Seasoned With Abandon

Green Goddess Dressing

This is a classic dressing for salads, cold fish and cold chicken.  Try making a shrimp pasta salad with it!
Serving Size: 8

1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cloves garlic ; minced
1/2 cup fresh chives ; minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley ; chopped
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon ; chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil ; chopped
2 tablespoons capers
salt and pepper ; to taste

Combine ingredients in bowl until blended and chill.
Blender method:  Chop herbs in blender and add vinegar along the way.  Blend in mayo and sour cream; slowly add buttermilk, blending until consistancy is as desired.

Greek Lamb Burgers

Fresh rosemary, oregano, and lemon rind harmonize with the richness of lamb and feta cheese. For an alternative to tzatziki sauce, serve with a drizzle of plain, fat-free yogurt. Tuck tomato slices and lettuce leaves into the pita pockets, if desired.

Recipe By: Cooking Light 8/07
Serving Size: 6

1/2 cup Feta cheese ; crumbled
1 tablespoon Fresh rosemary ; chopped
2 teaspoons Lemon rind ; grated
2 teaspoons Fresh oregano ; chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves ; minced
3/4 pound lean ground lamb
3/4 pound ground turkey breast
Cooking spray
3 (6-inch) pitas ; cut in half

Prepare grill.
Combine first 8 ingredients. Divide mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.

Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer registers 165°. Remove from grill; let stand 5 minutes. Place 1 patty in each pita half; drizzle each serving with 1 tablespoonTzatziki sauce.

Fresh Goat Cheese

This is a simple, tangy cheese and takes little active time and just a day to become cheese!  A fun project to do with kids.  Try parsley, chives, dill.  These times and salt return a semi-firm, spreadable cheese with bright flavor.  More salt, and more time, will give a drier, firmer cheese.

Recipe By: Capri Herb Farm

1 quart goat milk
1 cup buttermilk
3/8 cup lime juice
1 tablet rennet
sea salt ; to taste
fresh herbs ; to taste

Over low heat, bring goat milk and buttermilk to 190* in a stainless steel pan.  (Aluminum and cast aluminum will not work).  Slowly add lime juice (or lemon, or white vinegar) and rennet while stirring until all is added and mixed thouroughly into milk, but only until just combined.  It will curdle.
Cover and let cool undisturbed at room temperature 12 hours.  Add salt to taste.*  Drain into a cheesecloth lined strainer.  Bring cloth together and tie.  Hang over bowl or sink until it is the consistency you want.  Hang for 12 hours, squeezing occasionally, adding herbs and salt as cheese firms.

Gnocchi with Sausage & Leek Ragu

Make Ahead Tips: You can make this sauce ahead and refrigerate it, covered, for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 1 month.

Recipe By:  Fine Cooking 90
Serving Size: 6

For ; the Sauce:
28 oz Tomatoes ; (preferably San Marzano)
1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage ; (about 2 links)
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large leek ; (white and light-green parts only), trimmed, halved lengthwise,
2 tsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. chopped fresh marjoram
1 tsp. minced garlic ; (about 1 medium clove)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt ; more to taste
Freshly ; ground black pepper
For the Gnocchi:
Kosher ; salt
1 recipe Potato Gnocchi
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano ; (optional)

Make the Sauce:
Put the tomatoes and their juices in a food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times until the tomatoes are crushed but not completely puréed.

Remove the sausage from its casing and tear the sausage apart with your hands into coarse pieces. Heat 1 Tbs. of the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, further breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and almost completely cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate.

Add the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil to the pan and then add the leek, parsley, thyme, marjoram, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring, until the leek is soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Adjust the heat if the garlic or leek shows any sign of burning.

Add the tomatoes and reserved sausage and stir well to combine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a vigorous simmer and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar and simmer gently for 45 minutes. If the sauce is bubbling too fast, reduce the heat to low. Remove the lid and if the sauce seems watery, continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a thick sauce consistency. Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook the Gnocchi and Toss with the Sauce:
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. To get the gnocchi into the boiling water, fold the parchment ends to form a chute and gently shake the gnocchi out, taking care not to clump them together as you drop them in. Give one gentle stir, wait until the gnocchi all float to the surface of the water, and then cook them for 1 minute. Carefully drain the gnocchi in a colander. Transfer them to the sauce and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately, topped with Parmigiano, if using.

Garlic Herb Butter

Serve with vegetables, steak, chicken, seafood, or obviously on garlic bread.

1/3 cup flat leaf parsley ; chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons basil ; chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons chives ; chopped
2 cloves garlic ; chopped
4 ounces butter ; softened
1 tablespoon white wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper ; freshly ground
2 tablespoons shallot ; finely chopped

Combine herbs and garlic in food processor.  Add butter, wine, salt, and pepper; process until smooth.  Add shallots until just combined.
Allow flavors to marry for at least 30 minutes if possible.  Refrigerate leftovers, or form a log, wrap well and freeze.  Slice disks of frozen butter to top meats and vegetables.

Garlic-and-Herb Oven-Fried Halibut

Coat your fillets in crunchy, Japanese-style breadcrumbs called panko--they bake up so crispy, you'll swear these tender halibut fillets are deep-fried.

Recipe By: Cooking Light 8/07
Serving Size: 6

1 cup panko ; (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 large garlic clove ; minced
2 large egg whites ; lightly beaten
1 large egg ; lightly beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil ; divided
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish. Place egg whites and egg in a shallow dish. Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Dredge fish in flour. Dip in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 fish fillets; cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining fish. Bake at 450° for 6 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.