Rosemary – June Featured Ingredient

Say hello to one of the world’s most popular herbs. So easy to grow in a container by itself or in your garden with other herbs. My Rosemary – June Featured Ingredient has a wonderful robust fresh flavor which can be found as a dry herb in your local supermarket. However, dried can be more pungent than fresh so you will use less as the flavor can vary. Rosemary complements a wide variety of dishes and ingredients. Native to the Mediterranean, its bittersweet green leaves resemble pine needles. The plant is an evergreen shrub, so the leaves are available fresh all year round.

Rosemary – June Featured Ingredient

Rosemary can be used as part of a bouquet garni which can be added to soups, stews and casseroles. Whole sprigs can be roasted with root vegetables like potatoes and carrots or sprinkled over Italian breads such as focaccia to add flavor and pretty presentation. Infuse meat, poultry and game with rosemary or chop it and use in stuffings and sauces for fish, lamb or chicken. Remove leaves or sprigs after cooking. When cooking with dried rosemary, crush it before adding it to your dish as the sharp leaves can be difficult to remove once cooked. When used sparingly, the aromatic flavour of rosemary works well in delicate desserts such as sorbets, fools and fruit salads. Read more about Rosemary…click here.

I grow Rosemary every year and bring indoors once winter arrives. The plant will stay green for sometime but will eventually begin to dry up. When this begins, I suggest cutting the sprigs and let them dry thoroughly, crumble leaves and store in a clean glass jar to use during the winter as a dried herb. Nothing like the taste of a fresh herb. Below is a Rosemary plant I grew last year along with pictures of recipes I made with both fresh and dried Rosemary. Use your imagination or in tried and true recipes to enjoy this magnificent herb. It’s one of my favorites. I think you’ll agree. Until next month…