Slide Show

Parsley – WHB

Weekend Herb Blogging is being hosted by Paulchen’s Food Blog this week.
Link to roundup.

WHB is a great way to learn about vegetables, herbs, new recipes and ideas. To learn the WHB rules and participate,visit founder Kalyns Kitchen.

Parsley is coming along in Virginia, so I wanted to blog about it.

I have had problems growing parsley, so last year instead of growing it from seed I got plants. It was a good thing that I grew from plants last year because they bolted and seeded the ground. Parsley came back full force on it’s own this year.

Nature did on her own what I seemed unable and parsley is thick in my garden at this time.

Parsley is one herb that when microwave drying keeps its color so well .

You can read about microwave drying here , but I never use the paper towels in the microwave. I almost caught it on fire like that one time.

What I do is lay the herbs on a plate and microwave for one to 30 second intervals, remove and blot dry with a paper towel and replace and micro another one to 30 seconds, repeating the process until dried and brittle.

I must have dried parsley on hand at all times because my favorite vinaigrette mix uses dried and not fresh parsley in it.

I usually wing it, but here are approximate proportions for the vinaigrette.

My favorite italian vinaigrette mix – 2 Tablespoon dried onion, 2 Tablespoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt , pinch of sugar. Grind well in a spice grinder then add entire mix to 1/4 C vinegar, 3 Tablespoons water and enough oil to bring it to a cup. Mix well.

After I microwave dry my parsley I store it in baggies or my favorite spice rack. I am continually refilling my spice rack jars and won’t toss them away because the rack and jars were a gift and are sentimental in value to me.

It is also handy to just refill the jars, although someone looking at my rack might think the stuff outdated.

The main feature in my WHB post is a salad I love. I use special ingredients. Those ingredients are fresh parsley and honey.

I started making salads with parsley and honey last summer on a whim. If you have never tried fresh parsley and honey in a salad, I urge you to give it a try. It is also great with some fresh berries tossed in, although I didn’t have any berries on hand for my WHB post.

Just throw together a salad of mesclun and black seeded simpson or whatever other lettuce you may prefer (thats what I have growing right now). Top that with some feta cheese. Use your favorite vinaigrette on top of that and then sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. The final touch is a drizzle of your favorite honey.

It is easy and a family pleaser around here.

Ms. Ray to My Rescue Again!

I have quite a bit of pumpkin puree that I grew, pureed, and froze from last year so when I saw Rachael Ray doing a chicken dish with a pumpkin chipotle polenta I figured I had to give it a try. Ms. Ray to rescue my pumpkin dilemma!

I am so glad I tried the dish, as the polenta is so good and the grilled chicken and pineapple salsa complement it very well.

I am not sure I got all her ingredients just right but I believe it was close.

I did add a bit of honey to the salsa also.

I also had a chicken breast and some salsa left over so the next day I just chopped up the chicken and added it and the salsa with some mayo and mustard for a refreshing pineapple chicken salad. Very good for two days worth of meals.

The Recipe ( I can’t remember what she called it but I would call it-
Barbeque Chicken with Pumpkin Polenta and Salsa

FOR CHICKEN
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 T grill seasoning ( I don’t buy the stuff and just used a saltless seasoning mix I put together )
2 palms chili powder
1 palm cumin
1 palm coriander
2 T brown sugar
evoo
FOR SALSA
1/4 grilled pineapple
bell pepper ( she used yellow I had green), chopped
tomato, chopped
onion (she used red but I only had white), chopped
lime juice
salt and pepper
evoo
FOR POLENTA
1 chipotle pepper ( she removed the seeds but I didn’t)
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
2 C chicken stock
1 C milk
1 cup polenta ( I used cornmeal) 3 to one ratio on the liquid vs.. The cornmeal
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 teaspoon honey
3 T butter
salt and pepper

FOR CHICKEN- mix together your seasonings in a freezer bag. Drizzle the breasts with the evoo and put them in the bag to cover with the seasonings. Heat up a stovetop grill to medium and grill the chicken until done.

FOR SALSA- Peel and core the pineapple and then grill the wedges on your stovetop grill. Take it off and let it cool then chop and add with all other chopped ingredients. Drizzle with lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

FOR POLENTA- Chop one chipotle pepper ( she seeded the chili) and put in a saucepan with the stock, milk, and adobo sauce. Bring it to a boil on the stovetop and then add your cornmeal (polenta) and cook until thick.
Add your pumpkin puree and honey and butter ( I omited the butter and it was still very good) . Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the chicken on a bed of polenta (heaven) with the salsa.