Delicious recipe recommendation for oregano and rosemary? for

I have both of these in my fridge I need to use up. Thank you for your help

bellly
  • Posted by: bellly
  • August 13, 2021
  • 5587 views
  • 8 Comments

8 Comments

Windischgirl October 12, 2021
I know I’m very late to the discussion, but I freeze many of my excess herbs. This is best for cooked preparations; frozen herbs tend to look wilted in a raw prep (like a salad). Rosemary keeps well, picked off the woody stems and frozen like that, and I also freeze the oregano leaves, packed into a small plastic container. Chop while still frozen and mix into the dish you are cooking. Most herbs can be treated this way; in fact I regularly buy bunches of parsley or dill, wash and dry, the mince the leaves in a food processor and pack into a small container. I freeze chives in a roll of foil and mince off the end of the roll into my dish. The only herbs that DON’T do well are cilantro and basil. But those can be made into pesto or zhoug or other green sauces and those CAN be frozen.
 
tia August 20, 2021
You could use them to season homemade crackers. King Arthur Flour has a good recipe for sourdough discard crackers that are delicious. Just chop the herbs fine and sprinkle them on top before baking.
 
MMH August 13, 2021
I agree with AJ. One of my favorite chicken marinades is exactly what she described. It’s also really good rubbed under the skin of a whole chicken before you roast it.
Another favorite at our house is roasted baby potatoes. I cut them in equal sizes & toss them in garlic, minced rosemary & olive oil (salt & pepper to taste). Then, I roast at 425 until the cut side (down on the baking sheet) is brown which is around 20 min - test with a knife.

Because it’s summer I couldnt resist a classic Greek salad made with a Greek vinegrette featuring your oregano.

We, too, grow herbs of all kinds. With these 2, we cut them off at the ground before the 1st hard frost. Then we freeze them in tact in gallon freezer bags & use them all winter. The oregano may darken a bit but it doesnt hurt anything. So - if you really can’t use it up, that’s an option.
 
AntoniaJames August 13, 2021
I am fortunate to have plenty of fresh oregano in my garden, from April or May through November. One of our favorite ways to use extra is to make marinades for chicken using chopped oregano, chopped garlic, a bit of lemon zest, some parsley stems (finely chopped if I have some - more info on my love affair with herb stems here: https://food52.com/blog/13959-over-30-recipes-to-put-herb-stems-to-good-use), olive oil and salt. If I don't have chicken on hand, I put that in a jar in the fridge for a day or two, or in the freezer, until I can use it.

I also put handfuls of oregano, chopped, over a sheet pan ratatouille I make with cubes of eggplant, chopped red onion, chopped parsley, cubes of zucchini - also from my garden - and a small can of diced tomatoes.

As for the rosemary, my absolute favorite way to use it is in focaccia. Saltie's Focaccia was the original inspiration for this - but that recipe calls for a lot more salt than I like. I now just use this ratio: 100% flour, 90% water, 1% instant / rapid rise yeast, 1.5% salt and a bit of olive oil drizzled over the dough after stirring, and over the pan of dough right before baking. For a batch with 720 grams / 6 cups of flour, I add about two tablespoons of coarsely chopped rosemary. It is heavenly! The focaccia with rosemary also makes first-rate croutons. ;o)
 
AntoniaJames August 13, 2021
Fresh oregano is also delicious in frittatas and in omelets for dinner. I make ours with fresh oregano, parsley if I have it, a few tablespoons of frittata, broken into small bits, and a tablespoon or two of parmesan, if I have some on hand. If I have leftover grilled vegetables, I add those, chopped into bit-size bits, as well.

For special occasions, i sometimes make this baked feta, which features fresh oregano: https://food52.com/recipes/28029-baked-feta-with-mediterranean-tomato-sauce If you don't have fresh thyme, you can replace it with more oregano and parsley. So delicious! ;o)
 
Nancy August 13, 2021
Rosemary - very good with chicken or fish. Also in flatbread or shortbread.

Oregano - think Provence or Sicily. Tomatoes, anchovy, eggplant, peppers, ratatouille, omelet.

If they are medium old stand them a glass of water (like flowers) in the fridge. Optional - drape plastic bag loosely over top of herbs They may revive.

If old-old but not dead, chop and freeze in ice cube trays.
 
702551 August 13, 2021
Pork roast
 
LadyR August 16, 2021
Shallot Mustard Compound Butter

In sizzling golden unsalted butter, sauté a quarter cup of minced shallots. Just when shallots are nearly mashable add a quarter cup of coarse dijon and a tablespoon of regular dijon. Stir in a tablespoon of crushed dried sage from your pantry jar. Add a flutter of Kosher salt, a sprinkle of thyme and a teaspoon of crushed rosemary. A most tiny pinch of ground cloves brings it all to life.

Add a quarter cup of dry white wine to deglaze and reduce by half. Let cool and stir the mix into a half pound of unsalted butter.

Prepare compound butter log as in all instructions, wrap, cut into coins and store in your frozen compound butter coin reserve.

A suggestion for using these coins: top a crostini. Use on grilled turkey slices hot from the bbq, in any season. People often ask for help in jazzing up ham slices.

This compound butter is a good example to enhance ham in any season.
You might consider loading a grilled ciabatta bun with shredded ham, a handful of shredded iceberg lettuce and topping with this shallot mustard compound butter. You might even consider a drizzle of my Medjool Date Syrup over the compound butter.

When roasting, grilling a ham roast or even a ham steak, score the ham and allow a frozen compound butter coin to melt on the ham.

Top these coins onto my special whipped mashed potatoes served alongside my special sugared carrots, also topped with sage compound butter coins. An excellent pairing.

Maybe serve paired with the same dry white wine used in the shallot skillet.
Typically I would use Winzertanz but recently I was introduced to Two Oceans and reminded that Black Tower is very much in vogue again.

From my manuscript:

© Lady Ralston's Compound Butter "Coin Reserve" ~ because Butter makes it Better. A different kind of currency.
 
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