Good Thyme Herb Blends Recipes

Good Thyme Herb Company, Post Office Box 975, Mendocino, California 95460
Phone & Fax: (707) 964-0509
e-mail: herbs@goodthyme.com
www.goodthyme.com

(From the Good Thyme Herb Blends Cookbook)
LOTS OF LASAGNE

    Lasagne can be made in many varieties, with or without meat, so don't hesitate to improvise. Here are some ideas to escape from the tomato and cheese theme:

    Make a Balsamella, or white sauce: melt 1/2 stick sweet butter, stir in 1/4 cup unbleached flour til smooth, let stand 10 minutes to eliminated raw flour taste, and then gradually add 2 cups hot milk, whisking constantly over low heat until thick and creamy. Cool and use like this:

    Sweat 2 cleaned and sliced leeks in 2 Tbsp. butter or oil, with one finely-diced carott, 4 sliced mushrooms, and 1 clove minced garlic. Add 1 cup rinsed lentils, 1 Tbsp. INTENSELY ITALIAN HERBS, and 1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned. Simmer 1/2 hour, barely covered with water. Salt and pepper to taste, and use as you would tomato sauce, previous pages. Topped with balsamella, this can be cheeseless, or you can layer with your favorite cheeses.

    Pour some balsamella into the bottom of a pan, then a layer of noodles, a thin, even layer of salmon fillet, a layer of fresh spinach, steamed and squeezed dry, a sprinkle of INTENSELY ITALIAN HERBS, another layer of pasta, and more balsamella. Top with grated Romano.

    Lasagne with eggplant and capers is a Sicilian classic. The eggplant can be fried, or baked, in thin slices, then layered with fresh pasta (or boiled Lasagne noodles), balsamella, and a simple tomato sauce with capers. It is topped with bread crumbs and balsamella. yum.

Good Thyme Herb Company, Post Office Box 975, Mendocino, California 95460
Phone & Fax: (707) 964-0509
e-mail: herbs@goodthyme.com
www.goodthyme.com

(From the Good Thyme Herb Blends Cookbook)
FRICASSEE de CHAMPIGNONS--A mushroom thing

    Here is a tasty treatment for wild chanterelles, boletes, or hedgehog mushrooms, but don't wait for these--use any good mushrooms in your local market. My husband Arrigo has fixed in his memory a fricassee or stew of mushrooms served in a student bistro near the university in Lausanne, Switzerland. When pressed for his recipe, the old Chef would only say to use three kinds of mushrooms. So if you can, find three different ones.

    Cut 1# mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Saute on medium-high heat in 3 Tbsp. butter or oil (more if you aren't counting fat), sprinkled with 1/2 tsp. HERBES DE PROVENCE. Toss and stir to sear the mushrooms, not stew them. When they are nutty brown and soft, about 10 minutes, deglaze the pan with 2 Tbsp. dry Sherry or Port, add 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, lots of fresh ground pepper, and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Many people like to use more garlic, but I rather err on the light side, to let the mushrooms shine. Stir just to absorb and evaporate the stock, sprinkle generously with fresh chopped parseley (Very Important) and if you like, add a little heavy cream.

    Use as a side to meat, poultry, or vegetarian main dishes, to stuff omelettes (yum), to mix with rice or toss with pasta, to enrich sauces or pan juices, or on its own.

Good Thyme Herb Company, Post Office Box 975, Mendocino, California 95460
Phone & Fax: (707) 964-0509
e-mail: herbs@goodthyme.com
www.goodthyme.com

(From the Good Thyme Herb Blends Cookbook)
OTHER DELIGHTS WITH HERBES DE PROVENCE

    HERBES DE PROVENCE are best used in dishes to be cooked at some length, but they can be used in some quick preparations, mostly for the grill or barbecue:

    To coat steaks, chops, fish or chicken before grilling or broiling, mix 1 Tbsp. of HERBS with 1/4 cup olive oil.
A dash of worcestershire is an option, too. Salt and pepper to your taste.

    Try summer vegetables tossed in the above mix and grilled or broiled (not too hot) until crisp-brown on the outside and soft in the center. To speed their cooking and relieve congestion on the grill, mix with the oil and HERBS, then prebake 1/2 hour in a medium oven. You can grill them to sear and finish. Especially good this way are japanese eggplant, squashes, and peppers.

    Use HERBES DE PROVENCE in lamb stews, with garlic, vegetables, new potatoes or beans.

