Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once

Weekend Herb Blogging #208 - Recap

2009-11-09T20:57:00.001+11:00

It's been a great pleasure to organise Weekend Herb Blogging for the last year and it's been equally enjoyable to host. Each week, without fail, there will always be fascinating recipes showcasing the creativity and skills of our fellow bloggers.

This recap has been a bittersweet one when I was informed this morning that one of the participants has not only stolen the photos they are using but also stolen the posts. In fact all their previous submissions have been stolen and I will be contacting the various hosts to have them removed from their respective recaps.

I cannot say it any stronger or any clearer, content thieves are not welcome in Weekend Herb Blogging - they will not be accepted in any future WHB events, for me, there is zero tolerance for this behaviour.

I have pondered long and hard as to whether to make a public statement or deal with it behind the scenes but I think that silence plays its own part in allowing this type of behaviour to flourish and continue.

Now it's time to move to something far more enjoyable and what we're all here for - the celebration of four years of Weekend Herb Blogging and a look at the wonderful creations made.

I have presented the offerings in order of main ingredient.

Carrots

Apple and Carrot Biscuits
Mangocheeks from Allotment 2 Kitchen

You don't have to be Bugs Bunny to fall in love with these fantastically clever carrot shaped, carrot and apple biscuits. Mangocheeks has enjoyed growing many varieties of carrots this season and this recipe uses one called Purple Haze.

Chestnut

Double Layered Chocolate Chestnut Cake
Dhanggit from Dhanggit's Kitchen

Dhanggit puts chestnut puree to a very good use as a filling for her heavenly double chocolate layer cake. I hope there's enough slices to go round!

Dandelion and Black Mustard

Spelt and Lentil Fritters
Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs)

Graziana puts to use the autumn leaves of dandelion and black mustard. As they are harder than their summer counterparts, it is necessary to cook them before eating. She incorporates them into a fritter filled with the goodness of spelt, pearl barley and lentils.

Fenugreek Leaves/Methi

Fenugreek Paratha
Deepti from Dips Kitchen

We welcome Deepti to her first WHB and she uses the wonderfully fragrant and nutritious fenugreek leaves to flavour her Parathas.

Mahlab

Mahlab Shortbread

Another fragrant offering, this time it's my Mahlab Shortbread.

Nettles

Nettle and Silverbeet Soup
Johanna from Green Gourmet Giraffe

Nettles are one of those ingredients that due to their rather prickly nature some might shy away from using them. If this is you, then you must read Johanna's comprehensive post that gives us all the information we'd ever need to handle this ingredient. You'll also find the recipe for this vibrant, vegan Nettle and Silverbeet Soup.

Olives

Max's Homemade Salted Olives
Brii from Briiblog

Brii's been without a computer for 10 days since it broke down but she's back with a recipe from Florence for salted olives. I especially love the ingredient list which reads, olives, salt and patience!

Parsley

Parsley, Leek & Broccoli in a mushroom-cheddar sauce
Anna of Anna's Cool Finds

Anna puts together a tasty offering from her CSA box that celebrates the humble parsley. I for one, wouldn't know what to do without that fabulous herb.

Parsnip and Potato

Parsnip Mashed Potatoes
Katie from Eat This

Katie forgoes her usual roasted parsnip to revisit her dad's version of a mixed root mash - she create this tasty parsnip and potato mash, the parsnip adding a touch of sweetness to the dish.

Poppyseeds

Poppy Ice cream
Chriesi from Almond Corner

Chriesi celebrates our 4th anniversary with an amazing poppy seed dessert - a blue poppy seed ice cream served with a lemon & white poppy chocolate cake and if you're still craving more there's also a lemon caramel syrup.

Rice Paddy Herb

Bò Tái Chanh/Lemon Cured Sirloin with Rice Paddy Herb
Anna from Morsels and Musings

Anna takes us on a vivid journey to Cabramatta, the heart of Sydney's Vietanemse food and culture. There's great photos of a wide array of traditional ingredients just perfect for those planning a Vietnamese feast and a focus on one particular herb, Rice Patty Herb that Anna describes as having flavours "like cumin and lemon and pepper altogether". I must add that Anna's computer has also died so here's hoping that she can salvage all her work from the drive.

Sage

Roasted Butternut and Sage Risotto
Jeanne from CookSister!

Sage is up there as one of favourite herbs and in Jeanne's dish she combines it beautifully with roasted butternut pumpkin to create a luxurious risotto. I have my spoon ready, if I ask nicely do you think I could have a taste?

Spinach

Spinach Roll
Marija from Palachinka

Spinach becomes a work of art in the hands of Marija as she creates this Spinach roll filled with a mixture of fetta, boiled egg yolk, sour cream and ham. I can see this on many a menu come Thanksgiving or Christmas time.

Sweet Potatoes

Soy Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Sesame Seeds
Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen

Kalyn also has Thanksgiving on her mind with this low-glycemic and south beach friendly dish of soy-glazed sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes are marinated in a mix of verjuice (or rice vinegar or mirin), garlic puree, soy and a dash of sesame oil.

Various herbs

Aromatic Salt and Homemade Stock Cube
Cinzia from Cindystar

Cinzia introduces us to her "two greatest friends" and I think they are the type of friends we should all have. The first is homemade stock and Cinzia provides instructions on how to make it with a thermomixer, a pressure cooker and on the stove-top. The second is aromatic salt which not only keeps those herb flavours going during the winter, they also make a great gift too.

