco.

Red curry shrimp with coconut milk, Thai basil, and curry plants - Serving Size : 6

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon garlic -- chopped
2 tablespoons Red curry paste
15 each basil leaves
2 tablespoons tomato -- chopped
2 cups Coconut milk
4 tablespoons Fish sauce
2 teaspoons Palm sugar
1 teaspoon Lime juice
16 each Prawns about 3" long
3 each lime leaves,-OR 1 tb Lime zest
6 each basil leaves
6 each curry plant

Directions:

Peel, devein, and behead the shrimp, leaving only the small tail shells on.

Drop two tomatoes into boiling water for about a minute, then remove to cold water, peel, quarter, discard the seed pulp, and chop the flesh. You want 2 tablespoons of chopped tomatoes.

In a little oil in a medium hot wok, briefly sauté the garlic and basil, removing it and reserving it when the aroma is fully developed.

Cook the curry paste briefly to develop the aroma, then add half the coconut milk, the fish sauce, tomatoes, pineapple, lime juice and sugar, and stir to combine fully. Add the prawns and cook until they turn slightly pink and opaque.

Add the remainder of the coconut milk, the lime leaves and curry plant, at the same time returning the sautéed garlic and basil to the pan.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with steamed jasmine rice. garnish with some Thai basil

Parsley-Lemon Gremolata -- Serving Size 10

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coarsely-chopped Italian or regular parsley
1/4 cup rosemary -- chopped
1/4 cup basil
1 1/2 cups olive oil
2 each lemon peel -- peel of 2 lemon
1 1/4 each garlic clove peeled
1/4 tablespoon freshly-ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup capers with juice
1/4 cup black olive kalamata chopped

Directions:

In a food processor, whirl parsley, rosemary, basil, olive oil, garlic, and pepper until finely chopped. Add salt to taste. This recipe yields about 6 cup.

Remove the skin from the lemon, and blanch it in salted water 2 to 3 time until it loses its bitterness, chill it and dice them, add to the finish Gremolata press the rest of the lemon for juice and add it to the gremolata,with lemon peel, chopped olives and capers

Lavender Honey Cookies -- Yields 18 cookies

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups Butter
2 cups Sugar
1 each Eggs
¼ cup Honey
1 ¾ cup Cake Flour
½ Cup Bread Flour
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Fresh Lavender

Directions:

Creaming method, portion and bake at 325 F.

Peppermint Cookies --Yields 12 cookies

Ingredients: Peppermint ganache
2 cups Heavy cream
1 ¼ cups Dark chocolate
10 each Fresh mint leaves

Directions: Infuse cream and mint, strain over chocolate, mix to combine, set aside to cool

Ingredients: Thumbprint dough
4 oz butter
½ cups sugar
1 each eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Directions: Creaming method for cookies. Roll dough into logs and cut ¼ inch round disks.
Imprint each cookie with your thumb, bake at 325 until light golden.  Allow to cool completely. Portion peppermint ganache into each thumbprint cookie to finish.