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Two easy and delicious ways to enjoy the herbs you grow | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper
Posted on: Wednesday, August 29, 2007

TASTE
 Two easy and delicious ways to enjoy the herbs you grow

 •  Grilled cheese, please

By Maria Noel Mandile
Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Your freezer full of herbs will make it very easy for you to make a fresher pesto pasta. It only takes a few minutes.

LARRY CROWE | Associated Press

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So this was the year you finally got yourself organized enough to plant some herbs, and now the garden is bursting with fragrant greens and blossoms. Now what?

When harvesting your herbs, aim for between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., as morning dew can make herbs overly moist, while afternoon heat can diminish their essential oils, says Jim Long, author of "Growing & Using the Top 10 Most Popular Herbs."

Once you've harvested your herbs, dry them quickly, then freeze. Some herbs, such as basil, are best minced and frozen moist.

Now that you have a freezer full of preserved herbs, here are simple recipes — both take just 10 minutes to prepare.

FRESHER PESTO PASTA

  • 2 to 3 large garlic cloves

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts

  • 1 cup thawed basil herb paste, thawed

  • 1 cup packed fresh parsley or baby spinach

  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 4 cups cooked pasta

  • 1/2 cup reserved cooking water from the pasta

    In a food processor, combine garlic and pine nuts. Pulse until chopped. Add the basil paste, parsley or spinach, Parmesan, and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Pulse until mixed, adding olive oil for desired texture.

    In a large bowl, toss the pesto with pasta and the pasta cooking water. Serve immediately. (From herbalist Susan Belsinger, www.susanbelsinger.com.)

    Makes 4 servings.

  • Per serving (based on spiral pasta and not including salt to taste): 430 calories, 24 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 13 g protein

    HERBED CHICKEN MARINADE

  • 1/4 cup frozen cilantro leaves

  • 1/4 cup frozen parsley leaves

  • 1/4 cup frozen fennel (leaves and bulb)

  • 1/4 cup frozen chives

  • 1/4 cup orange juice

  • 1/4 cup lime juice

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 4 garlic cloves

    In a blender or processor, blend all ingredients until smooth. Use to marinate chicken for two hours before cooking. (Recipe from Michelle Somero of Serendipity Herb Farm in New Ipswich, N.H.)

    Makes enough for 4 large chicken breasts or 6 to 8 thighs.

  • Per 1/2-cup marinade (enough for 4 servings): 150 calories, 14 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 1 g protein
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