by Jutta | Apr 1, 2015 | Cooking with herbs, Home-made biodynamic food
Welcome to the LWTM – ‘Cooking with herbs’ blog series
In this blog series you will find historical information and recipes about the most commonly used kitchen herbs. They do not only add flavour, but they also make a positive impact on our health and well-being. To find out more about other kitchen herbs, please type ‘cooking with herbs’ into the search box.
Dandelion – Taraxacum officinale
Dandelions often grow in lawns and that is a reason why most gardeners see dandelions as a garden pest that spoils their perfect lawn. Only a few people know that the dandelion plant is actually a very useful and healthy kitchen herb.
Its name comes from the French ‘dent de lion’ which means ‘lion’s tooth’. It refers to the shape of the leaves which vaguely resemble lion’s teeth. In the English folklore dandelion is often referred to as ‘piss a bed’, because it has such a strong diuretic effect. That is the reason why dandelion leaves and teas should be used as part of a successful weight loss regime. The dandelion tea is blood cleansing, clears the kidney and bladder and ‘make you go to the loo’. The same effect, if a bit milder, is achieved when eating the fresh dandelions leaves, for example as part of a spring/early summer salad.
The golden flowers need to be harvested before they turn to white blooms that disperse in the wind. Then they can be used to make dandelion honey (please see recipe below) and picked when still yellow, it won’t self-seed as much, keep the dandelion population in check.
The dandelion root is mainly used in form of tinctures for ailments such as gout, rheumatism, as a blood cleanser and for people who suffer from diabetes.
Spring salad bowl:
Take a handful of lettuce, a handful of young spinach leaves, a few leaves of dandelion and mix together with a few cherry tomatoes and slices of cucumber. Then add a few leaves of chopped dandelion leaves. Finally crumble some feta cheese on top and add a dressing of your choice.
My favourite dressing is: 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp of dijon mustard and some pressed garlic, add a few drops of water, mix all together in a jar and add to the salad.
Dandelion honey:
It is quick and easy to do. Dandelion honey is a good alternative to plain white sugar when it comes to sweeten your tea, breakfast porridge or you can even bake with it. Why not ask your children to make it with you, as they can help you gather the bright yellow flowers.For a couple of jars of dandelion honey you will need:
- 150/200 dandelion heads, 1 kg of jam sugar or brown sugar, juice of a lemon. A couple of sterilised glass jars. The easiest way is to collect used jam jars and then boil them in a big pot for a couple of minutes to sterilise them, finally leave them to dry on a kitchen towel. Ideally do this the morning before filling them, so they are still very clean.
- Collect the dandelion heads from your garden and get rid of the green stalks. Then put the flower into a cooking pot and add about 1 litre of cold water.
- Cook the dandelion heads briefly until the water reaches boiling point. Then take the pot off the fire and leave to stand for 24 hours.
- The next day strain the cold mixture through a sieve into another cooking pot. It will leave you with a ‘yellow looking water’. Add about 1 kg of brown sugar (you can also use jam sugar if you don’t want your honey to be runny). Now cook the mixture, whilst occasionally stirring, until it reaches boiling point. Then reduce the flame slightly and cook for another few minutes. At the end, stir in the lemon juice and take off the heat.
- Fill the hot mixture into the sterilized jars and cover the jars with cling film. Leave the jars open until the mixture has cooled down and the put the lid on over the cling film. When stored in a cool, dark place it will keep for a couple of months.
by Jutta | Feb 28, 2015 | Cooking with herbs, Home-made biodynamic food
Welcome to the LWTM – ‘Cooking with herbs’ blog series
In this blog series you will find historical information and recipes about the most commonly used kitchen herbs. They do not only add flavour, but they also make a positive impact on our health and well-being. To find out more about other kitchen herbs, please type ‘cooking with herbs’ into the search box.
Tarragon – artemisia dracunculas
Tarragon belongs to the Artemisia family, (like dandelion and vermouth) and comes originally from Siberia and the West coast of the US. It grows over 1m tall and has fine green leaves, which are very aromatic and used in the kitchen.
But tarragon has also medical properties and is especially helpful for the digestion, kidney and bladder, rheumatism and gout. People used to drink tarragon water: Boil one litre of water and leave three to four tarragon twigs in the water, then sip this water throughout the day. Its main health properties is to help the digestion, especially with bloating, but also aids with the production of urine and helps with the general elimination process. It is also an antiseptic and can rid the body of worms and parasites.
