Deliciously Easy Appetizers and Snacks with Herbs

I recently discovered an interesting little booklet in one of my cookbook boxes: Deliciously Easy Appetizers and Snacks with Herbs by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good published by Good Books, Intercourse, Pennsylvania. It is one in a series of eight books, some of the others are: Soups with Herbs, Main Dishes with Herbs, Vegetables with Herbs etc. The recipes are all from herb shopkeepers and their customers. All the recipes have amounts for both fresh and dried herbs. This would be a great series of books for anyone with an herb garden.
Here are some of the recipes:

Baked Herb Cheese Spread

From Danielle Vachow- Busha's Brae Herb Farm

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (5 tsp. dried) choose one or any combination of, thyme, oregano, rosemary, dill, tarragon, basil, parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Beat together cream cheese and eggs until smooth. Add sour cream and mustard. Fold in herbs, garlic, and pepper. Spread mixture into greased 2- 2 1/2 cup mold or 2 8"-springform pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until center is firm. Cool. Unmold onto serving dish. Cut each round into 12 pie-shaped wedges. Garnish with fresh herbs or edible flowers. Serve with whole wheat or water crackers.

Herb Toastettes

From Maryland Massey- Maryland's Herb Basket

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 tablespoons sesame seed

3/4 teaspoon fresh marjoram (1/4 tsp. dried)

3/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary (1/4 tsp. dried)

3/4 teaspoon fresh chives (1/4 tsp. dried)

8-oz. loaf of party rye or other flavored bread

Mix together butter, sesame seeds, and chopped herbs. Spread on bread slices. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes, until slightly browned.

Green Dip

From Jacoba Baker & Reenie Baker Sandsted- Baker's Acres

3 cups Swiss chard leaves, packed

3/4 cup fresh basil leaves

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup minced green onion

freshly ground pepper to taste
In blender, mix together chard leaves, basil leaves, garlic, olive oil, feta cheese, and walnuts until a paste forms. Stir in whipping cream, onion, and pepper. Use as a dip for fresh vegetables.

The New Pasta Cookbook- Fresh Herb Fettuccine With Smoked Salmon and Asparagus

I recently bought a Rosemary plant and I killed it already. I wish I could grown herbs as I have always been interested in them.
This information and recipe is from The New Pasta Cookbook by Johanne Glynn.
"Pasta flavored with fresh herbs makes a wonderful base for light, fresh sauces. Herbs and vegetables that are in season at the same time, like basil and asparagus in this recipe, often make perfect partners and require little else to flavor the dish. Along with the taste, the attractive apperance of green herbs through the pasta is reason enough to serve it with just melted butter and grated cheese. Try basil pasta with a cold sauce made from fresh ripe tomatoes, or fettuccine flavored with fresh sage coated with a creamy Gorgonzola sauce."

Fresh Herb Fettuccine With Smoked Salmon And Asparagus

Pasta:

1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour

pinch salt

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil

2 eggs

Sauce:

3/4 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed, peeled and halved

2 tablespoons butter

5 oz. sliced smoked salmon, cut into strips

1 cup cream

freshly ground black pepper

1. To prepare pasta: Pile flour and salt on a work surface and make a well in the center. Add hervs and eggs and begin to incorporate into the flour, using a fork. When you have loosely coherent dough, use you hands and knead it, adding a little flour or water if necessary, until it is smooth and elastic. Knead for a least 6 minutes and then let stand, coverd with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, for 30 minutes.

2. Divide the dough into two and roll each half out into a thin, even sheet using a rolling pin or a hand-cranked pasta machine. Let stand, covered, for ten minutes. before cutting the sheet into fettuccine. Set aside. Cover only if the pasta will have time to dry out and crack before cooking.

3. To prepare sauce: In a large saucepan of boiling water put the bottom halves of the asparagus; boil for a minute before adding the tops and continue to cook until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold water. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, cut each half in half again, discarding any woody sections. Top up the pan of water and bring back to the boil. Add fettuccine.

