Monday, November 07, 2011

Weekend Herb Blogging #308 - Recap


It's been a great pleasure to host this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging - through the week delicious dishes from around the world have been appearing in my inbox. One of the things I love about WHB is how we can see the seasons progress around the world - with winter approaching in the northern hemisphere, you'll find an excellent selection of preserves. I'm sure there's going to be something here to get those tastebuds working.

Without further delay, onto the recipes - they have been arranged alphabetically by main ingredient.

APPLE

Twice Cooked Apple Cakejm
Johanna from Green Gourmet Giraffe


For Johanna's apple cake, the apples are first cooked in a mix of butter, golden, syrup, cinnamon and sugar until they just start to soften. This mixture is then folded through the cake batter to create a moist cake studded with those gloriously sweet spiced apple pieces.


Bavarian Apple Cake
Lynne from Cafe Lynnylu


Lynne's apple cake uses a yeasted dough base that is made with a bread machine. It's then shaped to form a circle, topped with thin slices of apple which are then dusted in mix of cinnamon, ginger and sugar. There's even a little crystallised ginger for extra bite.


ASPARAGUS

King Prawn Spaghetti with Asparagus
Cheah from No-Frills Recipes


Cheah presents a fusion dish - spaghetti topped with prawns that have been cooked in oyster sauce and served with a side of vibrant, green stir-fried asparagus.

Asparagi alla Parmigiani


A dish from my mothers region of Emilia-Romagna - cooked asparagus spears are sautéed in nut brown butter and then topped with grated parmesan - placed under a grill the cheese melts and browns. I've then turned this side dish into a starter with the addition of a soft egg and shaved truffle.


BANANA

Banana Muffin with Streusel Topping
Marija from Palachinka


Marija has made the most beautiful muffins - the batter is bolstered with banana puree and rolled oats and the streusel topping contains walnuts, brown sugar and rolled oats.


BLACK-EYED BEANS

Black-Eyed Beans
Tigerfish from Teczape - An Escape to Food


Tigerfish clues us in to the goodness that can be found in Black-eyed Beans and uses them as an alternative to peanuts to two traditional soups - chicken feet soup and pork bone soup.


BLUEBERRY/GINGER

Blueberry Ginger Chutney
Rinku from Cooking in Westchester


This has become Rinku's favourite condiment and I certainly see why. It's spiced with panch phoron (Bengali 5 spice), fresh ginger, cinnamon and red chilli powder and sweetened with jaggery. It can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 months and Rinku suggests serving it with scallops.


BORETTANE ONIONS

Sweet and Sour Borettane Onions with Raisins and Pine Nuts
Cinzia from Cindystar


There's a festive feel to Cinzia's Sweet and Sour Borettane Onions - instead of the usual vinegar and sugar, Cinzia has used star anise, cinnamon, bay leaf and orange zest to flavour the dish and finished it off in a mix of balsamic and honey.


CELERY/TOMATO

Celery and Tomato Chutney
Brii from Briiblog


The rain in Italy means that Brii's internet becomes flakey but that hasn't stopped her from sharing this wonderful Chutney - it's a mixture of tomato, celery, chillies, gloves, pepper, yellow mustard seeds and white wine vinegar. Brii recently opened a jar that has been maturing for 2 years and reports that it was very, very good.


CHILIES/ONION

Onion and Chili Jam
Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs)


Graziana uses Chillies from her own garden - namely Jamy and Aji Amarillo chillies - to make her onion and chili jam. The onion adds sweetness to the dish.


FIG

Fig Chutney
Chris from Mele Cotte


Fresh figs are rather delicate with a short shelf life but this fig chutney lets you enjoy the flavour all year round. Chris combines dried mission figs with shallots, red wine and a little thyme.


KALE

Raw Kale Salad with a Lemon-Dill Dressing
Janet from Tastespace


Janet uses Lacinato or Dinosaur Kale which is sweeter and more tender than regular kale. In this salad you'll also find grated carrot, julienned sweet potato and toasted pumpkin seeds. The dressing is a blend of lemon juice, rice vinegar, avocado oil, fresh dill and dijon mustard.


MANGO

Mangomisu
by Anh from A Food Lover's Journey


Next week's host Anh presents a twist on Tiramisu that just screams summer. Here, in season, mango takes pride of place. Just like regular tiramisu, the sponge fingers need to be soaked but instead of coffee, orange juice is used.


PARSLEY/MINT

Italian Salsa Verde
Vicki from Flavors of the Sun


Vicki may live in Mexico but she has made that Italian classic, Salsa Verde, the traditional companion to Bolito Misto. This ultra vibrant sauce is predominately a blend of parsley and mint but gains those appealing acidic notes from capers, scallions, garlic and lemon. Be sure to also check out Vicki's amazing photos from the Mexican Day of the Dead.


PARSNIP

Vegan Parsnip Carrot and Spring Onion Fritters
Shaheen from Allotment 2 Kitchen


I think this dish would easily appeal to vegans and non-vegans alike - the fritters are a mix of shredded parsnip and carrots with sliced spring onions. Shaheen serves them with a drizzle of her own sweet garlic chilli sauce.


SWEET CHILLI PEPPERS

Curried Sweet Chilli Peppers
Simona from Briciole


Simona has created an intriguing twist to traditional Italian Peperonata - she adds curry powder to spice the dish and finishes it off with her own homemade Robiola cheese.


That brings us to the end of this weeks recap and I hope you've enjoyed this feast it as much as I have - if I've left anyone out or the links are wrong, just let me know and I'll fix it right up.

Onto the draw -

Paalo is once again offering his hand to draw out the winning name and if you are the lucky one, please send me an email with your details and book choice so I can send it off straight away.

Congratuations go to

12 comments

  1. Some amazing food! It would be difficult to choose which one to make first! Great roundup!

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  2. Thanks Lynne - it's all too delicious!

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  3. lovely round up - congratulations again to you and kalyn on 6 years of WHB - so much good food has passed through the WHB doors and I look forward to lots more - great selection of fruit and veg

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  4. A wonderful round-up of mouth-watering recipes. A job well done!

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  5. Wonderful roundup. Thanks for all your efforts, Haalo.

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  6. What a great round up! Yeah to 6 years! Tons of goodness. Looked like it was a chutney/jam kind of week! And....that Chris was for me? I won? Woohoo! :)

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  7. great recap, the best way to turn 6! :-)
    congratulatins to Chris and happy WHB for ever to everybody!

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  8. I am enjoying all the food! Happy 6th WHB anniversary ;)

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  9. What a banquet! As it should be, since we are celebrating an important event. Thank you for the lovely roundup, Haalo, and for all your work to organize WHB week after week. And congratulations to Chris.

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  10. Fab round up and once again, may I congratulate you and Kalyn on 6 yars of WHB, long may it continue.

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  11. Thanks Johanna, Cheah, Vicki, Cinzia, Tigerfish, Shaneen and Janet for your continued support and always delicious contributions!

    Congrats also to Chris and Simona - hope you enjoy the books!

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