herb – The Answer is Always Pork

mussels and crispy rosemary roasted potatoes

We’ve just been looking for excuses to make these rosemary roasted potatoes from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook—and mussels and fries is a pretty classic combination. I made these potatoes for the first time a few weeks ago and they are wonderful. The larger chunks will approximate the best french fries you’ve ever had, the smaller mashed pieces will brown into amazingly crispy potato chips. The best part—you don’t have to stand in front of a vat of fry oil to make them.

Mussels in White Wine and Herb Broth
1 lb mussels, scrubbed with beards removed
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 1/2 cups white wine
1/2 cup broth or water
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon chili flake
salt, pepper, olive oil

In a large stock pot, saute the onion in a little olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Add the white wine, broth and herbs and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

When you’ve got about 10 minutes left on the potatoes, add the mussels to the broth. Give it a stir and cover. Stir every few minutes to rotate the mussels. When most of the mussels have opened, they’re done. Pour mussels and broth into a large dish to serve.

Crispy Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers

1 1/2 lbs yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
salt
1 – 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into rough 1″ chunks. Put them in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Season the water liberally with salt. When you taste the water, it should be well-seasoned. Bring to a simmer over high heat and cook about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain and return to the pot.

Strip the leaves from the rosemary and crush lightly. Add them to the warm potatoes and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to coat. Some of the potato chunks will break apart and some of the smaller pieces will become mashed. This is good news. Pour the potatoes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into an even layer.

Bake 30 – 35 minutes, until crispy and browned. Toss or flip the potatoes a few times while cooking so they brown evenly. Trust me, this blanche then roast method is worth the extra step.

-Emily

tabbouleh salad with chicken shish kebab

Jordan and I both love tabbouleh. The first time we had tabbouleh it was purchased from a tiny on-campus grocery store while I was studying at Georgetown. It was delicious. I made meals of it. Case in point: When I was an editor at The Georgetown Voice, I would fuel the long nights we spent putting together that fine newsmagazine with a container of tabbouleh, a stack of pita bread and a pack of Haribo gummy bears. A balanced diet if there ever was one.

Now that I am older and wiser (and can no longer consume the quantity of candy I could during my Voice days), I decided to pair the tabbouleh with rice and chicken shish kebab. For those of you that might be skeptical, you don’t miss the gummy bears at all.

Chicken Shish Kebab
1/2 lb chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 t paprika
1/2 t cayenne
salt and pepper

In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, lemon juice, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning — it should be well seasoned since this is the only seasoning you’ll put on the chicken. After your satisfied with the taste of your marinade, add the chicken and let sit for at least one hour or overnight. Meanwhile, make the tabbouleh.

Tabbouleh Salad
1 cup fine-grain bulgur wheat
2 bunches parsley, chopped
1 bunch mint, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Bring two cups of well-seasoned water to a boil. Add the bulgur, cover and set aside for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the salad. Chop the herbs—some stems are totally ok— chop the onion and garlic. Mix the herbs and vegetables together in a large bowl. If tomatoes are in season, feel free to chop a few of those and add them in as well. Add the lemon juice. Drain the excess water out of your bulgur and add that to the herb mixture. Toss well and season with salt and pepper. It should be quite herby and lemony. Add a hearty drizzle of olive oil to help mellow the flavors out and set aside. This salad only improves as the flavors meld.

Put the chicken cubes onto skewers. You’ll lose some of the yogurt marinade while skewering, but the flavors should have had time to permeate the chicken. Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat. Cook the skewers for several minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice alongside the tabbouleh salad.

-Emily