Olives always make for a great appetizer. Sure, you can put them in a martini, but they are also excellent on their own or paired with cheese and crackers.
Like everything we do, our olives recipe is a bit different than what you’ll find at a traditional supermarket. We’ve spiced things up with rosemary, bay leaves and thyme to create a herbed olives recipe that you’re not going to want to share.
In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil, URBANherbal Mexican Herb Vinegar, garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and lemon over medium-low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes until the garlic and herbs become fragrant.
Add the Herbsaint and stir to blend well. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool.
Put the olives in a wide-mouthed quart jar. Pour the oil and herb mixture over them.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 3 days.
Remove jar from refrigerator an hour or two before serving and bring to room temperature.
The holidays can be a stressful time. Appeasing family members can become a full time job, if you’re not careful. The kids are hungry, the parents are grumpy, the siblings are judging and everyone is looking to you to be a perfect host.
An easy, healthy way to keep their demands down before the turkey’s unveiling is to fix a special UrbanHerbal holiday appetizer, ceviche on herbed toasts.
Herbed Toasts Recipe
Accompanied by a salad or ceviche, these bread rounds make a delicious appetizer.
Nothing says Fall quite like apple pie. This southern comfort dessert is a sure-fire way to impress the relatives, or complete any holiday meal. Our particular version features a white stilton-walnut crust.
This recipe is a little long, but it is absolutely worth it to make a memorable dessert.
Stilton-Walnut Crust Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus 1/3 cup for rolling the dough.
To start, butter and flour a 10 inch pie pan. In a food processor combine the flour salt and walnuts. Pulse a few times to mix the ingredients. Add the butter, about one tablespoon at a time. Add the Stilton Cheese.
Pulse the ingredients until well mixed. Add about 3 tablespoons water, and pulse several times. When it is moist enough to stick together between your fingers it is ready, if not add a tablespoon of water at a time, until it is the right consistency. Do not over process the dough.
Remove the dough from the food processor and place on a large piece of plastic wrap. Form the dough into a ball, and cut away 1/3 of the dough using a knife. Wrap the plastic around each roll of dough and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
While the dough is chilling, peel and core the apples, and cut them into thin wedges. Place the sliced apples into a bowl and pour the lemon juice over them.
Toss the apples in the lemon juice, this will prevent them from turning brown.
Add the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, cinnamon basil, nutmeg, raisins, and vanilla.
Extract and walnuts to the apples, and stir until well combines.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Remove the larger ball of dough from the refrigerator, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of flour. Flour a rolling pin, and work the dough on a large work surface. Work the dough until it is about 1 inch larger than the pie pan. Transfer the dough to the pan and let the excess hand over the pan.
Place the apples mixture in the pan in overlapping circles, on top of the crust.
Sprinkle the remaining flour over the work surface, remove the smaller ball of dough from the refrigerator, flour the rolling pin again and start working the dough to form a large circle about the size of the pie pan. Lay the dough on top of the apple mixture and crimp the dough with your thumb and forefinger. With a knife cut the excess dough from the edge of the pie pan.
Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
This Friday (September 13) 10 AM to 12 PM Bill Varney will be at the VIVA Bookstore and Galleria on 8407 Broadway St., San Antonio, 78218.
Bill Varney, along with Patsy Sasek of Mustard Seed Designs, will be launching their new innovative brand of universal gift cards, which feature a beautiful design, a packet of seeds, and a recipe. Additionally, Varney will be giving a talk on “Growing and Using Herbs as a Contemplative Practice.”
This event is a part of a month long series on contemplative practices and is sponsored by Abode Home. No reservations are required. For a complete schedule of the contemplative events click here.
We recently had a wonderful story released about our Cooking and Gardening Classes in the San Antonio Express News.
The Express News food editor, Karen Harem, attended the Growing & Cooking with Edible Flowers class. Since then, we held a Tapas class and wanted to share some of the information with you and one of the recipes that Bill & Terry made.
Served in bars all over Spain, Tapas is a unique cuisine that elevates unique and delicious little bites of food to new heights! Tapas are made from a wide variety of food, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients.
Served hot or cold, Tapas are incredibly versatile. Whatever the occasion tapas can fill the niche.
According to class instructor Terry Thompson-Anderson the dish “meets all my requirements for a successful party food – it’s visually pleasing; it’s made from ingredients that folks are familiar with (men, especially, tend to shy away from party munchies with ‘mystery ingredients’). And it’s mighty tasty.”
