[April 30th, 2008]

Nutshell chef Derek Hansen provides a few of his favorite recipes made with herbs from his container garden:

Salsa Verde

“This is a classic Italian condiment that’s very versatile. You can eat it with bread, fish, chicken, lamb, vegetables or most anything to give your meal a dash of freshness. At Nutshell, we use it in our risotto dishes. It is a great way to keep your herbs fresh without them turning brown after they’re chopped. Avoid tough herbs like rosemary and sage.”

» 1/2 cup minced tender herbs (e.g., parsley, tarragon, mint, chervil, fennel fronds)
» 2 tablespoons minced shallots
» Zest of 1 lemon, minced
» Extra-virgin olive oil to cover
» Coarse salt

1. Mince all of the herbs together and put in a bowl. Add your shallots and lemon zest and then cover with olive oil immediately to prevent the herbs from turning brown. Use a nice olive oil that is not too grassy or bold in flavor, like L’Estornell (available at New Seasons). Add a little bit of coarse sea salt and serve the salsa as a condiment with most anything.

Green Goddess Dressing

“This dressing was invented in San Francisco in the 1960s and is closely associated with California cuisine. At Nutshell, we do a vegan green goddess that uses sesame tahini instead of the traditional mayonnaise. It’s another way to use up herbs that may not be fresh enough to use as garnish.”

» 2 cups mixed herbs (e.g., tarragon, parsley, chervil, oregano)
» 1/2 cup sesame tahini
» 3 leaves of romaine lettuce (you may substitute Bibb or mâche)
» 1 bunch watercress
» Dash of champagne vinegar
» Pinch of cayenne pepper
» Sugar
» Salt
» 1 avocado (optional)

1. Blend the herbs and tahini in a blender. You may need to add a little water to get the mixture moving, but use caution; too much water will make the dressing thin. Add the lettuce and watercress, and purée again. Adjust the consistency by adding more water or tahini until the consistency is similar to that of ranch dressing.

2. Now adjust the flavor with vinegar, cayenne, sugar and salt. Some people like it more sour than sweet, or with a little more heat. This is a fun exercise to see how ingredients affect flavor. You can add a puréed avocado if you feel so inclined.

Black Bean and Mango Salsa

“This is a salsa we serve on our tamales at Nutshell that combines a classic Mexican salsa verde with black beans and mangos. It’s important to use your cilantro if you’re growing it, because it will bolt, or go to seed, very quickly. Use cilantro in the salsa, and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves on top.”

» 3 cups black beans—you can cook them at home or buy canned. If you buy canned, rinse them first. At the restaurant, they use a 3-to-1 ratio of water to beans and add epazote and Mexican oregano while the beans are cooking. Do not salt the water.
» 3 each ripe mangos, peeled and diced
» 8 to 10 tomatillos, peeled and cut into quarters
» 1 jalapeño, diced
» 2 cups cilantro, cup set aside for garnish
» 1 white onion, minced
» Juice of 2 limes
» 2 tablespoons toasted and ground cumin
» 1 tablespoon toasted and ground coriander
» Salt

1. Combine the drained black beans and diced mango in a bowl.

2. In a food processor, combine the tomatillos, jalapeño and cilantro, and blend until smooth. Add to the black beans.

3. Add minced onion and lime juice, stir.

4. Add spices and season with salt. You can add a little sugar to bring out the sweetness of the mango.