It was brought to Europe throughout the Middle Ages by the Crusaders who returned from the Middle East. It was used as a treatment for foul breath, toothache and anaemia. The word ‘tarragon’ is believed to come from ‘tarkhun’ which means little dragon in Arabic, as it was used to heal snake bites. Another herbal recipe prescribes chewing tarragon will help with persistent hiccups.
In the kitchen:
Its aromatic fresh leaves are used in the French or generally Mediterranean kitchen. Tarragon has an aromatic property reminiscent of anise due to the presence of estragole. Taste to put in conjuction with helpful properties for the digestion make it a favourite kitchen herb and it can be found in sauces, such as sauce Bernaise or as flavouring in mustard, soups, salads and even as tarragon vinegar.
Sauce Bernaise:
Ingredients: 1 tbsp water, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1/2 small onion (chopped),
I chopped tarragon leaf (keep the stalk), 1 egg yolk, 75g melted butter, salt and pepper to season.
- Place the vinegar, water, onion, and tarragon stalk into a small saucepan over a medium heat and simmer, until you have half a tablespoon of liquid remaining. Strain the liquid into a bowl and set aside.
- Place the egg yolk and tarragon vinegar reduction into a food processor and blend together until light and frothy.
- With the food processor still running on its slowest speed, add the melted butter, 1 tbsp at a time, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Be careful not to over beat the mixture as it may separate.
- Stir in the chopped tarragon and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
this sauce works well with steak and steamed vegetables
Tarragon salad dressing:
Ingredients: 1 tsp of chopped tarragon, 1 tsp of dijon mustard, 1 tbsp honey, 5 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp of wine vinegar, salt & pepper to season.
Mix all these ingredients together in a big salad bowl and then top up with fresh leaf salad mixed with ruccola or raddicio salad. Mix the salad, so the dressing coats lightly all the leaves.
by Jutta | Jan 30, 2015 | Cooking with herbs, Home-made biodynamic food, Uncategorized
Welcome to the LWTM – ‘Cooking with herbs’ blog series
In this blog series you will find historical information and recipes about the most commonly used kitchen herbs. They do not only add flavour, but they also make a positive impact on our health and well-being. To find out more about other kitchen herbs, please type ‘cooking with herbs’ into the search box.
Savory – satureja hortensis
Savory is native to the Mediterranean, where it is commonly referred to as the bean herb as it gives bean dishes a distinctive flavour and also helps prevent flatulence when eating beans. Crushing the fresh herb and putting it on fresh bee stings can help with the swelling. You can use both the fresh and dried herb.
Savory tea is excellent to clear a spotty, teenage skin
Use 1 tbsp of the fresh herb and add 250ml boiling water. Leave to steep for 10 minutes and then pour into a bowl, add cold water until the temperature is warm, but not boiling hot. Soak a clean flannel and apply to the face, leave until it has cooled down and repeat a few times. Then use a good peeling face mask and finish up with a healing day cream (you can also use nappy rash cream in small amounts, especially when the spots are very sore).
The same tea as above can also help with a chesty cough. In this case gargle the tea and spit it out again.
In the kitchen
Savory with its peppery, aromatic taste is used for lamb dishes, hearty stews and of course it must not be missing from a bean casserole or any other cooked bean dish. Could it be the phrase ‘savoury dishes’ comes from this herb?
Here are a few recipes:
1. Tuscan Bean soup
A wholesome soup for the winter, serves 6
12 oz/350g dried canneloni beans, soaked overnight (or tinned), 4 ripe, well flavoured tomatoes (or use tinned), 2 sticks of celery, 2 carrots, 2 leeks,
11 oz/300g kale (chopped), 2 cloves garlic, handful of winter savory, 2 sprigs fresh thyme. 6-8 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper
To serve:
6 slices of stale country bread (2-3 days old), 7 oz/200g savoy cabbage, red onion and olive oil
- Pour off the water in which the beans have been soaking, place them in a large saucepan and cover with fresh water to a depth of 2″ above the beans. Bring to the boil and boil hard for 10 minutes, drain. Cover the beans with fresh water and add a small handful of fresh savory. Bring the water back up to boiling point then reduce the heat and simmer for approx 1½ hours until the beans are tender but still whole.
- If you use tinned beans then use the recipe from here.
- Drain the beans and pass three-quarters of them through a sieve into a bowl with 2 pints (1.2 litres)of fresh water. Reserve the rest of the beans separately.