Chilled Shrimp with Spicy and Cool Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
3 canned Chipotle Chilies in Adobo Sauce
1 tablespoon Adobo Sauce from the chilies
1-1/2 cups sour cream
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
½ of a medium cucumber (about 5 ounces), peeled, pulp and seeds removed
Preparation:
Makes 2 cups of dipping sauce.
Combine all ingredients except shrimp in work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade and process until smooth. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and arrange the boiled shrimp around the bowl.
It’s tough to stay cool in the summer. This is doubly true if you’re in Texas, where temperatures often run over triple digits every day of the week. Here in Fredericksburg, we have a few tricks to survive the heat.
Firstly, you’re going to need water and lots of it. Staying hydrated is the most important decision you can make when gardening in the heat. Dehydration is real and its dangerous. Please, drink water regularly while you are tending your gardens.
Second, Fredericksburg is known for its homegrown peaches. They are delicious and refreshing. If you are planning to come to Fredericksburg this summer, it’s a no brainer to get a batch of peaches. They’re not hard to find with many peach stands lined along the highways of US 290 and US 87.
Finally, we have been cooking up a batches of our phenomenal Rose Petal Champagne ice cream. Unlike the peaches, this is something you can get wherever you are. It’s a dessert that we’ve been making for years, and it’s extremely light and refreshing.
Rose Petal Champagne Ice Cream Recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup firmly packed fresh, organic red rose petals
In a mini food processor mince the rose petals with one cup of the sugar. Set aside. Whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
In a heavy-bottomed, 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the whipped cream, the crushed rose petals, and all remaining ingredients, except the Champagne, whisking together well.
Cook to 170 degrees, while continually stirring. Let cool down in an ice water bath, stirring often, then stir in the champagne.
Freeze in a commercial ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.
Freeze for at least 4 hours to firm up the texture before serving. Serve with a couple of organic rose petals.
Those who attended our Growing and Cooking with Chili class last Saturday, May 25, were treated to a myriad of delicious treats. Each of these incredible (and HEALTHY) foods represents a reason why attending an Urbanherbal Classis a must.
Mango Peach Salsa with Cilantro Recipe
This salsa contains little fat or cholesterol. Plus, it’s simple, fast, and tastes wonderful!
Ingredients:
1 small red bell pepper, blistered, peeled, and seeded, then cut into small dice
1 cup peeled and chopped ripe peaches
1 cup peeled mango, cut into small dice
3 medium-sized serrano chiles, seeds and veins removed, minced
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 green onion, cut into fine dice
¼ cup minced red onion
Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized non-reactive bowl (avoid using tin or aluminum). Stir to blend well and allow the salsa to sit for 30 minutes before serving to marry the flavors. Use the salsa the same day it’s made. Enjoy it with warm corn chips, grilled chicken, fish, or pork.
The five other fun things we made in the class were:
This easy to make edible flower and herb spread is a great appetizer or snack! We love cooking with edible flowers and have been doing so for over 20 years.
Thyme is a semi-hardy perennial that only grows to about 40 cm tall. There are many varieties of Thyme, but it is most well known for its cooking and medicinal uses.
Thyme has long been a symbol of bravery, and valued for its antiseptic qualities. Dating back to the classical age, the powerful Thymus capitatus which flourishes through out Greece, was commonly harvested by people of the region, It’s tiny leaves were used in baths, strewn in temples and burned as incense to purify the air.
In the 17th century, Nicholas Culpeper, a famous botanist, recommended thyme for coughs, melancholy, even hangovers.
“An infusion of the leaves removes the headache occasioned by inebriation,” Culpeper said.
The two most popular species of Thyme are Garden and Lemon.
Planting and Care.
Thyme is easy to grow from seed. Sow the tiny, round seeds on a moist soil and cover with a fine layer of sifted soil. Water well and keep the soil evenly moist. In one to two weeks, if soil temperatures are near 70F, seedlings should emerge. In the garden, thymes thrive and are most flavorful when given lots of sun – an absolute minimum of four house each day. They also need well-drained soil; sandy loam is ideal.
Harvesting Use.
