Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Rosemary By Any Other Name is Rosemary! 
Hi, my name is Spice Gal Rosemary. You can call me Rose, Rosie Rosemarie or Rosemary. My name is derived from the Latin words ros (dew) and marinus (sea). Happy Herb loves my aromatic fragrance, which is slightly resinous with a sweet scent. I’m often described as having a very bold flavor. 

I am one of the most commonly used herbs in Italy - especially for roast lamb. Italians have a passion for rosemary (and I have a passion for Italians) and you will see me in many of the true Italian recipes. If you go to an Italian butcher shop and order lamb they will include several sprigs of rosemary with the meat. What’s a sprig – good question. A sprig is a small stem bearing leaves or flowers, taken from a bush or plant. Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt. I am discreetly used in French, Greek or Spanish cooking. I especially enjoy the company of lamb, red meat, fillet Mignon, fish, shellfish, veal and chicken dishes cooked with wine and garlic.

I am also an excellent flavoring for potato dishes and other root vegetables like carrots and onions. When you add me to spaghetti sauce, I bring out the flavor of other ingredients. I am a very nice addition to tomato-based soups, stews and sauce and I am very much at home around the barbecue. YES, the BBQ. Place a sprig inside your poultry, or insert some needles into your leg of lamb. Use me in meat marinades. Burn several sprigs on your barbecue grill to impart the flavor on the cooking meats or poultry. 

Here is a tip: bundle several sprigs together and use them as a basting brush. Try me in pea soup, bread recipes, vegetables such as beans, peas, spinach and zucchini and stews. I am an essential ingredient in poultry or fish stuffing. Some recipes call for chopping me up, but I am best added as a whole sprig to soups and stews. Remove the sprig prior to serving. And you should know that I make an especially tasty and fine tea.


You can plant me in your outdoor vertical hanging planter and I’ll grow really well. I’m actually a bush perennial that grows in abundance in the Mediterranean area (Spain, Italy, Portugal, Southern France, Greece and North Africa as well as in isolated areas of Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt). I am one of the most common aromatic wild plants of the Mediterranean landscape, especially in rocky limestone hillsides adjoining the seaside.

You can plant me in your outdoor vertical hanging planter and I’ll grow really well. I’m actually a bush perennial that grows in abundance in the Mediterranean area (Spain, Italy, Portugal, Southern France, Greece and North Africa as well as in isolated areas of Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt). I am one of the most common aromatic wild plants of the Mediterranean landscape, especially in rocky limestone hillsides adjoining the seaside.

In the eighth century, the Romans relocated me to England, primarily in the southern part of the country. Charlemagne ordered me to be grown on his farms in the tenth-century Spain. What a view! Who is Charlemagne – another good question. Charlemagne (c.742-814), also known as Karl and Charles the Great, was a medieval emperor who ruled much of Western Europe from 768 to 814. In 771, Charlemagne became king of the Franks, a Germanic tribe in present-day Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and western Germany. Early immigrants later introduced me to the New World.  

I have an historical association with the Virgin Mary. My flowers received their light blue color when she placed her shawl over me, after she washed me. I am a wedding crasher, bringing good luck for the new couple. My branches were placed on the floors of medieval homes to combat diseases during the “black plague”,  And because of my fragrance, I’m often used as incense. I am a very busy herb! 


My virtues are extolled by Ancient Greek, Roman, Arab and European herbalists. I have been used to prevent balding and as a hair conditioner. I am also the herb of memory, my eaves were supposed to quicken the mind and prevent forgetfulness. Roman herbalists recommended me to be used to cure jaundice, I have antioxidant properties and I’m used as a preservative by modern food processors. I have been mentioned in medical texts as being a digestive aid in the form of a tea infusion. Externally, you can apply me as an ointment, to treat rheumatism, sores, eczema and bruises.  

Enjoy this recipe for Pan Seared Veal Chops With Rosemary.

Total Time: 35 minutes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS
2 
veal chops (about 3/4-inch thick)
2 
cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 
tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 
tablespoons olive oil 
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2
cup white wine
1⁄4
cup chicken stock

DIRECTIONS
Rub the chops with 1 Tbsp. oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and let sit on a plate for 15 minutes.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add remaining oil.
Add chops to pan and cook until golden brown on one side, and flip.
Remove chops from pan to a baking dish, brown side down and roast at 375ºF for 10 minutes.
Add wine and stock to cast iron pan and stir up brown bits from the bottom.
Serve chops with juice from pan.

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