Rosemary Uses
•Culinary: Use the chopped leaves with a wide variety of meat dishes. Use them to flavor baked potatoes and to make an herb butter for vegetables.
•Household: Boil a handful of rosemary in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes to yield an antiseptic solution for washing bathroom fixtures.
•Cosmetic: The leaf stimulates blood circulation in a bath. Use as a facial steam. Makes a rinse for dark hair.
•Aromatic: Use the leaf in potpourri. Lay sprigs among linens. Scatter the stems on a barbecue to discourage insects.
Recipes
ROSEMARY ROASTED CHICKEN
Ingredients
• 1 4-lb. chicken
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary plus 3 extra whole sprigs
• A squirt of fresh lemon juice
• 3 slices of lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive or vegetable oil as needed
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Loosen the skin of the chicken by gently working your fingers between it and the meat over the breast and as much of the legs as you can.
Mash the butter, chopped rosemary, lemon juice, and some salt and pepper.
Work the rosemary-butter under the skin of the chicken, generously covering the breast and to a lesser extent the legs. Salt and pepper the cavity of the chicken. Place the rosemary sprigs and lemon slices in the cavity. Salt and pepper the exterior of the chicken. If not using a rack, lightly oil the bottom of a roasting pan.
Truss the chicken and place in the roasting pan in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes or until the dark meat reaches 170 degrees.
Allow the chicken to rest, covered with foil for 10-15 minutes before carving.
Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes
2 1/2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and halved or quartered, to approx. 1-2 inches in diameter
3-5 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
3 tablespoons olive oil (or less if on a fat-restricted diet)
4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
Steam or boil the potatoes for 7-9 minutes or until they are barely tender. In a non-stick skillet cook the garlic in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add the potatoes, rosemary and salt and pepper and saute the mixture over moderately high heat, stirring for 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden.
Crusty Garlic and Rosemary Potatoes
from Bon Appetit
2 pounds potatoes, quartered
5 large garlic cloves, sliced thin lengthwise
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
In a steamer set over boiling water, steam the potatoes, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are just tender. In a non-stick skillet cook the garlic in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is pale golden. Add the potatoes, the rosemary and salt and pepper to taste and saute the mixture over moderately high heat, stirring for 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden.
Rosemary Lemonade
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest from 2 of the squeezed lemons
2 sprigs of rosemary, at least 3 inches long
pinch salt
8 cups water
Combine sugar, one cup water, rosemary, salt, and lemon peel in a saucepan and bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook at least 10 minutes at medium heat to infuse flavors. Strain or pick out the rosemary and lemon peel and discard. Cool the sugar mixture. Stir it with the fresh lemon juice and the water and serve over ice. A rare treat!
Fresh Shelling Beans with Buttered Crumbs with Rosemary
2T butter
1C fresh bread crumbs
1/4C chopped fresh parsley, packed firmly
1T minced fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds shelling beans, fresh out of their shell
2t melted butter
1T lemon juice
Melt butter in skillet over low heat. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until they are golden brown. Transfer to a bowl. Blend parsley and rosemary together then combine with the crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Separately steam the beans until just tender. Remove to a warm plate and stir in the melted butter and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with the breadcrumb mixture and serve. Serves 4-6
Potato-Tomato Soup with Rosemary from Verdura by Viana La Place
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
6 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and pureed not too fine (I would use the blender for this step)
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary leaves
salt to taste
5 german butterball potatoes, cut into dice (peeled or not as you choose)
water
freshly grated Parmesan, optional
Cook the onion over low heat in the oil in a soup pot until it's tender and golden. Add the tomatoes, rosemary, and salt to taste, and cook at a gentle simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes and stir. Cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and adjust to a simmer. As the potatoes become tender, break them up with the back of a wooden spoon until a coarse puree forms. Cook the soup for about 45 minutes, or until it is thick and the flavor deepens. Serve. (with the cheese if desired)
Tuscan Rosemary and Pine Nut Bars
from the L.A. Times Food Section 8/11/99
1/4 cup pine nuts, roasted
1/2 Cup butter, cut in 10 pieces
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup flour
Melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, rosemary and pine nuts. Stir in flour to make dough; it will be stiff.
Pat dough evenly into ungreased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees until golden and firm at edges, about 20 minutes. Cool pan on rack about 2 minutes, then use sharp knife to cut bars into 16 squares. Let cool in pan at least 10 minutes before removing with small spatula.
Rosemary Cheese Fingers
adapted from The Complete Book of Herbs by Bremness
2 T butter
1 egg, beaten
2 C oatmeal
1 T chopped rosemary leaf
1 1/2 C cheddar cheese, grated
pinch of cayenne
pinch salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl with the melted butter. Press the mixture into a greased 8" square pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Cut into small fingers.
Rosemary Lore from The Complete Book of Herbs by Bremness
Rosemary has a reputation for strengthening the memory, it became the emblem of fidelity for lovers; some brides have worn rosemary wreaths "richly gilded and tied with silken ribands of all colors." The Spanish revere rosemary as the bush that sheltered the Virgin Mary on her flight to Egypt. As she spread her cloak over the herb, the white flowers turned blue. In times past, resinous rosemary was burned in sick chambers to purify the air and branches were strewn in law courts as a protection from "jail fever" (typhus). During the Plague of 1665 (in Europe), it was carried in the handles of walking sticks and in pouches to be sniffed when traveling through suspicious areas. In some Mediterranean villages, linen is spread over rosemary to dry, so the sun will extract its moth-repellent aroma.
Antioxidant -- better than BHT
Research into the free-radical quenching effects of rosemary have found it to be a potent antioxidant, possessing greater activity than the common food additives BHT (tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene) and BHA (tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisol). (2) The discovery of the antioxidant activity of rosemary in biological systems supports the historical use of rosemary as a preservative for meats and foods.
Estrogen Blocker
Researchers have shown that rosemary enhances the metabolism and removal of endogenous estrogens and decreases their cancer-promoting actions. Researchers evaluated the effects of rosemary extract on the metabolism and action of estradiol and estrone given to female mice. The results of the study showed that feeding female mice a 2% rosemary diet increased liver microsomal oxidation and glucuronidation of estradiol and estrone and inhibited their uterotropic action. (3)
