Roasted Tomato Soup

from the kitchen of: Betty Farley- 8th Ward

12 med. tomatoes cored and quartered

1 small onion quartered and separated

2 garlic cloves peeled and halved

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

12 fresh basil leaves (I have also added a few sprigs of fresh rosemary.)

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a large jelly roll pan.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme leaves, salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until tender. Cool slightly and blend in batches with the basil leaves until smooth. Place in sauce pan and heat until ready to serve, or store in refrigerator and heat up single servings in the microwave.

To serve: top with a dollop of sour cream, grated Parmesan cheese and croutons. This is a great restaurant quality soup. Give it a try!

Serves: 6

Freezing Basil

Basil freezes well and gives a great fresh flavor to 

soups, pastas, salads and sandwiches. 

If you have basil growing in your garden or if you buy basil, 

take time to freeze any unused basil to use later. 

1. Remove basil leaves from stems. Wash and place on a towel to remove excess moisture or spin in a salad spinner.

2. Place basil in a food processor or blender and blend on high. 

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3. While processing, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil for every 1 cup of packed basil leaves and blend until smooth and leaves are chopped into very small pieces. 

4. Spoon 1 tablespoon of basil into each slot of an ice cube tray. Press into tray and smooth the surface. Freeze for several hours. 

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 5. When frozen, remove frozen basil and place in a labeled freezer bag. Place in the freezer for later use. It is already pre-measured and ready to use so it saves time and is easy to add to a soup, sauce or pasta dish!

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Tip of the Week: Basil Ribbons

When a recipe calls for basil ribbons, wash and stack several fresh basil leaves and using your kitchen scissors, cut small 1//4" or slightly less "ribbons". The basil leaves cut easily with scissors and they ribbons look crisp and even. Use basil ribbons to garnish and flavor salads, sandwiches, etc.

Easy Focaccia Bread

Focaccia is an traditional Italian flat bread that often has herbs or cheese in the recipe. 

Kathleen Alder- Studio 5 Contributor,  www.ksl.com, 2/24/2010

To watch a video clip on how to make this go to: 
Studio 5 Easy Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

·    3 c. flour

·    1 2/3 c. warm water

·    2 T. sugar

·    1 ½ t. salt

·    ¼ t. yeast

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together until flour is just moistened. Cover tightly and let sit out at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. 

To bake, resist the temptation to stir and just carefully pour out on to a greased cookie sheet. Drizzle about 2T. olive or other oil over the dough and spread dough with a rubber spatula to ¾ inch thickness. Let rise for 15-20 min. Add simple herbs like rosemary or sage, with coarse salt. For another look, add black or green olive slices or thin sliced tomatoes with coarse salt. Bake at 450° for 20 to 25 min. 

Tip of the Week

When using dried rosemary in a recipe it is often woody. To enjoy rosemary's flavor without the crunchy texture, it can be placed in a tea tin or in a piece of cheese cloth tied with a cotton string or thread. Place it in the soup, rice, or in with the meat, etc. that you are cooking. The rosemary flavors the food without the splintery texture which is often unpleasant.

Drying Herbs

 by Christi Jardine -Stake PL Leader (8th Ward)

 Cilantro drying on a paper towel on my kitchen counter.

Cilantro and Parsley:
Cilantro and parsley are tender herbs that dry quickly in Utah in our dry climate. When I buy a bunch of cilantro and do not use all of it, I lay the remaining stems on a paper towel on the counter for 2-3 days. When they are dry I place them in a Ziploc sandwich bag and crumble the leaves. The stems can be easily removed and the leaves can be placed in a spice bottle for latter use.

Chives:
Chives dry quickly, similar to cilantro and parsley. I often use the same drying method for chives, except I wash them and holding them in a bunch snip them in to 1/4" or smaller pieces on to the paper towel. In a few days they are dry and can be placed in a spice bottle for later use.

Lavender, Margoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Dill:

These herbs are often dried in bunches. Tie them with a twist tie or a piece of cotton string or jute. Then hang them from a hook or from the handle of your cupboards. The bunches will be dry in a week or more and then they can be placed a Ziploc bag and crushed, or crushed in the blender. 

Sage:

Sage also dries well in a bunch. To get the rubbed sage texture that you buy in the store, hold the stem and strip the leaves off by running your fingers down the stem.Then place the leaves in the blender and pulse until the sage is chopped into small, soft pieces.Sage is hard to crush in a Ziploc bag. The leaves are a bit flexible even after being dried. The blender seems to do the best job.

Cooking with Herbs and Spices

Stake Provident Living Meeting – April 6, 2011

By Christi Jardine- 8^th Ward

“And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath 
ordained for the constitution,nature, and use of man--- 
Every herb in the season thereof…”       
 -D&C 89:10-11

 “Herbs are leaves of low growing shrubs. They can be used fresh or dried. It is the oil in the herb that is the flavor.

                Herbs: parsley, chives, marjoram, thyme, basil caraway, dill oregano, rosemary, savory, sage, anise, mint, tarragon, cilantro.

Spices come from bark, root, buds, seeds, berries or the fruit of tropical plants and trees. Spices are more pungent in flavor and aroma than herbs.

