46
Special food for special moms
Late spring is a perfect time of year to take advantage of the
fresh young leaves of many of the herbs in your garden, before they turn to seed. May is also the month we think of our favourite moms and do something special for them. Perhaps she would enjoy a home- cooked meal prepared by loved ones? Or a pot full of tasty herbs to grow beside the
Jude’s Kitchen JUDIE STEEVES
kitchen door? Or even a bouquet of fresh ones from your garden? If you do decide to prepare a meal for Mom, consider
making that a breakfast for the whole family. It can be easy to make a festive-looking special meal at breakfast or brunch, with muffins or toast on the side and a champagne and orange juice cocktail to make it more special. While you’re selecting a few herbs to enhance the flavour of that dish, consider preserving some of those herbs by drying them or preparing herb-infused vinegars or oils. The young leaves are the ones you want to harvest and use, with their delicate flavours but strong expression of their nature. For instance, young oregano, thyme, tarragon, sage, chives and many other herbs are at their best for preserving or cooking with, just before they bud and flower. Many people who enjoy cooking as well as gardening are
now planting herbs and sometimes fruits and vegetables among the flowers to make efficient use of garden space, and because so many of them also make attractive plants – as well as delicious ones. Imagine radishes and raspberries among your roses or sage and sunflowers with the snapdragons, or even dainty carrot tops waving in the breeze among the calendula in your flower borders. In fact, many people already grow such colourful, edible herbs as lavender and thyme in the flower bed with the lilies and lupines, so why not lettuce as well? You could also pluck the petals from your roses and calendula, lavender and thyme to toss into a salad with greens from the lettuce, spinach, kale and collards growing in amongst the columbines and coral bells in your front yard. Mind-boggling? Not at all. It’s simply a matter of stepping outside the box into a world
where flowers, bushes, vines and trees are permitted to have a dual purpose: not only to beautify your yard but also to provide food for people, insects such as pollinators, and even wildlife and birds. People multi-task all the time, so why expect less of your landscape?
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • MAY 2019
Tickle Mom’s fancy with potato and shrimp cakes with chives. JUDIE STEEVES PHOTO POTATO & SHRIMP CAKES WITH CHIVES
Herbs can be used to accentuate and enliven the main flavours in a dish, such as adding snipped fresh chives to potatoes and shrimp in these little appetizer pancakes. These make fabulous finger food, and Mom would probably be tickled with them.
1/2 lb. (225 g) small salad shrimp 2 green onions 2 eggs
3 tbsp. (45 ml) melted butter pinches of chili powder, cumin, cayenne 2 medium potatoes
3 tbsp. (45 ml) snipped chives 2/3 c. (150 ml) milk 2/3 c. (150 ml) flour
salt and pepper, to taste
• Rinse shrimp and pat dry. • Pierce the skin on the potatoes and partly cook in the microwave oven for a few minutes. Don’t overcook. Let cool so they can be handled.
• Mince green onions and chives. • Beat eggs, milk and melted butter and add flour, spices (vary the amount to your taste), minced green onions and most of the chives. Reserve a few as a garnish.
• Add shrimp and grate the potatoes into the mixture. Combine. • Melt a pat of butter in a non-stick frypan over medium heat and add dollops of batter. The smaller the pancake the nicer they are for finger food at a gathering. • Once one side is browned, flip over and brown the other side. • Arrange on a serving plate garnished with snipped fresh chives.
FETA SPREAD OR DIP
This fresh, herb-flavoured dip or spread is great on crackers, pita crisps, fresh pita triangles or chunks of fresh sweet local peppers. It’s not only tasty, but a pretty healthy appie as well.
1/2 c. (125 ml) feta
3 tbsp. (45 ml) fresh parsley 1 tbsp. (15 ml) fresh chives 2 tsp. (10 ml) lemon juice
1/4 c. (60 ml) red onion
1 tbsp. (15 ml) fresh oregano 1 tbsp. (15 ml) olive oil salt and pepper to taste
Don’t miss a single issue of Country Life in BC! NEWS & INFORMATION YOU NEED!
Name Address City
Postal Code Phone
• Crumble feta cheese and very finely chop red onion. • Finely chop herbs. • Toss all ingredients together with the olive oil and lemon juice. • Add salt and pepper to taste. • Top crackers or pita bread with this, or scoop up a bite with pita crisps or fresh vegetables.
EASY EGGS FOR A CROWD
Scrambled eggs are one of the easiest ways to take care of breakfast for a crowd. Set them out on a heated platter with slices of ham, fresh sliced fruit, toasted bagels, warm muffins, fruit bread or scones, and just let everyone go to it.
12 eggs
1/2 green pepper 4 green onions
Email
CREDIT CARD # _________________________________________ EXP _______________ oNEW oRENEWAL | oONE YEAR ($18.90) oTWO YEARS ($33.60) oTHREE YEARS ($37.80)
PLEASE MAIL TO 36 Dale Road
Enderby, BC V0E 1V4
subscriptions@countrylifeinbc.com
SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. (30 ml) milk 1 tomato
1 tbsp. (15 ml) butter Fresh chopped herbs such as chives, parsley, tarragon
• Beat eggs until frothy and add milk. • Chop green pepper, tomato and trimmed green onions into small dice. • Melt butter over medium heat in a large non-stick pan. • Add green onions and stir, then green pepper and tomato, stirring just to heat through before adding eggs.
• As they begin to set, swirl them around in the pan with a spatula so all parts cook evenly, turning so the bottom doesn't brown.
• Add salt and pepper just before they're cooked. • Don't cook the eggs until they're dry. As soon as none are liquid any more, turn out onto a warmed platter and sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs such as chives, tarragon or parsley. • Serves 6-8.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48