4. In a large fryring pan melt butter and add smoked salmon. Saute gently for 30 seconds before adding cream. Increase the heat a little and cook to thicken, then add black pepper generously and toss in asparagus.

5. When pasta is al dente, drain and transer to the pan with sauce. Toss, then serve with freshly grated Parmesan and the pepper mill. Serves 4.

The Gourmet Gazelle- Herbed Chicken Legs

This is another recipe to promote my quest to bring back the use of other parts of the chicken besides breasts. . This one uses leg quarters which are very reasonably priced. The recipe is from The Gourmet Gazelle Cookbook by Ellen Brown, a healthy/light cookbook.. Here is the description: "While slightly higher in calories and fat, the dark meat of chicken is also more succulent and flavorful than the white meat. This easy dish keeps in all the moisture, and the juices released during baking form a light herbed sauce. May be prepared up to six hours ahead and refrigerated, if refrigerated add 5 minutes to cooking time."

Herbed Chicken Legs

6 chicken leg quarters (thigh and drumstick), skinned
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup chicken stock, preferably unsalted
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 shallots, peeled and minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (any combination of parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, and marjoram)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt, or 1/8 teaspoon if using slated canned stock
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the chicken and pat it dry. Heat the oil in a large skillet or saute pan over high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, then place each piece in a square of heavy-duty foil large enough to enclose it. Combine the remaining ingredients. Divide the mixture on top of each chicken leg quarter and seal the foil by crimping the edges tightly, starting at one corner and working clockwise.. Place the packages on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes in the center of the oven. Remove and cut a slit in the package to release the steam. Unwrap carefully and place each piece on a plate, using the juices as a sauce.

Herb & Spice Cookery- Neopolitan Tomato Sauce

This is another recipe from my British herb cookbook, Herb & Spice Cookery. I chose it because I love the photo of all the herbs and seasonings. This book is different in that each recipe is listed with two separate ingredients lists. One for Imperial measures and one for American.

Neapolitan tomato sauce

"A thick tomato sauce is particularly good with spaghetti, macaroni, Tournedos, or any meat requiring a piquant sauce."

1 large clove garlic
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons warm water
1 (14 oz.) can tomatoes
1/2 small sweet green pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
Small sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
12 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Crush the cove of garlic without cutting it and heat in the oil without browning. Remove the garlic and saute the chopped onion in the oil. Dilute the tomato puree with the warm water and add to the oil with the can of tomatoes (cut the tomatoes roughly removing the cores) and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered , for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the rosemary and bay leaf before serving.

Herb & Spice Cookery- Potato Chervil Soup

What to post, what to post. My husband just reminded me I have five boxes of cookbooks purchased in the last month that I have not blogged about. Well I told him I could blog eight hours a day and not get to them all :).
One of the books he has be bugging me about is Herb & Spice Cookery by Monica Mawson. This is a British book. He wants me to look at it so he can put it on eBay when I am finished with it, so here goes.
I had to look up chervil. It is a relative to parsley that adds a faint herbal-anise flavor to food.

Potato Chervil Soup

"A particularly delicious soup to serve as a supper dish or as a "warmer-upper" after an evening's outing. The time and trouble can be cut considerably by using an instant potato powder, in place of the raw potato. For this method, increase the stock to 5 cups and simmer for 10-15 minutes only, then sprinkle the contents of a large ( 5-oz.) packet of instant potato on the boiling liquid and stir thoroughly. Finish off as below. The chervil must not be cooked or it will lose much of its flavor, so add it only after the soup has been removed from the heat."

1 lb. potatoes, after peeling
1 small onion, peeled
2 tablespoon butter
3 3/4 cups white stock
1 small bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon ground mace
2/3 cup coffee cream or milk
Salt, pepper to taste
6-7 tablespoons chopped chervil
Slice the potato and onion,. Melt the butter and sweat the vegetables gently with the pan covered, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes. Pour in the stock. Add the bay leaf and mace and simmer, covered, for 45-50 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf and put the soup through a liquidizer. Stir in the cream or milk and season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat, then remove from the heat and stir in the chervil. Serve with fried croutons, if liked. Serves 4-5.