ROSEMARY – Rosmarinus officinalis

HERB OF THE YEAR 2000

I love rosemary! I can’t walk past it without rubbing the leaves with my hand. Rosemary is a tender perennial in Michigan’s climate and dies if the winter temperature is below 20º F. Depending on the weather we still could be harvesting Rosemary at Christmas time. If we want to winter our rosemary, we must bring it inside. I treat rosemary as an annual and plant it new in the garden every spring. I sink mine in a pot in the spring so I just have to lift the pot out of the ground in the fall to bring it inside. It must keep humidified, though, if you want it to survive. In milder climate like California and England where it can survive the winter, it grows into a large shrub. The first time I was reading about rosemary, the book said to take a branch of rosemary and use it as a basting brush to apply sauce on your grilled meat. I looked at my small plant (only 6 inches high) and thought if I cut that to be a basting brush, I won’t have anything left!! Years later when I saw rosemary growing in California, I knew that the book was talking about the California plants, not mine. By August, though, our plants are big enough that we can harvest them for a basting brush. Rosemary’s history is full of tales. ROSEMARY IS FOR REMEMBRANCE.

Rosemary has both subtle and strong qualities to its flavor. It compliments fish, poultry, beef, lamb, pork, game, particularly if roasted. It works well with most vegetables and compliments other herbs like chives, thyme, chervil, parsley and bay when combined in a recipe. I use rosemary in meat rubs, marinades, spaghetti sauce, salad dressing, stews, soups, with chicken, lamb, wild game, biscuits, bread, spiced grape jelly and biscotti. Try it in marinades, salad dressings, cream sauces, Bouquet Garni, on fruit salads to enhance sweetness without sugar, in herbed butter and tossed in the grill the last 10 minutes of cooking for extra flavor. Also use it to add a pine fragrance in bouquets, as skewers for grilled meat.

GRILLED ROSEMARY CHICKEN

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon. dried rosemary or 1 Tablespoon fresh
2 Tablespoons balsamic or Opal Basil Vinegar
2 frying chickens, cut into serving pieces

Combine all ingredients except chicken pieces. Mix well. Place chicken pieces in a large plastic bag. Pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag. Refrigerate for 2 or 3 hours. Grill or broil chicken until juices run clear, about 15 minutes per side. You may find it takes a little more time or a little less depending on your grill. Just don’t overcook. Serve 6 to 8.

VENISON MEATBALLS

This recipe is from Tim Cass, my daughter’s father-in-law. It is a great recipe and is requested often. The rosemary is my addition.
2 pounds ground venison
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 cup saltine cracker crumbs
3 eggs, beaten
1 can whole cranberry sauce
2 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup BBQ sauce (use your favorite)
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Mix venison, soup mix, crumbs and eggs together in a large bowl. Form into 1 1/2” balls. Put in a 9 x 13” pan. In another bowl, combine cranberry sauce, sauerkraut, brown sugar and BBQ sauce. Pour evenly over meatballs, place the rosemary on top. Bake uncovered at 325° F. for 1 hour.

ROSEMARY – ORANGE SORBET

2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon roughly chopped, fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed is nice)
1 teaspoon orange zest (the orange portion of the peel)

In a small sauce pan, bring the water and sugar to a hard boil. Stir for 1 minute and then add the rosemary. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.

Strain the rosemary water into a bowl and set aside to cool completely (placing it in the refrigerator will speed up the cooling process.) Add the orange juice and zest. Stir will. Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I use my ice shaver –freezing the mixture in the small containers and then putting it in the shaver for a snow cone like dessert. Store in your freezer but place sorbet in the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving to soften. Eat within 1 week.

ROSEMARY – CRANBERRY BISCOTTI

3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 extra large eggs
1 cup toasted pine nuts – chopped
1 cup dried cranberries – chopped
1/4 cup fresh rosemary chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl mix 3 cups flour with dry ingredients. Make a well and add eggs, beat with fork then add vanilla and the rest of the ingredients. Mix with hands. Gather dough into ball and use the ½ cup flour on flat surface. Knead flour into dough. It will be sticky but use more flour if too sticky. Divide dough in 2 pieces and roll in cylinders 2” wide. Place cylinders on greased baking sheet at 375º F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set at 300º F. Slice rolls on diagonal 1/2” thick. Arrange on 2 sheets and bake 15 more minutes. Cool on racks and pack in tins. Lay fresh rosemary on top and close lids. If too hard, put fresh bread slice in tins.

ORANGE ROSEMARY CAKE

1 package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
4 eggs
1 – 11 ounce can mandarin oranges, undrained
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour bottom of a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Combine cake mix, oil, nuts, eggs, mandarin oranges and rosemary in a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan.
Frosting:
1 – 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 small package vanilla instant pudding
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest

Mix crushed pineapple and dry pudding mix together. Gently fold in whipped topping and orange zest. Frost cake. Keep refrigerated.

COCKTAIL MEATBALLS (Adapted from Betty Crocker)

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup minced onion
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 Tablespoon snipped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh crushed rosemary (1 teaspoon dried)
1 – 12 ounce bottle chili sauce
1 – 10 ounce jar grape jelly (about 1 cup)

Mix ingredients together except chili sauce and grape jelly, and shape into 1 inch balls. I put them 25 of them in a glass pie pan, cover them with waxed paper and cook them in the microwave, on high for 5 minutes (time might vary with your microwave). After they are cooked they can be put in a freezer container and frozen until needed. Heat chili sauce and jelly in a skillet, stirring constantly, until jelly is melted. Add meatballs and stir until thoroughly coated. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes. Makes 60 meatballs.

ROSEMARY BISCUITS

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon sugar
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoon rosemary chopped fine or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crumbled
1 1/2 cups milk

Sift the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar together in a large bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients to make pea-sized lumps. Add the rosemary and the milk and mix together to form a soft dough. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Roll the dough out 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured board. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares and place close together on a greased and floured baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot or cool them on a cooling rack.

GRILLED ROSEMARY CHICKEN

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 Tbsp. fresh
2 Tablespoons balsamic or Opal Basil Vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 frying chickens, cut into serving pieces

Combine all ingredients except chicken pieces. Mix well. Place chicken pieces in a large plastic bag. Pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag. Refrigerate for 2 or 3 hours. Grill or broil chicken until juices run clear, about 15 minutes per side. You may find it takes a little more time or a little less depending on your grill.
Just don’t overcook. Serve 6 to 8.