    HERBES DE PROVENCE are wonderful in ratatouille, the classic Provencale stew of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes.

    Use to flavor pates and terrines.

Good Thyme Herb Company, Post Office Box 975, Mendocino, California 95460
Phone & Fax: (707) 964-0509
e-mail: herbs@goodthyme.com
www.goodthyme.com

(From the Good Thyme Herb Blends Cookbook)
TERRIFIC TURKEY

    For a different and delicious roast turkey:

    Sprinkle the bottom of the roasting pan and the turkey liberally with salt, pepper, and TERRIFIC TURKEY HERBS. If it is unstuffed, sprinkle the cavity as well. Put the onion and carrot beside the turkey to flavor the pan juices. Roast it uncovered at 400 for 60-90 minutes, depending on the size, until the skin is brown and crisp. Baste all at once with water or stock and Sherry or Madeira. Reduce heat to 350, cover and roast until juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a fork. This should take only another 1-2 hours unless the turkey is over 16 pounds. And of course, roast it 30-45 minutes longer if it is stuffed.

    Traditional recipes call for very long roasting times, but for a moister turkey, don't over cook it! Allow 15 min. resting time before carving; meanwhile strain the pan juices and use for sauce or gravy (read on).

    Turkey is so easy and economical, why wait for the Holidays? Unstuffed, it's as simple as roasting a chicken, and even a small one gives a blessing of leftovers.

Good Thyme Herb Company, Post Office Box 975, Mendocino, California 95460
Phone & Fax: (707) 964-0509
e-mail: herbs@goodthyme.com
www.goodthyme.com

(From the Good Thyme Herb Blends Cookbook)
APPLE, ONION, AND POTATO TARTE

    This is an adaptation of a Swiss dish with the unlikely name of CHOLERA, which uses leeks instead of onions. Leeks are grand if you have them. Serves four.

    Parboil two whole medium potatoes, skins on, for 15 minutes, drain and cool. Core and finely slice two ripe apples and a large onion, parboil together 5 minutes, drain and cool. Meanwhile make a pie crust from your favorite recipe, or puff paste, or filo dough. If using filo, defrost by package directions, then lightly butter and stack at least 10 sheets.   Install the crust in a deep pie or quiche mold (tuck overhanging filo edges back in along the sides), and pre-bake 10 minutes. (Lining the crust with foil keeps it erect during prebaking.)   Slice the cooled potatoes, skins on or off, and layer half into the tarte. Layer on half the apples and onions, remaining potatoes, then apples and onions neatly on top. Dot with chunks of sweet butter.

    Beat together two large eggs, four ounces cream cheese, one-half cup cream, 1 Tbsp. TERRIFIC TURKEY HERBS, 1 tsp. salt, and freshly ground pepper. Pour over the tarte and bake 1 hour at 350. A lower-fat alternative is to use ricotta in place of cream cheese and milk for cream, or do as the Swiss do, using Gruyere cheese. It's lovely.

Good Thyme Herb Company, Post Office Box 975, Mendocino, California 95460
Phone & Fax: (707) 964-0509
e-mail: herbs@goodthyme.com
www.goodthyme.com

(From the Good Thyme Herb Blends Cookbook) QUICK AND EASY USES for GLORIOUS GOULASHE HERBS When making homemade noodles, add a teaspoon or more to each recipe, and follow directions with your pasta maker. Add a teaspoon to each cup of rice as it cooks. Add to dough for dinner rolls or muffins. Add to marinades or mix with oil for basting on grill or barbecue. Cole slaw and potato salads have a new color and accent with GLORIOUS GOULASHE HERBS. Simmer with potato, tomato, or onion soups for variety and taste. Hummus has a new identity with a spoonful of HERBS. Mix into cottage cheese for luncheon, buffet, or dips. Replaces BEAUTIFUL BEANS HERBS for another fine pot of beans. Toss with cucumbers in sour cream, add to Waldorf and other apple salads. Add to creamy salad dressings of all types.
(From the Good Thyme Herb Blends Cookbook) EARTHY POTATO-MUSHROOM SOUP Serves 6 or more. One large yellow onion, diced or finely sliced 1 Tablespoon each sweet butter and olive oil 1 pound mushrooms, sliced finely 2 pounds white potatoes, diced 1 large clove garlic, crushed or minced 1 bay leaf 1 tsp. sea salt, and fresh ground pepper to taste 1 Tbsp. GLORIOUS GOULASHE HERBS 6 cups chicken stock (if commercial, a large 49- oz. can 1/4 cup port or Sherry Sour cream for garnish
Very comforting on a cold day, and a nice way to start supper. In a heavy 4-qt. pot, begin sweating onion, covered, in butter and olive oil. When onions are golden brown, add mushrooms, wild or domestic, and sweat together, covered, until limp. Peel and dice potatoes. Add to the pot with crushed garlic, bay leaf, sea salt, GLORIOUS GOULASHE HERBS, chicken stock. Bring to the boil, lower heat and simmer 1/2 hour until potatoes are soft. Stir to prevent sticking. This soup will have a rich, tawny color from the browned onions, mushrooms, and HERBS; if you wish to enhance it, whisk in 1-2 Tbsp. tomato paste, or a spoonful of red chili sauce, page 113. Add a quarter cup of Sherry or Port just before serving, a dollop of sour cream in each bowl, and chopped parseley or chives.