Thymes belong to the mint family and like their relatives, thyme is rich in volatile oils. The primary oil, thymol, is a powerful antiseptic, beneficial in healing lotions and salves. It is claimed that to relieve respiratory and intestinal ailments. It is also used as a gargle and mouthwash, as a wash for cuts and an appetite stimulant.
Thyme can also serve as a deodorant and it’s astringent, healing qualities benefit skin. In the home it can be used as an air purifier or dry burn it and burn in candles. Thyme is an ingredient in soaps, perfumes as well as potpourri and herb pillows.
Lemon Thyme Butter Hollandaise Recipe.
To be served over grilled salmon.
12 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of red cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Begin by melting the butter in a heavy bottomed 2 quart sauce pan over medium heat.
When the butter is melted, continue to cook it, watching carefully until it turns golden brown. This will happen fairly quickly, about 3-4 minutes, and it goes from golden to burned in the blink of an eye. Remove from heat at once and turn out into a small pitcher.
Cover with plastic wrap to keep hot.
In work bowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, lemon thyme, cayenne, and salt. Process until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. This step is very important as the egg yolk mixture must be very fluffy before adding the butter.
With the machine running, add the browned butter in slowly, a steady stream through the feed tube, until it has all been added.
Process an additional 20 seconds with a strong emulsion. The sauce should coat the back of spoon heavily.
Turn out into a bowl and keep warm over simmering water. Whisk well before ready to use and serve over grilled Salmon.
Mexican Mint Marigold is a semihardy perennial. It requires full sunlight and grows to 2 feet tall and 1 foot wide.
Mexican Mint Marigold, also known as Texas Tarragon, Winter Tarragon or False Tarragon, originated in the cool mountains of Mexico. Natives began cultivating many of the marigolds over five thousand years ago, Mexican Mint Marigold was valued for its medicinal properties. It was used to kill intestinal parasites, sooth upset stomachs, relieve diarrhea and ease menstrual cramps, and as a general tonic.
Mexican Mint Marigold has many common names in Mexico and Central American, including hierba de anis, hierba de San Juan, flor de Santa Maria, and pericon. The flavor is sweet, somewhat like anise.
Many slender stems rise unbranched from the base of this semihardy perennial. Narrow leaves are deep glossy green above, pale green below. Underneath are tiny glands filled with oil that smells like anise. Small, daisy like yellow-orange flowers appear in the Fall and can be showy in the garden.
Planting and Care.
You should sow its seeds after the danger of frost has passed. Then proceed to cover seed lightly with soil and keep evenly moist. Dividing plants is the the easiest method; do this in the Spring or Fall. Arch a stem to the ground, cover the center with soil, and the stem will often root at the nodes.
Even in the mildest climates these plants are winter dormant. As plants set seed, let them begin to dry out. If the weather remains too moist when plants are dormant they will rot. Allow three or four months of dormancy before watering again. Locate plants in full sun to moderate afternoon shade; without enough sun they may not flower. Tolerates any soil, including clay or loam, alkaline or acidic, even limestone soils.
Mexican Mint Marigold does well in containers as long as the soil does not dry out. In northern climates allow plants to go dormant and store them in a cool area for the winter. Move them to a sunny spot and begin watering in late winter to bring them out of dormancy.
Harvesting and Use.
Dried leaves are mildly aromatic in potpourri. A warm decoction works well to tone skin, help cleanse pores and treat acne.
When cooking, the sweetish anise-like flavor of leaves and stems can be substituted for tarragon. Fresh leaves and flowers complement chicken, fish veal and mutton. Stuffed peppers, squash, tomatoes and tradition turkey stuffing are enhanced by the subtle flavor. Do not over cook; add near the end of preparation.
Sprinkle fresh leaves in green and fruit salads. Wonderful in herb vinegars; the flavor is strongest with white wine vinegar as a base. When harvesting leaves use sharp shears to cut rather than crush the stems. This helps prevent the flavorful oils from escaping. Chop as you add to dishes when cooking.
The golden orange flowers make a spicy tea and can be blended with black tea for flavor.
Mexican Mint Marigold Vinaigrette Recipe.
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup light sesame oil or grape seed oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Mexican Mint Marigold leaves and flower petals, finely chopped
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and Pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix well. Drizzle over tossed salad greens and mixed edible flowers and serve.
Rose Petal Champagne Ice Cream Recipe.
1 small red bell pepper, blistered, peeled, and seeded, then cut into small dice