                Spices: cinnamon, ginger, onion, garlic, cloves, saffron, mustard, poppy, sesame, pepper, all spice and paprika.”

“Savor the Flavor of Herbs and Spices,” Carolyn Washburn, Utah State University Extenion, Washingtion Co.

Cooking with Herbs and Spices

- is a great way to add flavor and reduce fats, sugars and salts in cooking. The reason we love foods which are high in fats, sugars and salt is because they add flavor and palatability.  By using herbs/spices to add flavor to recipes you can reduce the amount of salt, fat and calories! 

1T. of fat = 100 calories 1 T. sugar = 45 calories

Average daily calories for an adult= 1700 to 2200

To Reduce Salt Try:                                         To Reduce Sugar Try:

Basil                                                                                    Allspice

Cumin                                                                                  Anise

Curry powder                                                                      Cardamom

Garlic                                                                                   Cinnamon

Italian blends                                                                        Cloves

Oregano                                                                               Ginger

Parsley                                                                                  Mace

Pepper                                                                                  Nutmeg

• 1 T. of chopped fresh herb = 1 t. dried herb (flaked, crushed) = ¼ ground herb
• When doubling a recipe only 1 ½ times the herbs and taste. If more is needed go ahead and double.
• Add dried herbs and spices at the beginning of the recipe to give them time to rehydrate and release their flavor.
• Fresh herbs should be used at the end of cooking which prevents them from loosing flavor.

Less delicate herbs- last 20 min.                Delicate herbs- last 2-3 minutes

• Garnishing is usually done with fresh herbs, but dried herbs such as parsley or cilantro flakes can be sprinkled on dishes to add color if fresh herbs are unavailable.
• If by mistake you add too much of an herb to a recipe, add a raw peeled potato while it cooks. Before serving remove the potato and it will have absorbed the additional flavors.

 Storing Herbs

• Dried herbs and spices should be rotated often to obtain optimum flavor. To check the herb or spice, rub a small amount in between your fingers and if the aroma is fresh, rich and immediate, it will still be good to use.
• Store away from light, heat and moisture. (It would be better to store them in a cupboard/drawer next to the stove rather than above the stove.)
• Fresh herbs can be stored in for between 2 -5 days depending on the herb. Wash and pat dry. Layer the herb between layers of paper towel and place in a plastic bag Ziplock bag in the refrigerator.
• Fresh herbs can also be kept for a day or two by cutting the ends of the stems and placing in a vase of water. If left on the counter they give a nice aroma to the kitchen. Or cover with a plastic bag and secure to the vase and place in the refrigerator for longer storage (less than a week).
• Fresh herbs can be frozen in ice cube trays. Chop the desired amount of the herb (1T. is a good amount,) into an ice cube tray. Cover with water and freeze. When frozen remove ice cubes from tray and place in a freezer bag and return to the freezer until ready to use. Add directly to the recipe without thawing. This will give you the closest to fresh herb taste.
• Pesto can also be frozen in ice cubes. Then it can be used later in sauces, soups, etc.

Herb Uses:

Basil- pesto, tomato based dishes, chicken, rice, fish, Italian dishes

Bay Leaf- stews, soups, chicken dishes

Chives- eggs, dips, potatoes, salads, creamy soups, tomatoes

Cilantro- salsas, tomato, Mexican dishes

Dill- salmon, potatoes, tomatoes, pickled cucumbers, carrots, beans,

Garlic Chives- Asian cuisine, rice, noodles, and soups

Lemon Grass- Asian soups, curries and salads

Lemon Thyme- fish and chicken dishes

Marjoram- omelets, stuffings, soups and stews

Mint- sweet dishes, Mediterranean, African and Middle Eastern foods

Oregano- Mediterranean cooking, tomato-based sauces, cheese and beans,

Parsley- salads, garnishes, egg dishes, pastas, soups, chicken, vegetables

Rosemary- fish, chicken, lamb, potatoes, breads and tomato based sauces

Sage- pumpkin, game, pork, poultry, stuffing

Tarragon- French cooking, fish, poultry, and sauces such as hollandaise and béarnaise

Thyme- soups, stews, tomato-based sauces, veal, lamb and roast poultry

Sources:

1-“Savor the Flavor of Herbs and Spices,” Carolyn Washburn, 
             Utah State University Extenion, Washingtion Co.

2-  www.homecooking.about.com/od/foodstorage/a/basilstorage.htm

                3-“Cooking 101”, Desseret News, Wed. March 26, 2008, pg. C-1
              

Recipe of the Week: Herbed Rice

A great side dish with any meat! Easy too!     

1 c. uncooked long-grain white rice

2 beef, chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes

1 T. green onion chopped, or 1 t. dried onion flakes

½ T. fresh or ½ t. dried of each: rosemary, marjoram, or oregano, and thyme leaves

½ t. salt or celery salt

2 c. cold water

In a large saucepan combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil Reduce the heat to low, stir once, and cover. Simmer for 14 – 20 min. or until liquid is absorbed.  Serves 4.

*This can be made into a mix by combining all ingredients except the water in a Ziplock bag.   It is a great gift too!  (Make sure to include the recipe.)