Summer Cooking with Herbs: Seasonal Dishes

Make the most of summer produce with fresh herb recipes!

Summer is peak herb season, with gardens overflowing with lush, aromatic leaves and Farmer’s Markets brimming with locally grown produce. Cooking with fresh herbs is the best way to highlight seasonal produce and add layers of bright, unforgettable flavor to every meal.

Herb-Forward Salads and Dressings

• Add chopped parsley, dill, basil, or chives to green salads.
• Whip up an herby vinaigrette: olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, Dijon, fresh herbs.
• Quick Herb Vinaigrette
  
  
  
• 3/4 cup light flavored oil
• 1/4 cup herb or rice vinegar (sweet and savory work well)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (savory or sweet)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a mason jar and shake vigorously until emulsified. Serve immediately. Makes 1 cup. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week.

 

• Toss tomato, cucumber, and feta with oregano and mint for a Mediterranean touch. Or add our Greek Blend Seasoning.
• which is perfect on tomatoes.

Grilling with Fresh Herbs

• Make marinades with rosemary, thyme, and sage for meats and veggies.
• Easy Marinade
  
  
  
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup cider vinegar  
• 2 clove garlic, crushed 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 1 Tbls. finely chopped onion
• ½ tsp. brown sugar
•  ½ tsp. fennel seed
•  ½ tsp. salt 
• 1/8 tsp. pepper 
• 2 tsp. fresh, 1 tsp dried herbs of your choice

Combine ingredients in a jar or cruet and shake well. Pour over cooked or uncooked vegetables, pasta salad, or chicken or beef.  Allow to marinate 2 to 8 hours, then grill, bake or broil as desired.

• Create herb butters with parsley, garlic, and chives to melt over grilled corn or steaks. Check out our previously posted herb butter recipes.
• Use sturdy herbs like rosemary or thyme as skewers for kebabs.

Light, Summery Pastas and Grain Bowls

• Toss pasta with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.
• Make tabbouleh with fresh parsley and mint, bulgur, lemon juice, and tomatoes.
• Add chopped herbs to rice or quinoa salads with summer vegetables,
•  Tabbouleh
• 1 cup bulghur wheat
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)
• 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the bulghur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour. Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well. Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours. 

 

Closing

Your summer harvest deserves center stage. By weaving herbs into every dish, you celebrate the freshest flavors of the season while making meals that are as colorful as they are delicious.

Garden Orzo Salad with Dill Vinaigrette and Shrimp - Early Weekend Recipe

I adapted this recipe I first saw by Bobby Flay.  It uses dill with mustard as a perfect counter point to salad and shrimp.  This light and tasty salad is a great way to use the grill this Labor Day weekend, but quick and simple enough to not burden you so you can enjoy the summer ending activities. Next month our theme is Quiche.

This September I have 10 programs in only 8 days, so a quick meal I can make ahead and pop into the oven is high on my list.  But first I am going to enjoy the three-day weekend!

Garden Orzo Salad topped with Grilled Shrimp

3/4 pound orzo
1 large cucumber, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

3/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled

Dill Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup dill infused herb vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

16 medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined
olive oil

Directions
Cook orzo according to package directions until al dente.  Drain and allow to cool.  Combine orzo, cucumber, green onions, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Place dill, vinegar, and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the vinaigrette over the orzo mixture and stir well to combine. Gently fold in the feta cheese.

Heat grill to high. Brush shrimp with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for approximately 2 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Divide orzo salad among 4 plates and top each with 4 shrimp. Garnish with additional dill.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails

Green Beans with Basil Vinaigrette Weekend Recipe

It is still in the 90s here this week, not at all what you expect at the end of September, but the basil is loving this heat and producing more leaves.  This cold bean dish is perfect to enjoy when the temps are hot and humid.

Green Beans with Basil Vinaigrette

1 lb. green beans, trimmed
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed flat parsley leaves
2 1/2 Tbls olive oil
2 Tbls red wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Fill a large bowl with ice and water for an ice bath.  Add green beans to water and cook until crisp tender, 3 to 4 minutes.  Drain and transfer to the ice bath.  Let sit in the ice bath until chilled, then transfer to a serving platter.

While the beans are cooling make your vinaigrette by chopping garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle with salt.  Mash with the side of the knife until it forms a paste.  Take this paste and add to a food processor or blender with herbs, olive oil, Dijon mustard and puree until smooth.  Pour resulting dressing over chilled beans and grind some fresh pepper to taste.

Enjoy your chilled beans with other garden fresh items or grilled chicken or a burger.