March 17, 2004

Donna Maurillo: If it’s springtime, it must be time for herbs as well

Wasn’t that a darn wonderful weekend we just had? I love this time of year because everything looks so fresh when it’s been buttered with sunshine.

For me, the days were energizing. I aerated the grass, put in some seed on the bare spots, pruned back the Mexican sage and the lavender, tied up the clematis vines, bought some new planters, and gave the garden a good soaking.

Already, the oregano is coming back. Actually, it’s threatening to take over an entire corner of the yard because I allowed it to seed last year. If ever you’re looking for a hardy herb that doubles as a groundcover, this is the one. All you have to do is put in a couple of plants and watch them go to town. You’ll have fresh oregano all year. Just cut them back in the winter so they don’t get too woody.

The rosemary is also springing back to life, looking quite pretty with its purple blossoms. This is another herb that requires almost no care, but it delivers an abundant harvest year ‘round. In fact, I like to cut stems of oregano, rosemary and lavender and use them as part of the greenery in spring flower arrangements because they’re so fragrant.

I long ago gave up growing catnip, however. The neighborhood felines would make a feast of the plants before they ever got established. My friend Ann Parker showed me how to protect it with an overturned wire basket that was anchored to the ground. It worked for keeping the cats away, but then the snails wouldn’t leave it alone. Sometimes you just have to know when to quit.

Improve your skill
Learn how to turn fresh spring produce, artisan cheeses, and other local products into a delightful dinner at a spring cooking workshop Saturday, March 20, from 1 to 4 p.m. Sponsored by the Friends of the UC Santa Cruz Farm and Garden, the workshop takes place at the Feel Good Foods commercial kitchen on Potrero Street, Santa Cruz.

Amy Linstrom and Heidi Schlecht, owners of Feel Good Foods organic catering, will lead this hands-on workshop. "We’ll highlight some of the tender, subtle tastes of spring products with flavorful herbs and citrus," says Amy.

The menu includes rosemary skewers with lamb and spring onions; sand dabs with red pepper, currants, and stewed onion relish; grilled asparagus with blood oranges; lemony artichoke hearts with feta and oregano; bulgur with toasted almonds and cilantro yogurt sauce; spring garden salad; and raspberry rhubarb crisp with whipped cream.

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Cost is $40 for Friends of the UCSC Farm and Garden, and $45 for non-members. It covers food costs and tastings. Today is the registration deadline, so call 459-3240 right away.

Truffle heaven
Recently, one of our vendors sent me a box of the most amazing chocolate truffles from XOX in San Francisco. I am sorry to say (no, I’m not sorry to say) that I did not share them. They were too good for anyone but me.

Their Web site describes them perfectly. "As authentic French truffles should be, XOX truffles are small, slightly irregular shaped, hand-rolled treasures with a dense ganache center that quickly melts into rich buttery softness in your mouth. A special vegan line is made using soy milk in place of cream."

You can order liqueured (amaretto, cognac, creme de framboise, kahlua, triple sec, etc.) or non-liqueured (lemon, coconut, dark chocolate, Earl Grey, French roast coffee, etc.). Each one is dusted with cocoa powder or crushed nuts. There are about 80 to the pound, and believe me, they are the perfect seduction gift.

Want more convincing? The Rosengarten Report names them among the seven greatest chocolates in the U.S., and Chocolatier magazine had them in the top 10.

For more information, go to www.xoxtruffles.com

Trivection question
Has anyone yet seen the GE Trivection oven in action? If so, please let me know your opinion. Also keep us posted if anyone finds one locally. I keep getting mail about it.

Tomato trick
I like to toss pasta with sun-dried tomato strips, but I don’t like the bland oil they’re packed with. So I’ll put the tomatoes directly into the boiling pasta water for the last minute of cooking. It removes the oil and even softens the tomatoes. Drain into a colander and toss with the other ingredients, such as olive oil, herbs and grated Parmesan.

This also works for dry-packed tomatoes, freeze-dried mushrooms, etc. However, they might require a little more time in the cooking water to plump them up. And of course, you can try this when cooking rice or steamed vegetables.

Tip of the week
When measuring out flour or other dry ingredients, it’s difficult to hold the measuring cup over the bag or canister without spilling on the counter. So I measure over a flexible cutting mat. Then the spillage can be returned to the container.

Try this at home
I know it isn’t summer yet. But when the weather is this good, you want to pretend you’re on a beach somewhere with a Caribbean drink in your hand. Stacy Niedzwiecki, a reader from Grand Rapids, Mich., says this one tastes just like a Milky Way bar. She got the recipe in Antigua recently.

BUSHWHACKER

1 oz. dark rum
1 oz. coconut rum
1 oz. chocolate liqueur
1 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
crushed ice
nutmeg

Fill a blender with slightly less than one cup of crushed ice. Add all of the ingredients except the nutmeg, and blend until it resembles an ice cream consistency. Pour into glasses and sprinkle with fresh ground nutmeg. Serves two. Or one, if you’re in that kind of mood.

Contact Donna Maurillo at P.O. Box 638, Santa Cruz, CA 95061; fax to 429-9620 or e-mail donnarm@aol.com.