Leek, Tomato and Rosemary Frittata
Marillyn from Just Making Noise

It's a warm welcome to Marillyn as she joins us for her first WHB. Combining tomatoes which in tropical Costa Rica are always in season, leek and rosemary she creates a nutritious and flavoursome frittata which can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

As-you-like-it Egg Curry
Sra from When My Soup Came Alive

Sra brings the process of decluttering into the kitchen and uses all those odds and ends found in her fridge and pantry to create a classic egg curry.

We now come to end of the recap and time to announce the winner of Ian Hemphill's Spice and Herb Bible.

All names were placed in a hat and Paalo did the honours in drawing the lucky recipient which is.......

ANNA from Anna's Cool Finds!

Congratulations!

Thanks again to all who have taken part this week and every week and I hope to see you back as we move into our fifth year of Weekend Herb Blogging.

Weekend Herb Blogging #209 Hosting

2009-11-09T11:57:00.003+11:00

Our host this week will be Astrid from Paulchen's Foodblog

Send your entry to foodblog AT paulchens DOT org
with WHB#209 in the subject and the following information:

Your Name
Your Blog Name/URL
Your Post URL
Your Location
A photo: 400px wide

Entries must be received by

3pm Sunday - Utah Time
10pm Sunday - London Time
11pm Sunday - Rome Time
9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Time

The complete rules can be found here.

WHB #208 - Mahlab shortbread

2009-11-07T09:27:00.004+11:00

To celebrate 4 years of Weekend Herb Blogging I'd thought I'd try to find something I hadn't used before and the solution came in the form of Mahlab

You may well be asking "What is Mahlab?"

When you crack open the stone of the St Lucie Cherry (a sour cherry) the tiny seeds found inside are dried to form the spice known as Mahlab. The first thing you'll notice when you come into contact with Mahlab is a rather unique aroma which I've found terribly hard to pin down.

It is strong, a bit bitter, a bit resinous, somewhat sweet and sour with hints of almond and cherry. Because it is a powerful spice, it is used sparingly as a flavouring for many traditional Greek, Cypriot and middle eastern dishes.

I've decided to use the mahlab in traditional shortbread biscuits (cookies) as a replacement for the usual suspect, vanilla. There's also the addition of the finely grated rind of an orange to give it almost christmas-y feel.

Mahlab Shortbread

200 grams plain flour
100 grams rice flour
200 grams butter, cut into cubes and softened
100 grams caster sugar
grated rind of 1 orange
mahlab

When the word sparingly is used in relation to mahlab, it really means just that.

I've taken a few seeds and crushed them in my mortar to form a fine powder - you could use a spice grinder or you can also purchase ground mahlab but be aware that pre-ground spices will not have the potency of those that are freshly ground.

Place the butter and sugar into bowl and beat until light and creamy and the sugar has been absorbed. Sprinkle in the finely grated orange rind and the ground mahlab and beat until incorporated.

Double sift the flour and rice flour together and then add to the creamy butter mixture. Beat at the slowest speed until just combined.

Tumble the mixture onto a lightly flour board and press together to form a dough. Divide into two.

Take a sheet of baking paper and form a rough sausage shape with the dough - roll the sheet around this and twist the ends to form a tight roll. Repeat with the other half. Place in the fridge until firm.

When ready to cook, remove the dough from the paper and cut into even slices - about ½cm thick. Lay these onto a baking paper lined tray and bake at 150°C/300°F until firm and just starting to colour.

Let them rest for a few minutes before moving to a rack to cool. For these shortbreads, I've decorated each with silver cachous before going into the oven - you can leave them plain.

I've served these as a companion to an orange flower water panna cotta topped with macerated strawberries.

You still have time to join in - get your entries in by the following times

3pm Sunday - Utah Time
10pm Sunday - London Time
11pm Sunday - Rome Time
9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Time

Further details can be found here.

King Island Discovery Ash Brie

2009-11-04T17:04:00.002+11:00

Ash coated Brie from Tasmania - read more at the Cheese Blog.

Weekend Herb Blogging 4th Anniversary

2009-11-02T23:57:00.007+11:00

From ricotta pumpkin ice cream to a basil elixir, you'll find them and more in this weeks recap - many thanks to Katie for hosting.

This week I'm hosting but there's a bit of difference - Weekend Herb Blogging celebrates its 4th birthday and with that it gets a brand new logo

It may have started as Kalyn says, as an accident, an alternative for those who couldn't take part in Weekend Cat or Dog Blogging but it certainly has taken on its own identity and grown to become quite a unique event. A celebration of all those often unsung heroes of the culinary world.

I would like to thank everyone that has taken part this year and in particular a special word of thanks to our hosts -
Wiffy, Heather, Siri, Scott, Ivy, Chriesi, Pam, Rachel, Chris, Marija, Dee, Cheryl, Susan, Laurie, Astrid, Yasmeen, Anna, Prof Kitty, Maninas, Cinzia, Katie, Graziana, Lynne, Dhanggit and Anh

Thank you for offering your time and assistance.

As part of this celebration, everyone that enters this week's WHB is in the running to receive one of my favourite herb books, Ian Hemphill's The Spice and Herb Bible

It's a random draw and the winner will be announced in the recap on Monday.

To join you'll have to send your entry to me by:

3pm Sunday - Utah Time
10pm Sunday - London Time
11pm Sunday - Rome Time
9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Time

If you haven't taken part or it's been a while, here's a quick summary of the rules.

You have the week to post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower or plant. Your post can be informative, spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Post should include the phrase Weekend Herb Blogging and a link to this hosting announcement.

You can post anytime during the week but remember to email me by the deadline.

Send your entries to
whb AT cookalmostanything DOT com with WHB#208 in the subject and the following details:

Your Name
Your Blog Name/URL
Your Post URL
Your Location
A photo: 300px wide