The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor

320 Pages·2005·9.26 MB·English

by  Jerry Traunfeld

the HERBAL KITCHEN
COOKING WITH FRAGRANCE AND FLAVOR
JERRY TRAUNFELD
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN GRANEN
for STEVIE and in memory of IRVING
CONTENTS
Title Page
Dedication
INTRODUCTION
FROM THE HERB GARDEN TO THE CUTTING BOARD
HERB GARDEN BEGINNINGS
BOTANICAL BEVERAGES
SAVORY SOUPS
FOUR SEASONS OF SALADS
FAST SUPPERS
DELIGHTING A CROWD
INTIMATE FEASTS
GARDEN BUDDIES: Vegetables with Herbs
A FEW BREADS
HERB GARDEN ENDINGS
SOURCES
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
OTHER BOOKS BY JERRY TRAUNFELD
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
COPYRIGHT
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
The Herbal Kitchen Plants
THE ESSENTIALS
English Thyme Thymus vulgaris woody perennial
French Artemisia dracunculus var. herbaceous
Tarragon sativa perennial
Garden Sage Salvia officinalis woody perennial
Marjoram Origanum majorana treat as an annual
herbaceous
Spearmint Mentha spicata
perennial
Sweet Basil Ocimum basilicum annual
ESSENTIAL IF YOU LIVE IN A CLIMATE WITH MILD WINTERS
Rosemary Rosmarinus officinaliswoody perennial
Bay LaurelLaurus nobilis tree
NICE TO HAVE
Chives Allium schoenoprasum perennial bulb
Origanum vulgare subsp.
Greek Oregano herbaceous perennial
Hirtum
tender woody
Lemon Verbena Aloysia triphylla
perennial
Lemon Thyme Thymus vulgaris citriodorus woody perennial
English
Lavandula angustifolia woody perennial
Lavender
Chervil Anthriscus cerefolium annual
Fennel herbaceous perennial
Fennel herbaceous perennial
Foeniculum vulgare
Winter Savory Satureja hortensis woody perennial
Peppermint Mentha piperita vulgaris herbaceous perennial
EASY TO BUY, BUT NICE TO GROW
Parsley Petroselinum crispumbiennial
CilantroCoriandrum sativum annual
Dill Anethum graveolens annual
FOR ADVENTUROUS COOKS
Lovage Levisticum officinale herbaceous perennial
Garden Sorrel Rumex acetosa herbaceous perennial
Rose Geranium Pelargonium graveolens tender perennial
Shiso Perilla frutescens annual
Angelica Angelica archangelica biennial
Cinnamon BasilOcimum basilicum ‘cinnamon’annual
Fennel Foeniculum vulgare herbaceous perennial
Winter Savory Satureja hortensis woody perennial
Peppermint Mentha piperita vulgaris herbaceous perennial
EASY TO BUY, BUT NICE TO GROW
Parsley Petroselinum crispumbiennial
CilantroCoriandrum sativum annual
Dill Anethum graveolens annual
FOR ADVENTUROUS COOKS
Lovage Levisticum officinale herbaceous perennial
Garden Sorrel Rumex acetosa herbaceous perennial
Rose Geranium tender perennial
Rose Geranium Pelargonium graveolens tender perennial
Shiso Perilla frutescens annual
Angelica Angelica archangelica biennial
Cinnamon BasilOcimum basilicum ‘cinnamon’annual

INTRODUCTION
, I’ve always been asked the same
FOR AS MANY YEARS AS I’VE BEEN A CHEF
three questions: Do you cook at home? What do you cook at
home? And why aren’t you fat?
Yes, I cook at home—very often. I’m bound to my restaurant
stove four nights a week, but on the other three you’ll find me
in my Seattle bungalow’s kitchen, and it’s pretty hard to drag
me away. I love to fiddle at home, but not fuss. When I cook on
my nights off I don’t want to feel like I’m at work, so Monday
through Wednesday—my nights at home—I put on a
completely different hat than the chef’s toque I wear in my
restaurant. I cook food that I crave or that pleases my partner
Stephen and my guests, and though we eat very well, the
preparations have to be simple. The common thread, whether
I’m cooking at home or at The Herbfarm, is fresh herbs. Herbs
appear in most every dish I prepare for my nine-course
restaurant menus, and they make their way from my backyard
garden into much of the food I cook in my home kitchen.
Like most home cooks, I search for fast and easy-to-prepare
recipes that taste extraordinary. When I cook with fresh herbs
it’s easy to achieve amazing results with little effort. As I
experiment at the restaurant, inventing dishes and pondering
different ways of incorporating the herbs, I always think about
how I can translate the same techniques into no-fuss home
recipes. I’ve collected the best of those recipes, added some
favorite versions of familiar classics that I’ve enlivened with
herbs, like lasagna and stuffed eggs, and organized them