Herbs, Drizzles, Spreads and Marinades ~ Make summer meals a delight with these fresh herbal recipes.

Now’s the time to take advantage of the abundance of fresh herbs in the garden. Make a salad sing with diced fistfuls of parsley, sorrel and chives added to a basic vinagrette. Add sage and basil blossoms, too, for a strong burst of their fresh, familiar flavor.

One important herb tip to remember is that the flavor we enjoy from our culinary herbs comes from their essential oils, so it is best to combine herbs with a bit of olive, canola, butter or other oil to bring out and enhance the natural flavor the herb releases. For example, fresh, chopped garlic added to a combination of butter and olive oil and slowly warmed on the stove will make a dipping sauce so divine that guests will close their eyes to savor its rich deliciousness. Other herbs don’t hold up so well to heat, so allowing them to infuse an oil while at room temperature or in the fridge will be the best method to capture their flavor.

Here are several herb recipes to spark your imagination and creativity.

DRIZZLES

Drizzles are wonderful on crusty breads, rice, pasta and orzo.

CHIVE FLOWER DRIZZLE
Pluck and separate the pretty, pink chive blossoms from about 5-6 flowering heads and mix with 1 T. finely chopped chervil and 2 T. parsley. Add 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil.

FRUIT DRIZZLE
Add 2 T. finely chopped, fresh lemon verbena to 1-2 T. grape seed oil. Drizzle over chopped fruit of your choice.

POTATO SALAD DRIZZLE
Rather than bottled mayo, try this dressing on potato salad. 

• 3 T. each chopped fresh dill, chives and parsley
• 1 T paprika
• 3/4 cup canola or olive oil
• 1 T. dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

MARINADES

Skip the artificially flavored, smoky brown syrup for this refreshing and unusual taste sensation. Marinate chicken, fish or pork for a couple of hours in this delicious blend of chopped, fresh herbs. Strong-flavored herbs hold up best during the grilling process.

HERB MARINADE
Coarsely chop 1-3 T. each:

• sage
• thyme
• chives
• oregano
• mint
• basil
• garlic
  Add juice and zest of a lemon and 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive or canola oil.

SOUTHEAST ASIAN MARINADE 

• 1 T. diced fresh ginger
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• 2 T. mint, chopped fine
• 3 T. Thai basil, chopped fine
• Zest and juice of a lime
• 6 oz. coconut milk
• 2 T. peanut or sesame oil
  To grill, gently remove the meat from the marinade and place on the grill so that the herb bits and pieces stay attached. Strips and skewered meats lend themselves well to taking on lots of the herb flavors.

SPREADS 

Liven up that BLT, submarine or veggie sandwich with this herb spread:

Blend these fresh herbs in a small food processor: 

·    1 T. rosemary

·    2 T. lovage leaves (they taste strongly of celery)

·    1 shallot

·    Coarse pepper

·    Salt to taste

·    Add to 1/2 cup of mayonnaise.

This article first appeared in Catalyst Magazine