Elevate Your Cooking with Fresh Herbs
By Chef Dennis Ashley
I’ve heard it said that herbs are the soul of cookery and praise from those home cooks who not only cook with herbs, but grow them too. Used wisely, herbs can transform a routine meal into a sensuous experience of tangy, spicy and clean refreshing flavors that soar to new heights. Aromatic leaves of rosemary and thyme subtly permeate cooked dishes. The leaves and seeds of dill, fennel and basil add piquancy to salads and vegetables and fish, while more hearty-earthy flavors of lovage provide a great base flavor for soups and casseroles. Curly and Italian flat-leaf parsley add an incredible touch to a lot of dishes by garnishing them with chopped fresh parsley.
Warmer temperatures signal that it’s time to fire up the grills for al fresco cooking and dining experiences. Summer’s a great time to season foods for the grill with herbs and spices to bring clean and delightful flavors to foods of all kinds. Marinades for meats of all types are enhanced with fresh herbs and the tender first shoots of things like chives, mint, oregano and thyme. If you are grillin’, care should be taken to control your heat and not cook over real high flames to avoid getting too much char or burn your foods.
We like to wrap up Baby Asparagus or green beans in foil, with garlic, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper in little foil packets for quick cooking over direct heat. They won’t take long, but they will be delicious and tender! You can do something similar with small or new potatoes, skin on. Wash them well, pack them in foil with your favorite herbs like parsley, chives, thyme, sprinkle with olive oil or butter, place them on the grill and you’ll have some very flavorful spuds to go with dinner! If you prefer, these vegetables can also be cooked in a grill proof pan or dish. Either way, you’ll be making veggies so good that even the children will ask for seconds.
Pasta seems to be an ever popular home dining option, and lightened up for summer and making use of all that fresh, green basil you will soon have growing, here’s an idea for you to create a spectacular pasta entrée.
Ashley Famose Linguine al miele crema basilica
Serves 4-6
1 pound linguine
8 oz fresh basil
1 small red chile or crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tbs pine nuts, toasted
3 Tbs fresh grated Parmiagiano Reggiano Cheese
Juice of one fresh lemon (grate peel before juicing)
Grated lemon peel
½ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbs of Clark’s Orange Blossom Honey
12 oz heavy crème
4 oz chicken stock
In rapidly boiling water, cook the linguine until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, remove basil leaves from stems and mix the leaves with chile, garlic, toasted pine nuts, cheese, lemon juice, zest, oil and honey and process in blender until smooth. Combine the basil puree, crème and chicken stock in a large sauté pan, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered until sauce has thickened. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Combine the pasta with the sauce and toss well. Serve in heated pasta bowls or plates with shavings of more Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese.
Dennis Ashley is the owner of Ashley Famous Culinary Arts Cooking School and a certified cooking teacher. Information on cooking classes and Ashley Famous Cooking Class Parties can be found at ashleyfamouscooking.com or by calling 720-535-4934.