Clearly, daily water changes and a little light did the trick. This batch took about a week to root and now seems rather happy in the dirt.
Phew.
If POD could kill mint, it was time to turn in any gardening cred it happened to possess.
To prepare the massive flowering thyme for partial transplantation, it seemed wise to trim it down some. And what better use than a delicious roast chicken?
90 degrees, you say? Grill, here we come. A cornmeal and herb crusted pork loin made for an easy-peasy Saturday dinner. Plus, it employed generous amounts of POD’s thyme and parsley; PID’s (plants in den) rosemary; and POF’s (plants out front) sage.
And yes, that’s parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, in case you’re keeping track.
In case you were wondering what’s on deck:
In honor of the Muppets’ 40th anniversary and in an attempt to flush a nasty head cold out of the house, a simple Portuguese lemon-mint soup made it on the menu. Let’s hear it for November minted mint.
Lemon-Mint Chicken Soup (very slightly adapted from David Leite’s The New Portuguese Table)
Serves 6-8
8 cups homemade chicken stock
1 1/2 lb bone-in chicken breasts, legs, or thighs, skin and fat removed
1/2 lemon
2/3 c. orzo
small rind of Parmesan cheese (optional, adds depth to stock)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
2 small turnips, peeled and cut into small dice (optional, they sounded tasty)
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
25 fresh mint leaves, stacked, rolled up lengthwise, and sliced razor-thin
1) Bring the stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and add the chicken and Parmesan rind. Gently simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit until the chicken is cooled through, 15-20 minutes.
2) Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool. Remove 1 strip of lemon zest and add it to the pot with the orzo. Grate the rest of the zest and set aside. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat and cook, covered, until the orzo is tender, about 10 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
4) When the orzo is cooked, remove the zest and rind, add the shredded chicken and the vegetables to the pot and simmer for several minutes to warm. Turn off the heat, pour in the lemon juice, and stir. Season with salt and pepper.
5) Ladle the soup into bowls, scatter with the mint and reserved grated zest, and serve immediately, before the lemon loses its zing.
Philly’s extended forecast predicts some chilly nights, with temperatures dipping into the 40s. So, like the geese who use the tennis courts at FDR for target practice as they move south, it’s time for POD’s herbs to migrate as well.
The husband’s May dreams of herbes de Provence never blossomed (stupid lavender) but the thyme and tarragon are far too valuable (after all, roast chicken season is looming) to leave to the elements.
How to bring it on home:
Each year POD grows two containers of basil — a quantity that pretty successfully sustains the garlic-breathing monsters who live below the deck.
Something that’s nearly as enjoyable as the wonderful husband’s pesto, is sharing bags and bags of extra basil with fellow monsters. This year’s basil wasn’t quite as prolific as it was in previous years, but a co-worker was just bestowed with bag chock-full of green goodness.
What a terrific thing, vicarious pesto: the same joy (almost) without any of the accompanying garlic-consciousness.
A recipe for growing basil:
Nothing says summer quite like nice sugar cone packed with mint chocolate chip ice cream. Or coffee ice cream. Or caramel ice cream. Or strawberry ice cream. Or…well, you get the idea.
About once every other summer or so, POD’s family would dust off the hand-churning antique ice cream maker, stuff the bucket full of ice and rock salt and crank until their arms screamed for mercy. That same maker moved from Michigan to Philly with POD and somehow, sadly, hasn’t been touched since. Okay, maybe once. But that’s it.
Finally, we dropped the $30 for a small electric ice cream maker. Since then, cholesterol levels have skyrocketed and the freezer has been stuffed with salted caramel, mint chocolate chip (minus the food coloring), and strawberry ice cream.
What does this have to do with plants on deck? Mint.
Christmas brought a nice little package from the Mother-In-Law. In it was a lovely December pick-me-up: parsley in a bag. Although that particular mid-winter experiment failed miserably (um, POD forgot about it during the week-long dark germination phase), POD had the foresight not to use all the seeds and planted the remainder on deck in late May.
To great success! After soaking the remaining seeds (about 8-12, if memory serves) in warm water overnight, then planting them in a shady area, and moving them (after germination) into the part-sun portion of the deck extension, they’ve been thriving. Most recently they were the star of this particular pantry meal:
Chickpeas with Tomatoes and Almonds
Serves 4-6
2 cans chick peas, rinsed and drained
2-3 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, grated or very finely minced
14 oz plum tomatoes, (canned are fine) drained and chopped
1/8-1/4 tsp. sugar
generous pinch of saffron (40 threads or so)
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 tsp. Kosher or sea salt
1/3 c. toasted almonds OR, even better, marcona almonds
1/4-1/2 c. flatleaf parsley, chopped
2 c. chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lemon, juiced
1) Drain and rinse the chick peas
2) Heat olive oil over medium and saute the onion until it’s soft and nicely golden. About 30 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar, simmer 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat
3) In a mortar, combine the garlic and salt and mix until a smooth garlic paste has formed. Add the saffron, almonds, and parsley to the garlic paste and grind to a thick paste.
4) Add the parsley mixture and chicken (or vegetable stock) to the onions and tomatoes. Return the mixture to a biol over medium-high and simmer until it has reduced to a thick sauce. About 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.
Here’s a super easy (truly, it is) weekday meal that puts your over-producing herbs and under-producing (but adequate) Tumbling Tom and Gold Nugget cherry tomatoes to good use.
Serves 2 — preparation time appx. 20 minutes
Ingredients:
Handful of almonds, lightly toasted (maybe a 1/4 or so) and chopped
1/2 c. fresh herbs (tarragon, rosemary, and thyme), chopped
OR 3/4 c. fresh basil, if you want to be a little more traditional
1 clove garlic, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
10-15 cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper
8 oz. spaghettini or capellini
parmigiano-reggiano, grated
Directions
1) Bring a large pot of water to boil. When it boils, add a generous dash or four of salt to the water.
2) While you’re waiting for the water to boil, stick the almonds, herbs (or basil), garlic, and red-pepper flakes in a blender (or a food processor, if you own one) and blend until chunky. Drizzle in about 1/4 c. olive oil until pureed, but still chunky. Add the cherry tomatoes and process until incorporated. The sauce should look a little like a bolognese — thick, rich-looking, and yellowish/reddish/orange. Season with salt and pepper.
3) Boil the pasta. Just before it’s done, scoop about about 3 tbs of the cooking water and dump it into a large bowl. Drain the pasta.
4) Scoop the sauce into the large bowl that contains your cooking water. Stir until smooth and the water is incorporated.
5) Add the hot pasta and toss until it’s coated. Serve. Top with cheese.
