What do I do with Rosemary?

beccatt

>Am I supposed to be cutting it back? I have a quite large one in the back >yard.

Ours was starting to stick out into the pavement so it needed tidying up But last year our neighbour got so fed up with it she went and cut it back hereself... she's moved house now but thought I'd get in there before anyone else had any such ideas as I was so angry and embarassed last time!

Think now is the time to chop back straggly branches esp on fast growers like rosemary. Also need to chop back buddleia so that it grows more next year. Or maybe my dad (who taught me such gardening things) just liked chopping up stuff!

Aril

When you do roasted mediterranean veg in the oven the flavour is greatly enhanced by adding a few sprigs of rosemary to them aswell as garlic cloves.
Aril

Bambam

With a stick blender blitz together a tin of white beans (chickpea, butterbeans, cannellini etc with some of the bean juice), clove of garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper and lots of rosemary. Delicious as a dip for veg or toasted crusty bread.

Seakay

A little goes a long way in the kitchen, but if you have an open fire then try putting a twig or two at a time onto a burning fire - it makes a loely smell in the room. This works with green or dried, and dried can be used as starting twigs, but don't add too muany green stems at a time or you'll smoke yourself out!

luckylukey

I adore rosemary so much that I make it into scented bags - like normal people do with lavendar

soba

We recently had an aromatherapy session in school, like a family learning week. The lady told us that rosemary essential oil shouldn't be used by people with raised blood pressure (me). I wonder if that means it should only be eaten in moderation though by people with hypertension?
I love rosemary but have to stop myself from grabbing a handful and sniffing, cos it always makes me think of lamb for tea!

rosh12

Help!!

I have been a little too keen in pruning our rosemary bush (flowered early this year and was getting out of control!) and I am now left with a pile of fresh rosemary.

What can I do with it?

How can I store it / preserve it?

And, how can I use it all apart from sticking a few bits in with my roast potatoes on a sunday?!!!!



Hope you can help! I might post this in the gardening thread as well...

THANK YOU!

Gingernutmeg

I freeze fresh rosemary - it freezes really, really well and if you sort of 'scrunch' the frozen stems, it breaks up the needles saving you from having to chop it up You can also hang it upside down and dry it, but I prefer the fresh flavour of it so I freeze it.

I always add a teaspoonful to home-made tomato sauce, and it's actually really lovely in lemon madeira cake. I know, it sounds odd, but it's one of my favourite cakes! It's delicious with fresh lamb - I'm using some tonight and doing lamb steaks with mushrooms, rosemary and honey. It's also nice on foccacia bread, especially if you mix it with a little bit of garlic! I also like adding it to the butter mixture for 'ordinary' garlic bread. Also, I think that Delia has a really good recipe for a rosemary and potato bread, which was very delicious.

You can also make rosemary sugar by sticking a few stems in a small tub of sugar - again, this is great for using in home-made pasta sauces. I've seen recipes for rosemary jelly, which is made in the same way as mint jelly. Apparently this is also good with lamb.

nikibella

Hi
I use rosemary in any roast meat or with fish (just put a little in the belly of the fish before roasting, or in the pan).
For storing, there are no problems. Just cut it the size you want, put in a freezer bag and freeze. It lasts for ages.

Pink.

Hi Rosh,

We have an older thread on Rosemary that should help so I've merged your thread with it to keep all the suggestions together.

Pink