From the Herbal Garden - Rosemary

From the Herbal Garden - Rosemary

By Sonia R. Martinez
(For the June 09 Issue - The Hamakua Times of Honoka'a)

The last article was about growing and using basil.  This one is about another popular herb to grow; the rosemary.

Rosmarinus officinalis or "dew of the sea" is an aromatic perennial native to the Mediterranean areas.  Long cultivated for its culinary and medicinal properties, the rosemary has always been one of the most popular herbs to grow in a home garden.

Rosemary loves sunny and well drained locations.  If planted in the right spot, it will reward you by growing into large bushes.  Since they don't care for too much water and most of our area is on the rainy side, care has to be taken to prepare the soil so that it will not hold too much moisture.

To assure your rosemary plants are pungently aromatic, use ground egg shells or wood ash mixed in with your soil or in the compost you place around it.

If planting in beds, rosemary should be planted in the center as a focal point and all smaller herbs or garden veggies should be planted around it, graduating in size down to the border where creeping or mounding herbs such as oregano and marjoram can define the edges of the garden beds.

With rosemary, I find I have better luck when I buy a small plant rather than planting from seeds.  Find the perfect spot before you transplant from the nursery pot to the ground, as they don't take too kindly to moving them around once they take hold.

When a rosemary plant has become established and grows into a large bush, you can save the larger woody limbs when trimming and use them as kabob sticks, or sprinkle dried trimmings over the hot coals when grilling chicken, pork, lamb or fish.

The needle-like leaves are tough and oily and can be stripped off the stem for drying.  I prefer to use rosemary fresh rather than dried, and since they are a bit tough to chew or digest, I prefer to place bits of the clipped stems, with other herbs, in a stainless steel mesh tea ball that can be immersed in the cooking pot and lifted once the cooking is done.

Please refer to my article in the April 09 issue for information on how to make your own natural organic bug spray and liquid compost to use in your herb and veggie garden and a list of herb books for your garden library.

ROSEMARY BUTTER

3 cloves garlic, minced 
3 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, removed from stem 
1/2 teaspoon orange or lemon zest or grated rind 
1 Tablespoon white wine or lemon juice 
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red chile pepper 
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 
4 ounces unsalted butter (1/4 pound - 1 stick), softened (*)

Mix all ingredients until well blended. 
They can be rolled into logs and wrapped in plastic wrap. 
The mix can be frozen in log form or as cubes in an old ice cube tray. 
Put a frozen pat/slice on roasted chicken, a freshly grilled steak, baked potato, etc. 

(*) Real butter works better than margarine.

We have used the Rosemary Butter to great advantage in the following dish.

GRILLED PRAWN WITH ROSEMARY BUTTER AND MANGO SAUCE

Choose 3 large shrimp or prawns per person (about 9/count per pound), peeled and deveined.

Skewer them on bamboo picks or any other type kabob skewers.  Brush with Rosemary Butter, cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until ready to grill.

Meantime, prepare the Mango Sauce and line the dinner plates with salad greens.

MANGO SAUCE

2 cups mango puree (fresh or frozen pulp)
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1 medium Maui onion (or any other sweet onion)
5 large cloves of garlic
1- 1/2 inch peeled and grated fresh ginger knob
2 small red Hawaiian Chile peppers, seeded and cored
Salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

Start with two large fresh mangoes, peeled and cut into chunks.  Place all ingredients in the blender or food processor and process until smooth.

When ready to grill, place the shrimp or prawns on grill and brush with a bit more of the Rosemary Butter; after about 3 minutes, turn over and brush some more of the Rosemary Butter and grill for about another 3 minutes.  Do not overcook or they will be rubbery.

Place grilled shrimp or prawns on a dinner plate that has been lined with an assortment of fresh-from-the-garden salad greens, ripe sliced tomatoes and a couple of tablespoons of the Mango Sauce.

The pairing of flavors is divinely inspired!

The combination of tastes is like mini-explosions going off in succession as you bite into the food.  First comes the taste of the rosemary & garlic butter then the smokiness of the fire on the grilled shrimp or prawn...immediately followed by the sweetness of the mango and orange juice and ending with the tangy hotness of the onion and chile pepper... Absolutely incredible!

 
HERBAL VINEGARS
If you own a copy of my cookbook, most of the following information can be found on pages 69-70

You can use almost any herb to flavor vinegar, depending on what uses you will want for it.  Rosemary infused vinegars work well in green salads or salads that contain chicken.

The type vinegar you use will also influence the flavor of the finished product.   Apple cider or white wine vinegar are probably the best because they take on more of the herb flavor.  Another experiment that I enjoyed was infusing a very dry white wine with herbs to use in salads.

Use a very clean, glass wide-mouth jar (I use recycled mayonnaise jars), stuff jar as full of your favorite herb or combination of herbs, as possible.  If you use just a few sprigs of the herb, the taste will not be too flavorful. Fill with your favorite vinegar.  

It is best if you do not heat the vinegar.   Store in a cool, dark place for at least two or three weeks, strain off and discard the herbs and reserve the liquid. If the jar has a metal lid, be sure to cover the top of the jar with a piece of plastic wrap to avoid a reaction between the metal and the acid in the vinegar.  

Select an assortment of pretty bottles with lids that close tight. 
I like to use the bottles with the clamp-on ceramic tops.  Make sure they are very clean before you fill them.   Put a few sprigs of the fresh herb selected in the bottle and fill with the infused vinegar.  You can add whole fresh peppercorns and/or edible flowers for a decorative touch.  Seal tight.

Herb vinegars can be used immediately after the infusing stage and will normally stay fresh for about three months.  If you are giving them as Christmas gifts, make sure that you start the infusing process no earlier than around mid-November to take advantage of the short shelf life.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
-Large glass, wide-mouth jars.
                       
-Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or dry white dinner wine.

-Herbs: basil, purple basil, rosemary, chives, garlic, tarragon, or cilantro.

-Selection of decorative bottles with seal able tops.

-Peppercorns: white, black, green, pink or pre-mixed assortment.

-Flowers: individual blossom of red geranium, mini-marigolds, etc. (marigolds have a strong flavor of their own, so be careful how many you put in the bottle).  Blossoms should not be added to the original infusion, but wait until you are ready to repackage.