- Finely chop the carrots, celery and leeks. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the vegetables until soft. Meanwhile peel, de-seed and chop the tomatoes then add them to the vegetables along with the garlic and thyme. After 5 minutes add the cabbage, salt and pepper and cook for a further 10 minutes before adding the bean puree. Cook slowly for an hour adding tepid water if the soup becomes too solid, although it should be a very thick soup.
- About 5-10 minutes before the end of the cooking stir in the whole beans to heat them through. Finely chop the Savoy cabbage and sauté in a little oil. Serve the soup ladled over a slice of bread and topped with cooked cabbage. Offer finely sliced red onions and olive oil at the table.
2. Beans with savory and bacon
This is probably one of the easiest and tastiest recipes there is.
You will need:
400g canelloni beans (tinned is best here, as you can use the juice)
150g of smoked bacon (vary how meaty you want this dish, vegetarians can replace it with chopped red pepper instead), 1 large onion, 1 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp chopped savory, salt and pepper to season.
- Chop the onion finely and brown in 1 tbsp of olive/cooking oil. Add the paprika seasoning to it, so it turns the onions slightly reddish.
- Add the chopped bacon until brown and finally add the 2 cans of beans with the juice (canelloni preferred, but really any beans will do), chopped savory and cook covered on a low flame for 15 minutes, finally season with salt and pepper and serve with fresh sourdough bread and butter.
Word of Advice: Always cook beans with savory, as they soak up its flavour, but never add salt or pepper during the cooking process, always add at the end as particularly salt prevents the beans from softening. This is especially important when you cook raw (rather than tinned) beans.
by Jutta | Nov 29, 2014 | Cooking with herbs, Home-made biodynamic food
Welcome to the LWTM – ‘Cooking with herbs’ blog series
In this blog series you will find historical information and recipes about the most commonly used kitchen herbs. They do not only add flavour, but they also make a positive impact on our health and well-being. To find out more about other kitchen herbs, please type ‘cooking with herbs’ into the search box.
Dill – Anethum graveolens 
Dill is an annual herb that has feathery leaves and a distinctive aromatic smell. It grows about 2 feet tall and has feathered leaves.
Dill, like caraway and fennel, cleanses and strengthens the digestive tract. When used an herb tea dill it strengthens the bladder, combats stress and is also good for the throat. If you feel a cold coming on and have a fury tongue, an old recipe suggests to chew dill seeds.
But it is a well loved herb for adding flavour and one of the main ingredients in Swedish cooking. The flowers and seeds are used for pickles, but the leaves as seasoning for salads, especially cucumber and potato salad, yoghurt sauces and salmon (gravad lax).
Here are two recipes:
1. Yoghurt-dill dip
This is a great condiment for baked potatoes, fish and meat dishes. But you can also serve it as a starter with raw vegetables, such as carrots, celery or cucumber.
Ingredients: 250 g cream cheese or quark, 2 tbsp. creme fraiche, salt & pepper, 1 tsp lemon zest and a small bunch of finely chopped dill.
Add all ingredients together and serve cold.
2. Potatoes with dill
Ingredients: a handful of new potatoes, 2 tbsp of chopped dill, a dollop of butter, salt
Steam the potatoes with the peel for about 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove the peel and add a knob of butter, salt and the chopped dill. These potatoes are best served with fish dishes.
by Jutta | Oct 30, 2014 | Cooking with herbs, Home-made biodynamic food
Welcome to the LWTM – ‘Cooking with herbs’ blog series
In this blog series you will find historical information and recipes about the most commonly used kitchen herbs. They do not only add flavour, but they also make a positive impact on our health and well-being. To find out more about other kitchen herbs, please type ‘cooking with herbs’ into the
Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
History: Pliny the older and Dioskurides already used this useful herbs to cure kidney and bladder diseases. However, in the Middle Ages this aromatic herb was seen as ‘plant of love’ and found its way into many love potions.
How to grow and use it: Lovage is a perennial plant and grows over 2 meters tall. The leaves are large and almost triangular. Its flowers are greenish-yellow colour and they show up in late spring. These days lovage is a bit of a forgotten kitchen herb, but that is very undeserved, as its leaves add
a lot of flavour to soups, stews and dishes, making it easier to reduce the salt need to make the dish palatable.
In Germany it is called the ‘Maggi’ herb, named after the famous soup flavouring sauce, as it is one of its main ingredients. But it is not only the leaves that are so useful, the seeds can be used as a spice and the roots as a vegetable.