Good Thyme Herb Company, Post Office Box 975, Mendocino, California 95460
Phone & Fax: (707) 964-0509
e-mail: herbs@goodthyme.com
www.goodthyme.com

(From the Good Thyme Herb Blends Cookbook)
FRESH PASTA "CLOUD 9"

    One reason it's such fun to make fresh pasta is that you can flavor it any way you like. My first thought for this lovely fragrant blend was to put it in pasta dough, and yes, it is very nice! Assuming you will use a pasta machine:

    Place flour in a mound on a large clean surface, and make a well in the center. In it place eggs, oil, salt, and CLOUDS' BLEND HERBS and mix well with a fork. Using the fork, begin incorporating flour from the inner rim of the well, sweeping new flour from the lower part under the mixture to keep it from sticking to the board. Mix as much as you can with the fork, then press your (lumpy) dough together with your hands. Shake what remains loose on the table through a sifter. Discard lumps and place your ball of dough into the loose sifted flour. Knead by hand, pressing with the palm and folding over the edges, for about 3 minutes, incorporating loose flour. It should be smooth and elastic. Let it rest 5 minutes, then follow pasta machine instructions. It is very quick and delicious.

    For an amusing presentation, make a pesto log. Mix all ingredients, arrange along the edge of a piece of waxed paper, roll snugly and chill till firm. Cut in thick slices to garnish each portion of fresh CLOUD 9 pasta.

Fresh pasta ingredients:

serves four

2 cups flour, unbleached or better yet, a hard wheat flour
2 extra large eggs
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. CLOUDS' BLEND HERBS
A large pinch of salt

Pesto log ingredients:

1 cube sweet butter (1/2 cup), softened
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
A small handful of fresh basil, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. CLOUDS' BLEND HERBS
1 Tbsp. Soy sauce, or salt to your taste
2 cloves pressed or very finely minced garlic

  (From the Good Thyme Herb Blends Cookbook)
       POACHED SALMON NATURELLE

    At Little River Cafe, our poached Salmon was a constant favorite. As with the leg of lamb, it seemed that less was more: Salmon doesn't deserve being masked with sauce or over-prepared. After working on his boat, Jacques would go to the Noyo harbor and choose every fish by feel, since the first secret to good fish is absolute freshness.
Here is another:

    Prepare a court-bouillon of one cup dry white wine, 1 quart water or light fish stock, one onion and one carrot, both chopped, several parseley stems, 1 tsp. sea salt, a sprig of fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried, 1 bay leaf, and 6 peppercorns.   Bring to boil and simmer 1/2 hr.

    Strain it into a deep flat pan or fish poacher, bring to boil and gently add Salmon fillets or steaks of 1/3 to 1/2 pound per person. Adjust heat to keep it just at the simmer point while they poach, about 7 minutes.

    Meanwhile, in a small pan floating in the poacher, melt for each fillet: 3 Tbsp. sweet butter, with the juice of one-half lemon, 1/2 tsp. CLOUDS BLEND HERBS, and some finely-chopped parseley. When the salmon flakes with a fork and has just become opaque in the thickest part, remove, drain well, and serve on a warm plate with the lemon-butter sauce. Very simple, very good.

Good Thyme Herb Company, Post Office Box 975, Mendocino, California 95460
Phone & Fax: (707) 964-0509
e-mail: herbs@goodthyme.com
www.goodthyme.com