Rosemary By Any Other Name is Rosemary!
Hi, my name is
Spice Gal Rosemary. You can call me Rose, Rosie Rosemarie or Rosemary. My name
is derived from the Latin words ros (dew) and marinus
(sea). Happy Herb loves my aromatic fragrance, which is slightly resinous with
a sweet scent. I’m often described as having a very bold flavor.
I am one of the most commonly used herbs in Italy - especially for roast lamb. Italians have a passion for rosemary (and I have a passion for Italians) and you will see me in many of the true Italian recipes. If you go to an Italian butcher shop and order lamb they will include several sprigs of rosemary with the meat. What’s a sprig – good question. A sprig is a small stem bearing leaves or flowers, taken from a bush or plant. Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt. I am discreetly used in French, Greek or Spanish cooking. I especially enjoy the company of lamb, red meat, fillet Mignon, fish, shellfish, veal and chicken dishes cooked with wine and garlic.
I am also an excellent flavoring for potato
dishes and other root vegetables like carrots and onions. When you add me to
spaghetti sauce, I bring out the flavor of other ingredients. I am a very nice
addition to tomato-based soups, stews and sauce and I am very much at home
around the barbecue. YES, the BBQ. Place a sprig inside your poultry, or insert
some needles into your leg of lamb. Use me in meat marinades. Burn several
sprigs on your barbecue grill to impart the flavor on the cooking meats or
poultry.
Here is a tip: bundle several sprigs
together and use them as a basting brush. Try me in pea soup, bread recipes,
vegetables such as beans, peas, spinach and zucchini and stews. I am an essential
ingredient in poultry or fish stuffing. Some recipes call for chopping me up,
but I am best added as a whole sprig to soups and stews. Remove the sprig prior
to serving. And you should know that I make an especially tasty and fine tea.
You can plant
me in your outdoor vertical hanging planter and I’ll grow really well. I’m actually a bush perennial that grows in abundance in the Mediterranean area
(Spain, Italy, Portugal, Southern France, Greece and North Africa as well as in
isolated areas of Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt). I am one of the most common
aromatic wild plants of the Mediterranean landscape, especially in rocky
limestone hillsides adjoining the seaside.
You can plant
me in your outdoor vertical hanging planter and I’ll grow really well. I’m actually a bush perennial that grows in abundance in the Mediterranean area
(Spain, Italy, Portugal, Southern France, Greece and North Africa as well as in
isolated areas of Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt). I am one of the most common
aromatic wild plants of the Mediterranean landscape, especially in rocky
limestone hillsides adjoining the seaside.
In the eighth century, the Romans relocated
me to England, primarily in the southern part of the country. Charlemagne
ordered me to be grown on his farms in the tenth-century Spain. What a view! Who
is Charlemagne – another good question. Charlemagne (c.742-814), also known as Karl and Charles the Great, was a medieval
emperor who ruled much of Western Europe from 768 to 814. In 771, Charlemagne became king of the Franks,
a Germanic tribe in present-day Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands
and western Germany. Early immigrants later introduced me to
the New World.
I have an historical association with
the Virgin Mary. My flowers received their light blue color when she placed her
shawl over me, after she washed me. I am a wedding crasher, bringing good
luck for the new couple. My branches were placed on the floors of medieval
homes to combat diseases during the “black plague”, And because of my
fragrance, I’m often used as incense. I am a very busy herb!
My virtues are extolled by Ancient Greek, Roman, Arab and European herbalists.
I have been used to prevent balding and as a hair conditioner. I am also the
herb of memory, my eaves were supposed to quicken the mind and prevent
forgetfulness. Roman herbalists recommended me to be used to cure jaundice, I
have antioxidant properties and I’m used as a preservative by modern food
processors. I have been mentioned in medical texts as being a digestive aid in
the form of a tea infusion. Externally, you can apply me as an ointment, to
treat rheumatism, sores, eczema and bruises.
Total Time: 35 minutes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS
2
veal chops (about 3/4-inch thick)
2
cloves garlic, finely chopped
1
tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely
chopped
2
tablespoons olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2
cup white wine
1⁄4
cup chicken stock
DIRECTIONS
Rub the chops with 1 Tbsp. oil, garlic,
rosemary, salt and pepper and let sit on a plate for 15 minutes.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over
medium high heat and add remaining oil.
Add chops to pan and cook until golden
brown on one side, and flip.
Remove chops from pan to a baking dish,
brown side down and roast at 375ºF for
10 minutes.
Add wine and stock to cast iron pan and
stir up brown bits from the bottom.
Serve chops with juice
from pan.
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