Recipes:
Lovage root tea:
This tea is wonderful for everybody who suffers from gout, rheumatism, hot flushes and production of sweat. Chop up dried or fresh root (1 tsp) and add to a cup of hot water. Drink up to 2 teas a day, one in the morning and one in the evening,
Lovage bath essence:
Take 10 leaves and some roots add to one litre of cold water, slowly bring to the boil. Then add it to your full bath. Lovage as bath essence helps with female genial problems, reduces the production of sweat, soothes the nerves and helps to lose weight.
Top tip: Freeze the leaves in summer and add a tsp of frozen lovage to soups and sauces over the winter time.
Lovage and pumpkin pesto
This is a very seasonal dish and makes a great starter dip. Chop up a handful of lovage leaves, add 50g of pumpkin seeds, 1 tbsp of ground parmesan and 120ml pumpkin seed oil (or virgin olive oil). It tastes great on toasted rye bread or with vegetables such as celery or raw carrots.
by Jutta | Sep 29, 2014 | Cooking with herbs, Home-made biodynamic food
Welcome to the LWTM – ‘Cooking with herbs’ blog series
In this blog series you will find historical information and recipes about the most commonly used kitchen herbs. They do not only add flavour, but they also make a positive impact on our health and well-being. To find out more about other kitchen herbs, please type ‘cooking with herbs’ into the search box.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
History: Basil originates from India, where it was cultivated for cooking over 5000 years ago. Nowadays there are over 60 different types of basil. The word ‘basileus’ means ‘king’ and Basil is often referred to as ‘king of all herbs’. Its first ceremonial use was connected with the ancient festival ‘ the feast of the cross’, that commemorates the finding of the True Cross by St. Helena, the mother of the emperor St. Constantine.
How to grow and use it: Basil is one of those herbs that grows easily on every window sill, providing it is not all day in direct sunlight. The rounded leaves have a waxy texture and are very aromatic. But should always used fresh as its taste is lost once it is cooked. The leaves are very delicate, so it is best to cut them into a salad, etc., with kitchen scissors.
TIP: Did you know that Basil grown on your window sill does not only look good, but it will also ward off flying insects as they don’t like its aromatic smell.
Once you have been bitten by an insect, an old remedy is to rub a fresh basil leave straight onto the bit, it will help with the itching sensation and sometimes can even help with the swelling.
Recipes:
Basil Oil
Ingredients: a handful of basil leaves, 250ml virgin olive oil
It could not be simpler. Put the leaves into a dark glass bottle and add the olive oil. Leave overnight and use on salads or fresh tomatoes
Basil tea:
Use as tea for bloating and problem with digestion
Ingredients: put a handful of fresh basil leaves into a tea pot and infuse with 250ml of boiling water
Leave to steep for 10 minutes and drink in small sips. It helps with bloating and helps with the digestion if you have eaten too much or too heavy food.
Pasta with home-made pesto and ‘Insalta Caprese’
Basil is probably best known for Italian cooking, with ‘Insalata Caprese’ and pesto being some of the all-time Italian classic dishes.
Home-made Pesto: 10 garlic cloves, 200g pine kennels, 40-50 fresh basil leaves (2-3 bunches), 1 tsp of sea salt, 6 tbsp of grated pecorino cheese or parmesan, 250ml olive oil
1)Peel garlic gloves and put together with pine kennels into a food processor
2) Add basil leaves and blend the mixture quickly together. But make sure that the mixture is not too fine, as pesto is not a mash, but a coarse mixture of herbs. Then remove the herb mixture from the blender into a side dish.
3) Put the rest of the ingredients into the food processor and blend them all together until they form a smooth paste. Finally add the smooth paste to the coarse herb mixture and seal in pots and jars.
These jars should last for a while, especially when you keep them cool. Then cook fresh pasta of your choice and add the pesto to it.
Insalata Caprese : This is the typical Italian starter
6 medium tomatoes, rich and ripe, 300g fresh mozzarella, 1 tsp. dried oregano, 6 large basil leaves, 4 tbsp extra virgin oil, 1 tbsp. capers, salt and ground pepper
1) Wash and dry the tomatoes and slice them into 0.5cm (1/4 inch) slices. Then slice the mozzarella the same way.
2) Arrange on a platter one slice of tomato/mozzarella/tomato and so on, always slightly overlapping.
3) Sprinkle the oregano and capers on top. Then tear up the basil and scatter them on the platter and finally season with olive oil, salt and ground pepper
It is a very easy dish to prepare, but the secret is to make it fresh and to buy the best produce possible !
