Are you making a mattress stuffed with rosemary?

I am in the midst of reading a book my mother gave me by Marlena de Blasi called A Thousand Days in Tuscany. It is great! Marlena often asks her friend from town to find her more rosemary. He says to her one day, "Are you making a mattress stuffed with rosemary? I have never known a person so fixed on this weed as you are."

Italians are known for their use of this fragrant herb in many food preparations. Perhaps this use grew from the fact that rosemary grows spontaneously on the rocky terrain along the Mediterranean coasts in incredible quantities. Rosemary is also very popular in other cuisines such as those of France, Spain and Greece. Rosemary is a perennial plant and in warmer climates (such as Southern Italy or Texas) it can grow to be a shrubby five or six foot high bush loaded with blue flowers.

The word rosemary means “dew from the sea”.... from the Latin word rosmarinus. Maybe this is why I find that Sea Salt and Rosemary compliment each other well, especially in bread.

There is a great bread recipe in the Joy of Cooking, where you can add any herb you desire to the dough. I have modified this recipe a little. Rosemary or Italian Seasoning taste amazing in this bread. It is on page 597 (Fast White Bread) and makes one or two loaves, depending on how large you want each loaf.

On page 591, it explains that you don't have to let the yeast dissolve prior when you use higher temp water (but only up to 130°F or you might kill the yeast). Also, when you use milk, the bread is more tender/cake-like. When you use water, it makes a chewier bread. I like water because it makes a heartier bread and I use it at dinner to soak up deliciousness.

2 cups flour (bread flour is best)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 pkg (2 1/4 teaspoons) quick-rise or active dry yeast
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup very warm (115°F to 125°F) water
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted or softened
1 Tbsp. Rosemary or Italian Seasoning

In a large bowl, mix the yeast, water, butter, sugar, salt, and rosemary together. Add 2 cups of flour. Continue to add 1/4 cup flour at a time until the dough is moist, but not sticky. It ends up being about 1-1.5 cups flour.

On a floured surface, knead for about 10 minutes by hand (or with the dough hook on low to medium speed) until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to an olive oiled bowl and turn it over to coat with olive oil. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (75°F to 85°F) until doubled in bulk, 40 to 45 minutes. Grease a cookie sheet if you want 2 long thinner loaves or grease a 9x5" loaf pan for 1 loaf.

Punch down the dough. If you want 2 long/thin loaves, shape them and place onto greased cookie sheet. If you are using a 9x5" loaf pan, form it into a loaf and place seam side down in the greased pan. Oil the top of bread and cover loosely with a clean cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 20 to 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Bake the loaf for 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake about 30 minutes more. If you made 2 smaller loaves on a cookie sheet, only cook about 20 minutes more. Bake until the crust is golden brown, or if the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Remove the loaf from the pan to a rack and let cool completely. One tasty tip is to take out the dough out of the oven after 8 min between temperature changing (from 450°F to 350°F) and brush olive oil on the surface, sprinkle with sea salt, and put back into oven.


There is an easy Pork Tenderloin recipe that I make with Rosemary and tastes great with the bread. It is quick and barely any mess to clean up. I love that! There is an optional sauce consisting of tomatoes you can serve on top (see below). The bread tastes great when soaking up the tomatoes.

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

pork tenderloin
potatoes (red look nice, but any will do)
Rosemary (fresh preferably, but dried will do)
onions
garlic
mushrooms
white wine
chicken broth
olive oil
butter
fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven at 425°F. Cut the potatoes into cubes. Slice up the onions into 1/4" slices. Slice the garlic cloves into thirds. Cut mushrooms into large pieces. Spread all of these out in the bottom of a casserole dish/bowl with a cover. Put about 1-2 Tbsp. of butter cut into small bits and drop in various places in bowl. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup white wine, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1 Tbsp Rosemary, 1/8 tsp black pepper (chicken broth has a lot of sodium so I don't add salt to this dish), and 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Whisk together. Pour over vegetables. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove casserole from oven. Stir vegetables around in the wine/broth liquid. Put the pork tenderloin on top of the vegetables, submerging at least 1/4 of it into the liquid. Cover and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until pork is done (depending on thickness of cut). Cook tomatoes in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking pork (see below).

Sauce: Heated Tomatoes
2 - 2.5 cups diced fresh tomatoes
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a saucepan, bring tomatoes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour over pork.



Another great way to cook rosemary is with potatoes as a side dish. There are two ways you can prepare these; as crispy potatoes or roasted potatoes. Depending on the look you want for your dish or the mood you're in, they are both delicious. The crispy potatoes are great for a more casual dinner, maybe served with burgers/steaks at a cookout, use to replace french fries, have as unique breakfast home-fries, or as a side dish for brunch. The roasted potatoes are great if you are going for presentation. They look nice with steak, fish, or a fancy lunch.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Rosemary

small red potatoes (whole or sliced in half)
rosemary, crushed
sea salt
olive oil

Preheat oven at 425°F. Wash and dry potatoes. The potatoes look nice if they are not sliced, but take longer to cook. They also look nice sliced in half. Mix in a bowl the potatoes, rosemary, sea salt, and olive oil. Make sure the potatoes are well coated in olive oil. Spread out into a glass baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake 50-60 minutes. Gently stir potatoes every 20 minutes to prevent burning onto the side of the glass dish. Uncover the last 10 minutes of baking.

