• 08Jul


    It’s hot, but we’re still hungry, even if long evenings over a hot stove are less appealing these days. This lovely summer oddity is actually more like a template than actual recipe – you can swap around all the ingredients and how you prepare them. The frying here is quick, and only requires one pan, but you can just as easily do this raw or on the grill if you infuse your oil with herbs and mix it with a little vinegar for a dressing/grill marinade.

    My most recent version included:

    A few handfuls of fresh basil
    A couple of fresh chives
    One grapefruit
    Olive oil

    Peel fruit and cut into quarters. Quickly fry the chives in some olive oil, then add some basil leaves and, immediately thereafter, the grapefruit. After a couple of minutes, use your fingers (tongs if you’re a wuss) to flip the grapefruit sections onto a different side, and add a few more basil leaves on top. After another couple minutes, flip again. Repeat if you have more flat sides on your fruit. You probably shouldn’t. When they’re done, serve with more fresh basil leaves as a garnish. Delicious!

    Like I said, you can do this raw or on the grill. You can also swap the herbs around. I have used mint instead of basil (especially in a raw version), or actual onion instead of chives, etc. Go play!

    – MAW

  • 09Jun

    180px-single_lavendar_flower02

    What can’t you do with lavender?! There are the obvious conventional uses; as fodder for honeybees, as an essential oil for your incense burner, and the blossoms are all too familiar in potpourri assortments. But there are some other, less predictable uses. Sachet away!

    I recently infused some vodka with lavender. Delicious. And for a party, I made a lemon cake drenched in lavender infused cream. What a hit! I stock up on the flowers any time I’m at my local co-op. It’s something unique to sprinkle on baked goods, and a surprising addition to various concoctions. Just Google “lavender recipes” and over 2.5 million entries will be available for your enjoyment.

    I urge you to experiment with herbs in unconventional ways.  And let me know what surprises you discover!

    AEK

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