to 16 fresh sorrel leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons fresh burnet leaves
Asian Herb Blend
This herb mix can be used in a salad—try making the vinaigrette with rice wine vinegar and a little soy sauce, and add grilled scallops to the salad. This blend can also be added to a stir-fry at the end of cooking.
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons minced fresh lemongrass
1 tablespoon finely snipped fresh Oriental chives
Classic Mesclun Herb Blend
Mesclun salad mixes are great from the garden and are now available in many markets. Traditionally, fresh herbs are included in the salad. Add the following herb blend to your mesclun next time and see what you think.
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chervil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
Fresh Flavor Herb Blend
Another herb variation adds dimension to vegetable salads. Try it on tomatoes and cucumbers, with avocados and root vegetables, or added to risotto.
1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill
2 teaspoons chopped fresh borage
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
Summer Essence Herb Blend
Use the following blend in tomato soup, on pizza, in a green or bean salad, or in just about any dish with lots of tomatoes.
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
dry herb blends
Drying herbs not only preserves the flavor for the off-season but sometimes can enhance the flavor as well. Many of the following blends have many variations under the same name, such as the classic herbes de Provence.
Herbes de Provence
In looking through French reference books, I found many different herb blends that were called herbes de Provence. The ones I gravitated toward were from Jacques Pépin, chef, author, and TV series host, and Antoine Bouterin, chef/owner of Bouterin in New York City. Other chefs add savory or sweet marjoram to the blend. According to Pépin, his blend is equal parts dried thyme, sage, rosemary, lavender, and fennel seeds. Use the blend with red meats and vegetables.
Herbes de Provence à la Bouterin
4 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried lavender
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
3 bay leaves, crushed
Tex-Mex Hot Barbecue Blend
A blend from a spicy part of the world, this mixture is great rubbed on beef, chicken, and pork before barbecuing. This recipe is for the “hot-heads”; if you don’t like your food blazing, omit the chile Piquín.
2 tablespoons crumbled, dried Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon chile Piquín flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder
Fresh Light Blend
Use this blend for poultry stuffing, in a lemon butter over fish, and added to soups.
2 tablespoons dried lemon thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano
Roast Potato Blend
2 tablespoons dried sweet marjoram
2 tablespoons dried thyme
For a delicious potato dish, parboil approximately 24 small potatoes (or 1½ lbs/650 g) until almost tender. Put them in a shallow baking pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and stir to coat. Sprinkle salt and pepper and the herb blend over them and stir again. Bake at 400°F (200°C), stirring occasionally until golden brown. (Bake about 20 to 30 minutes.)
Roasted Root Vegetable Blend
Here’s another roasting mix; you can use it interchangeably with the Roast Potato Blend.
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
½ tablespoon dried savory
½ tablespoon dried thyme
salad dressings
The dressing we all need in our repertoire is the basic vinaigrette. This ageless combination of ingredients is elegant in its simplicity, and its quality depends on superior ingredients. Once the basic vinaigrette is mastered, it has endless variations. And then there all those wonderful creamy dressings—some are made with yogurt, others with cheese, cream, or buttermilk. They are also valuable in the salad repertoire. Newcomers to the dressing world are low-fat and nonfat ones. Salads are so much a part of a healthy diet that it makes sense to lower the caloric content for day-to-day salads. With the help of a lot of talented cooks, we now have an ever-expanding choice of tasty low-calorie dressings.
Basic Vinaigrette
Though the proportions of ingredients in a basic vinaigrette differ from cook to cook, the following is a representative recipe. It makes enough to dress a salad for four to six people. As vinaigrettes keep well for a few days, I generally double the amounts to make enough for two salads, refrigerating half.
1½ to 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
5 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Mix the vinegar, salt, and pepper and with a whisk blend in the oil to taste. Drizzle most of the dressing over 4 to 6 handfuls of mixed greens, toss gently, and taste. Add more dressing, if needed, and serve.
Vinaigrette with Blood Oranges and Champagne Vinegar
Created by Annie Somerville, executive chef at Greens restaurant in San Francisco, this sophisticated dressing is delicious.
½ teaspoon finely minced orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed blood orange or tangelo juice
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
