Cooking With Herbs

I have posted about herbs for your complexion, so now I am listing , cooking with herbs. Here are some recipes I think you will enjoy.


Garlic Chicken Confit
This is made with leg quarter which makes a very inexpensive meal. Confit is a classic French
method which food is slow-cooked in it's own fat. It is a way to make the food taste extra rich and delicious.

Ingredients:
6 chicken leg quarters
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
Fresh rosemary, thyme, or oregano leaves
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees
2. Place chicken leg quarters snugly in a single layer in a broiler pan. Place a rimmed baking
sheet under the roasting pan to catch any overflow of juices. Nestle the garlic cloves among the
chicken pieces and tuck the fresh herb sprigs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Bake for about an hour. Check the pan. If it has spilled over or looks as if it's about to, skim off some of the liquid fat.
4. Turn the heat up to 350 degrees and cook for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, until the chicken
skin is a golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the fat for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. To serve immediately, remove chicken from the fat and blot on paper towels, or pull the meat from the bones and shred it to serve with pasta or salad greens. Reserve the skin and bones for making soup stock.
6. To store, put the whole legs or shredded meat in an airtight container and cover with the liquid fat. Store in the refrig. for a week, or for up to 6 months in the freezer. To reheat, saute in a few tablespoons of the reserved fat until crisp and golden.


Sparkle Plenty Punch
Serve this refreshing punch in place of wine or cocktails. Serves 12

Ingredients:

2-liter club soda, chilled
2 cups iced herbal tea, chilled
2 cups fruit juice, chilled
1/4 cup Simple Seed Syrup( recipe at the bottom).
Ice cubes with mint leaves
Fresh cherries and mint sprigs

Directions:

1. Assemble all ingredients in a large bowl. ladle into ice-filled glasses.


Simple Seed Syrup:

Ingredients:

Seeds from 1 pint raspberries or blackberries, or 10 to 12 apricot kernels or 1 cup cherry pits
1 strip lemon or orange peel, pith removed
3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Place seeds, pits or kernel's in a medium saucepan with peel and water, and bring to a boil. Boil until reduced to 1/2 cup of liquid, about 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Strain the seeds, pits or kernel's from the water and discard; return the water to the pan.
3. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool completely.

Here are some tea and juice combinations:

Try this tea: With this juice:

Ginger Orange
Mint Grapefruit
Cinnamon Apple
Berry Pomegranate
Chamomile Pear nectar

This punch recipe might seem to take some effort to make, but believe me, you will be a real hit at your next party!

These are just a couple of recipes, using herbs. I will post more at a later time.