Crispy Red Potatoes with Rosemary

red potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
rosemary, crushed into small pieces
sea salt
olive oil

Boil red potatoes for about 10 minutes, until tender but not fully cooked. Drain and then gently mix in a bowl the potatoes, rosemary, sea salt, and olive oil. On a cookie sheet, spread the potatoes out. Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes to prevent burning (depends how hot your stove is).


Rosemary also compliments chicken very well. This is another clean-up free dish and barely makes a mess. You can throw a bunch of vegetables in with the chicken and bake in the oven. I use a combination of pieces; thighs, legs, and breasts with the skin on to retain juices. You can also stuff a whole chicken with stuffing and put in the pan with vegetables and rosemary. Other ideas are adding apples for a sweeter taste or you could squirt lemons over everything before you put into oven.

Vegetable ideas: asparagus (whole), zucchini/yellow squash (cut into thick slices or sticks), carrots,

Rosemary Chicken & Vegetables

Chicken (thighs, legs, breast)
small red potatoes
olive oil
rosemary
sea salt
pepper
onion
mushrooms
garlic, cut cloves in half
vegetables (your pick)
chicken broth
white wine
apples, cut into quarters (optional)

Preheat oven at 350°F. Mix rosemary, sea salt, and pepper together in small bowl. Put everything else into a large baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over them and 3/4 of your spice mixture. Gently stir the vegetables to lightly coat with oil and spices. Add the apples. Place chicken in pan in vegetables. Rub olive oil on top of skin and sprinkle the rest of the spices on top of chicken pieces (or onto whole chicken). Pour a chicken broth and white wine into bottom of pan to prevent dryness and burning. Cover dish and bake for 45 minutes. Check it after 25 minutes or so, gently stir around the vegetables to see if they are burning. If it looks like it is getting a dry, add a little chicken broth or water. When you insert a meat thermometer, chicken should be 165°F or higher when it's done.

There is an Italian variation of this dish served with polenta that I found on BBC's website. This dish would be nice with a great salad.

Rosemary Chicken & Polenta

Polenta
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 quart chicken stock or broth
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces Parmesan, grated

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the red onion and salt and saute until the onions begin to turn translucent, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic and a splash of chicken broth, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn. Turn the heat up to high, add the rest of the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once you have mixed in all of the cornmeal, pour into 13x9" baking dish. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, gently stirring every 10 minutes to prevent lumps. Once the mixture is creamy, remove from the oven and add the butter, salt, and pepper. Then gradually add the Parmesan.

Once set, turn the polenta out onto a cutting board and cut into squares, rounds, or triangles. If you have extra pieces after making this dish, save for another meal. When you are ready to use the leftover polenta, brush each side with olive oil and saute in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, or grill. Serve on the side.

Next:
chicken pieces, skin on (thighs, legs, breasts)
cherry tomatoes
crushed rosemary
garlic cloves, halved
polenta, cut into triangles
olive oil

Preheat oven to about 410-420°F (depending on how hot your oven is). Spread out the polenta pieces in the bottom of a baking dish or roasting pan. On top of the polenta, place the chicken pieces, tomatoes, garlic, and rosemary. Add crushed black pepper if desired. Drizzle olive oil all over. Bake for 25 minutes, or until meat thermometer says 165°F or higher. The polenta will also start to become crispy on edges.



Pot Roasts are great with red wine and rosemary. After cooking for a few hours, their flavors become squisito!

Rosemary Pot Roast
(Serves 6-8)

2 to 3 pounds beef roast (chuck), about 2 inches thick (tri-tip, top round or brisket also work)
1 Tbsp. chopped rosemary
1 Tbsp. chopped thyme
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp chopped dill
1 tsp freshly cracked pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry red wine
4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
6 to 8 small red potatoes, cut into halves
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced (shallots are good)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks (or use about 16 whole baby carrots, peeled)
2 small turnips, peeled and quartered
2 small parsnips, peeled and cut into thick slices
(You may also add Jerusalem artichokes, rutabagas, golden beets, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, or any other vegetables you like)

For the meat and vegetables:
Preheat your oven to 325°F. In a large "stovetop to oven" pan (dutch ovens are great), heat the oil over medium high heat. Roll the roast in salt-&-peppered flour. Add the roast and brown well on both sides. Remove from the pan and place on a plate. Stir in the onions, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Cook, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes. Pour the wine into the pan and boil until reduced to a thick syrup. Add the stock and the Worcestershire sauce and bring back to a simmer. Add the cracked pepper and the roast to the dutch oven.

Cover the pan and place in the oven for 1.5 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and add the potatoes, onion, carrots, turnips and parsnips. Replace the cover and place back in the oven for 30 minutes longer.

To serve:
Remove the meat and vegetables from the pan and keep warm. In the pan, skim any excess fat from the broth. Stir in the dill and parsley and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour broth into a gravy dish to serve with meat. Serve the meat and vegetables along with crusty delicious bread and the broth. Also, offering mustard and horseradish on the side are great for spreading on the roast.