Do you ever have extra herbs that just rot in your fridge? Here’s one solution…drink them! These two herb-inspired cocktails are perfect for a summertime party.
Vodka Thyme Lemonade
Ingredients
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 4 slices lemon
- 2 ounces vodka
- 3 tablespoons sugar or simple syrup (Click here to learn how to make simple syrup)
- Ice and club soda to fill glass
Directions
- Remove thyme leaves from stems and place in glass. Add lemon and sugar. Muddle lightly to release essential oils of herbs and lemon rind, and juices from the pulp.
- Add ice, vodka, and enough club soda to fill glass.
- Toss to mix and serve in a chilled glass with a rim of sugar if desired. Garnish with thyme sprig and lemon slice. Enjoy!
Variations: If you want to get fancy, you can infuse a few thyme springs when you make the simple syrup, so you will have thyme-flavored simple syrup, and then you can skip the part about removing thyme from the stems and placing directly in the glass. This will avoid getting bits-o-thyme in your mouth while sipping the cocktail. You also can make as suggested in the original recipe , and strain prior to serving.
Pimm’s Cup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces) Pimm’s No. 1
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) ginger beer or ginger ale
- 1 cucumber slice
- 1 sprig fresh mint (5 to 6 leaves)
Directions
1. Fill glass with ice.
2. Add Pimm’s, and then top with ginger beer.
3. Garnish with cucumber slice and mint sprig, and serve.
You know how it’s time to get out of the water when your fingers turn into prunes? Well, I loved red wine vinegar so much as kid that the only sure way I knew to stop consuming it was when my lips would turn white. Back in the no-fat nineties I used to order oil and vinegar dressing, “hold the oil.” I just could not get enough of the stuff.
By the way, If you are interested in learning about more fads from the 1990’s click here. Be prepared that the information is from the perspective of people who were most likely not born until this century.
I still enjoy red wine vinegar as much as the next gal, and I am so thankful for the mainstream popularity of salt and vinegar potato chips (Clearly, I am not as opposed to fat as I was back in the day). However, through the years I have branched out with my dressing choices.
Which brings me to this incredible lemon dressing. It is another winner from Didi Emmon’s Entertaining for Veggie Planet. This dressing is great on a bowl of greens, or you can pretty much put it on top of anything, like tofu or chicken. You can make the whole batch and keep it in the fridge for a week. If you are serving it with greens, be sure to have a good loaf of bread ready…You’ll need something to sop up the extra dressing that gets left in the bowl, and it is not polite to use your finger.
Ingredients:
Finely grated rind and juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey (you can use sugar if you want)
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup canola oil or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
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In a food processor (if you have s mini one that would work), combine lemon rind and juice, mustard, honey and garlic and process until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the oil through the feed tube. Season with salt and pepper.
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THE CSA
These days I am making most of my salads from the vegetables that come from Sang Lee’s CSA. The salad pictured above is made with Red Boston Lettuce, cucumbers, and snap beans. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Members of a CSA pay in advance for all their produce for the season, and get weekly shipments of fresh food from a local farmer. Our CSA also has cheese and fruit shares; others have meat, eggs, flowers, and more. Its all about what the community wants. Last night was my volunteer shift for the season. There is not much better than spending a beautiful summer evening in a courtyard greeting your neighbors, and ogling fruits and vegetables. If you are interested in learning more about this particular CSA, click here. If you are interested in learning more about CSAs in general, check out Just Food’s site.
Here is another great grain salad from Peter Berley’s Go With The Grain cooking class at The Brooklyn Kitchen.
http://www.thebrooklynkitchen.com
In the class, we used freekah instead of bulgur. You can also substitute Israeli couscous. This salad can be served hot, warm, or cold.
1 cup medium or coarse bulgur wheat
1/3 teaspoon of salt
One 14 ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 bay leaves, halved
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan over high heat, bring 1 1/4 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the bulgur and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover the pan, and simmer for 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and let rest, covered, until all water has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.
3. In an 8 to 10-inch oven-proof saute pan over medium heat, stir together the rest of the ingredients and season with more salt. When the chickpeas begin to sizzle, transfer the pan to the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
4. Remove and discard the bay leaves, and stir the bulgur into the chickpeas. Season with salt to taste, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
fresh from brooklyn 