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I've thyme on my hands.

Posted: Feb 20, 2005 11:28 pm
by SnowCrazed
What should I do with it? Seriously...I am just starting to get into the cooking thing. I figured I should learn since I will be married soon and unless I want raman noodles for the rest of my life...well...

anyway I have a thyme plant happily growing away in the windowsill that needs a trim bad, what foods go well with thyme?

Posted: Mar 16, 2005 3:42 am
by Rebekah
I'd think some casseroles/stews. Even baking.

I've never used it myself. I'm more of a vegie nut than a herbie person.

Posted: Mar 16, 2005 8:01 am
by caliloo
Oh I *love* thyme!

It is one of my favorite culinary herbs. It is a natural to go in beef roasts, either a braised pot roast or a standing rib. It also goes will in the cavity of a roast chicken or rubbed onto the outside of lamb or pork, and is terrific chopped in a vinaigrette salad dressing.

Here are a couple of my favorite ways to use it:

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Bouef Bourguignon

3/4 cup diced salt pork or bacon
3 lbs marbled stew beef cut into 1 ½ inch chunks (Chuck roast works well)
1/4 cup brandy
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 ½ cups dry red wine
1 tbsp butter
2 med onions coarsely chopped
1 med carrot cut into pieces
1 garlic clove minced
bouquet garni (sprig of thyme and 5 – 10 sprigs of parsley and a bay leaf)
1 lb mushrooms quartered
½ lb pearl onions peeled

In a Dutch oven (or heavy lidded oven safe pot) cook the bacon until crisp. Dust the beef cubes with a bit of flour, tossing to remove any excess. Brown the meat in batches in the hot fat until each piece is dark brown. Remove all meat and set it aside.

Add the onions to the Dutch oven and sauté until softened, scraping up browned bits of meat. Add all the meat back into the Dutch oven. Pour brandy over the meat and flame. When the flame dies down, add the flour, salt, pepper and red wine, carrot, garlic, bouquet garni and enough water to cover.

Bake in preheated 350 oven for about 3 hours until meat is very tender and sauce is dark brown. 30 minutes before serving time add mushrooms and pearl onions. Remove bouquet garni when serving.
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HERBED RIB ROAST
Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 11 hr
For roast
1 (7- to 8-lb) prime rib roast (sometimes called standing rib roast; 3 or 4 ribs)
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves (not California)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil

For jus
2 cups beef broth
1 small fresh rosemary sprig
1 small fresh thyme sprig
1 garlic clove, smashed

Prepare roast: Trim all but a thin layer of fat from roast. Grind peppercorns and bay leaves with salt to a powder in an electric coffee/spice grinder, then transfer to a mortar. Add garlic, thyme, and rosemary, then pound to a smooth paste with pestle. Stir in oil. Rub paste all over roast. Transfer roast to a rack set in a small flameproof roasting pan. Marinate, covered and chilled, at least 8 hours.

Cook roast: Let roast stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Roast beef in middle of oven 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F and roast beef until a thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 110°F, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours more. Transfer beef to a large platter and let stand, uncovered, 25 minutes. (Meat will continue to cook, reaching about 130°F for medium-rare.)

Make jus: Skim fat from pan juices. Add broth, rosemary, thyme, and garlic and deglaze pan by simmering on top of stove over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Transfer to a small saucepan and add any juices that have collected on platter. Gently simmer 10 minutes. Skim fat and season jus with salt and pepper.

Put slices from roast and serve with jus.

Cooks' note:

• Roast can marinate up to 24 hours.

Makes 8 servings.

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Herbed Roast Chicken

5 lb roasting chicken
several sprigs of thyme
sprig of rosemary
lemon, halved
5 - 6 garlic cloves
1/4 cup of salt

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Rinse chicken well, inside and out. Stuff herbs, lemon and garlic in the cavity. Sprinkle and pat the salt all over the outside, covering the breast, legs, etc. This will form a salt crust and guarantee a VERY moist chicken.

Place on a rack in a roasting pan large enough to hold the chicken. Roast at 350 for 20 min per lb. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.

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Roast Loin of Pork with Cranberry Apple Stuffing
(This is a stunning presentation and really not that hard to assemble. The trick is getting the pork loin very even. You can ask the butcher to do this step if you are intimidated by butterflying and pounding)

3 lb Pork Loin, trimmed, butterflied and pounded ¾ inch thick
6 oz Pork flavored stuffing mix
1 med onion, diced
¼ cup plus 2 TBSP EVO
1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 cup sundried cranberries
½ cup boiling water
2 egg whites, beaten to frothy
½ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup Dijon Mustard
¼ cup chopped Rosemary
¼ cup thyme
S&P to taste

1. Butterfly and pound the roast to ¾ inch thick.
2. Soak Cranberries in ½ cup boiling water. Drain after 15 minutes and squeeze out extra liquid.
3. Prepare stuffing according to directions. (I make my own)
4. Saute the onions in 2 tbsp EVO until translucent (about 6 min). Add diced apples and set aside to cool.
5. Combine the prepared stuffing with cranberries, apples, onions, ¼ cup chopped parsley and 2 egg whites.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay pork loin flat and spread the inside with Dijon mustard. Season with salt, pepper, a little of the rosemary and a little thyme. Pile the stuffing down the center of the pork loin. Roll the pork loin around the stuffing and tie at 2 inch intervals. Coat the outside with EVO, remaining herbs and S&P.
7. Sear the pork loin on all sides in a heavy roasting pan, browning it on all sides. Transfer pan to oven and roast for about 1 hour and 15 min or until internal temp reaches 165.
8. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 min until carving.

Posted: Apr 04, 2005 4:28 pm
by wishiwere
Can you use time in a roast in the crock pot?

Posted: Apr 04, 2005 8:29 pm
by caliloo
Sure you can use it in a crock pot. I would throw the whole sprigs in and just fish them out before serving.

Alexa

Posted: Apr 04, 2005 8:33 pm
by wishiwere
Sooooooo? Next question. I don't cook much either :(

What herbs are necessary and what are great in the garden for color and drying?

I want to add some to the plot I have to do for these 75+ tomaters! Actually I am hoping to only keep about 48, but..........

Any ideas what would be pretty, not take over the yard (of course I have the big buckets I could try to contain some in if needed........buried with their bottoms cut off?

We eat more chicken and some beef. Lot of salads and such too. Tea is a daily. Is chamomile a perennial in zone 5?

Posted: Apr 27, 2005 8:26 am
by SnowCrazed
Hey thanks for the recipies :P You guys are da bomb!