Fresh Herbs in February?

Fresh herbs; the No Croutons Required February challenge!  Well now that is a challenge, especially as following a very mild winter so far February has begun with temperatures well below zero; so no herbs in the garden and I don't grow pots in the house, I've never faired very well with houseplants of any description.

So what fresh herbs can I find in the supermarket that don't look soft and flimsy,? Not much choice I'm afraid but Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes has laid down the gauntlet and I'm prepared to pick it up!

Given the drop in temperature I'm going for a soup rather than a salad option; so after sitting down with the cookbooks for a couple of hours I think I've found the answer in the latest addition to my library.  As you may have realised I'm a big Hugh FW fan, I find his recipes very achievable and above all really tasty.  After browsing through his latest offering River Cottage Veg Everyday whilst visiting J last weekend I was impressed enough to place an order for my copy.

dressed with mint and rapeseed oil

The soup recipe that I decided to try is Pea and Parsley Soup.  Two herbs make a very significant contribution to this light and fresh flavoured dish: flat leaved parsley and thyme.  The other ingredients being peas, onion, vegetable stock and mint.

Just noticed that other than the honour of winning this month's NCR challenge there promises to be a copy of River Cottage Herbs as a prize - could it be fate?

Pea and Parsley Soup
Makes about 6 - 8 servings
Method
Heat about 2tbs rapeseed oil and 20g unsalted butter in a saucepan.  When the butter has melted add the finely chopped onion and about 3tbsp of chopped fresh thyme.  Cook gently until the onion is transluscent.

Add 500g frozen peas, 20g chopped flatleaf parsley and 1 litre vegetable stock.  Bring to the boil then simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes until the peas are very soft.

Blend the soup until very smooth.  Serve with a scatter of chopped mint and a drizzle of rapeseed oil.

This soup could also be served cold in summer.

Note: I think I would make a couple of small changes to the recipe when I repeat it by increasing the amount of parsley and adding a little garlic; other than that it's perfect!

Two for One

Last week we had some rosemary and walnut bread from the market and it was delicious, I wasn't able to get there this week but we craved the delicious sweet nuttiness, so I thought I'd try to make some.  Bread making takes rather a long time and with the kitchen in some disarray I needed a quicker solution.  Soda bread is at the forefront of my mind as there seem to have been a number of TV cooks making it recently: Hugh FW and Nigella to name a couple.

I thought I'd try a rosemary and walnut version.  I was so pleased with the result, the walnut pieces were nicely distributed through the bread and the rosemary flavour was strong enough without being overpowering.

A good bread needs a good soup so two recipes for the price of one today!

Rosemary and Walnut Soda Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
450g plain white flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp salt
1 oz finely chopped walnuts
1 oz coarsely chopped walnuts
2 good sprigs rosemary, finely chopped plus a few rosemary needles for decoration
350ml plain yoghurt

Method
Heat the oven to 220C and lightly flour a large baking tray.

Sieve the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl.  Add the salt and the finely chopped walnuts and rosemary, mix together well.  Now add the coarsely chopped walnuts and mix again. Finally add the yoghurt and mix together to form a sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and bring together into a ball.  Flatten the ball to about 4cm deep then place on the floured baking tray.  Cut a cross into the top of the loaf, use a floured knife to do this to stop it sticking in the dough, then sprinkle a few rosemary needles over the top.

Place in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes.  The bread is ready when you tap it on the bottom and it sounds hollow. Place on a wire rack to cool slightly, then serve warm with the soup. 

With the current range and availability of mushrooms in the greengrocers and the supermarket I had to make a creamy mushroom soup. Mushroom soup doesn't end up a very pretty colour but the flavour is immense, if you don't believe me give it a try and I'm sure you'll be addicted.

Creamy Mushrooms Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients
1kg mushrooms, any mix you like, I used chestnut and portobellini
2tsps butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
small bunch of thyme
1ltr vegetable or chicken stock
500ml milk
100ml double cream 

Method
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sweat until the onion is soft but not coloured.  Add the sliced mushrooms and the thyme and cook for a couple of minutes then add the stock and milk and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Remove the bunch of thyme and blend the soup.  Pour the blended soup through a sieve and return to a clean saucepan. Add the cream, season with salt and pepper and stir well, gently reheat the soup, but do not allow it to boil.

Serve in warmed bowls with the rosemary and walnut soda bread.  Bread and soup heaven!

Herbs by the Jar Full

The kitchen garden at Holly Grove has a now very established herb bed producing all the herbs we need in the kitchen and more! I'm going to try making herb infused oils using a variety of herbs on a range of oils, if they are successful they may find their way into Christmas stockings later in the year.

The process appears to be very simple and so I'm starting my experiment with two versions - an extra virgin olive oil flavoured with rosemary, a strongly flavoured oil with a strongly flavoured herb, and groundnut oil with fennel, I'm thinking of using this oil in fish dishes.


The process is the same regardless of the oil or herb...

Herb Infused Oil
Take a clean jar and pack it loosely with the herb of your choice. Fill the jar with the oil of your choice. Mix the herb and oil together and cover the jar with two layers of muslin secured with a rubber band.

Place the jar on a sunny windowsill (a bit tricky given the weather at the moment) for two weeks, stirring daily. After two weeks strain the oil through muslin and taste. If the flavour is to your liking then decant into clean, sterile bottles, seal and label. If you want a stronger flavour refill the jar loosely with fresh herbs and cover with the oil and repeat the process.

The oils can be used for cooking or salad dressings or simply for dipping.