Herb Recipes

Some great herb recipes and links...

Recipes

Chickweed Dressing/Dip

This recipe is truly yummy (and healthy)!

1 cup olive oil
1 lemon (juice)
1 tsp honey (optional)
2 cups fresh Chickweed greens (before seeding)
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
2 garlic cloves
dash of pepper
1 cooked potato (may substitute 1 small avacado)
water (depending on consistancy you want-thick for dip or spread, thin for dressing)

Thanks to Lise Wolf, Minneapolis herbalist

 

Lambsquarters Quiche

Pie crust:
1 cup white flour
1/3 cup butter or shortening
1 tsp salt
2-3 Tbsp cold water

1. Put flour, butter and salt in a food processor.
2. Turn on medium to high, until it forms a coarse, crumbly mixture.
3. Add 1 Tbsp cold water at a time and blend until it forms into a lump.
Be careful not to add too much water.
4. Roll out as for any pie crust.

Filling:
4 cups lambsquarters leaves, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
11/2 cups milk
2 cups (8 oz) Swiss cheese, grated

1. Pre-bake pie shell in oven at 450� for 5-10 minutes until lightly browned.
2. Sautee Lambsquarters and onion in butter until tender (don't overcook)
3. Add flour and salt and mix together
4. In a separate bowl or in a blender whip together eggs and milk.
5. Add egg mixture to Lambsquarters.
6. Spread the grated Swiss cheese over the bottom of the pie crust.
7. Pour filling over the top of the cheese.
8. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let set for a few minutes before cutting.
9. Serve hot or cold.

Reproduced with thanks to Prodigal Gardens.

Caution: do not eat a whole quiche at once -- lambsquarters does have oxylic acid (like spinach, only more, so enjoy your super nutrition in logical amounts (about 2 normal slices).


Wild Burdock Pilaf

This recipe is nice because you can add any odds and ends that you pick up while out foraging, whether greens, mushrooms, nuts or roots.

1 cup Wild Rice, dry
3 cups water
2 cups sliced Burdock root
6 Wild Leeks (or 1 large onion)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups wild greens, chopped (for example: dandelion, chickweed, yellow dock. any combination will work)
1/2tsp salt
1 cup Hickory Nuts or Black Walnuts

1. Saute chopped Wild Leeks in butter until tender.
2. Add Wild Rice and Burdock root and stir to coat with butter or oil
3. Add water, salt and chopped greens
4. Bring to a boil and cook for 45 minutes or until done.
5. Gently mix in nuts.
6. Optional: Transfer rice after its done boiling to a 9x13 baking pan and bake at 350� for 5-10 mintues to give the pilaf a drier texture.

Serve with butter or gravy.


Nettle and Wild Garlic Soup

500g- 1kg of Nettle tops
1 large leek (roughly chopped)
2 medium sized onions (roughly chopped)
2 very large potatoes (peeled and chopped quite small)
1-2 cloves of garlic (chopped/crushed)
vegetable stock to taste (cube/powder etc)
3 pints water
2.5 pints milk
4 bunches (of approx 50gs) wild garlic (Alliun ursinum) (finely chopped)
a little olive oil
cream (single or double)
salt and pepper
a few garlic mustard leaves for garnish (Alliaria petiolata)

METHOD: Place all ingredients in a large saucepan except the cream, 1 bunch of the wild garlic and 1 pint of the milk. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, then liquidize. Also, liquidize the remaining pint of milk with the chopped wild garlic. Swirl some of this and a little cream into the soup once you have put it in a bowl. Garnish with a couple of garlic mustard leaves.


Pickled Burdock root

4 cups Burdock root, cut into finger-sized pieces                           Recipe #2
1 cup brown rice vinegar                                                                  http://phytofoods.blogspot.com 
                                                                                                         /2010/02 /quick-pickled-burdock                                                                                                              root.html           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    same cut (outer covering stripped)
1 cup water                                                                                       or cross cut like carrots.
spicebush berries or 2 T allspice
1 T star anise                                                                                    then follow this very simple soy and
1 T fresh commercial ginger, sliced                                                  cider vinegar recipe 
2 tsp black mustard seeds                                                                                                                                
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp salt

Steam the burdock on a steamer rack over water 40 minutes or until fork tender or pressure cook 15 min. Drain and put into jar with a fork in it (to keep it from shattering) pour boiling vinegar/water mixture over it. Stir in remaining ingredients Remove fork, cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours. Lasts for weeks.

Kinpura Gobo (spicy burdock root saut)

4 servings:
3 medium burdock roots
1 carrot
1tsp rice wine or apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2tsp honey
1/2tsp hot pepper flakes
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Scrub and peel burdock roots ( don't need to peel). Cut into 2 inch matchsticks. Soak in cold H20 once or twice. Peel and cut carrot into matchsticks. Mix liquids-put oil in wok or heavy skiller. Stir fry vegetables 2-3 minutes. Burdock should still be a bit crunchy. Sprinkle hot pepper flakes. Top with toasted sesame seeds. Thanks again, Lise Wolff, Minneapolis herbalist

Wild Mushroom/Wild Rice Soup



 




3/4c uncooked wild rice

1 med. onion, diced
1 c. celery, diced
(4-8 oz.) assorted wild mushrooms, I used puffballs, fairy ring, and assorted boletes
1/2 c. butter
1c. all purpose flour
8 c. hot broth (vegetable or chicken)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 c. half and half
2 tbsp. sherry or dry white wine


Add wild rice to 2 cups water (or schroom broth) in a saucepan. Simmer for 45 minutes. Saute onion, celery and mushrooms in butter in a large pan about 3 minutes or just until vegetables soften. Stir in flour, cooking and stirring until flour is mixed in, but do not let it begin to brown. Slowly and hot broth, stirring until all vegetable-flour mixture is well blended. Stir in draied, cooked rice. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Heat thoroughly. Sir in half and half. Add sherry and heat gently but do not boil.


Melba Johnson (Thanks Melba--it was very delicious!!)


More great recipe sites:

http://www.prodigalgardens.info/recipes.htm

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/elderberry-crunch-bread.html