Every now and then I pull together all the notes, suggestions and experiments I have tried with my Herb Mixes and Herb Seasonings into a post. Here is a selection of my current experiments:
Italian Seasoning
Italian Seasoning Blend will give you depth to pasta and stews as well as gravy. And to my surprise made a great buttermilk marinade.
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 Tbls Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbls. Honey
- 1 Tbls Backyard Patch Italian Seasoning Blend
- 1 tsp rosemary
- ½ tsp each salt & pepper
Whisk these items together in a medium bowl. Use as a marinade on chicken or pork for 1 to 4 hours before baking or broiling. Discard marinade after using.
Cilantro Spread
Cilantro Spread lends strong and citrusy notes to spreads and salads. Use it as a dressing ingredient with 2 tsp. of Cilantro Spread combined with 2/3 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup vinegar and 2 Tbls. lemon juice for a tangy citrus salad dressing that is perfect for a spring salad.
Herbal Spread
Herbal Spread is another blend that has always been perfect in both butter and cream cheese. This variation was something I made when I wanted to use up the last of a package of feta cheese. It is a great dip on crackers, pretzels and even celery or carrots.
- 4 ounces feta cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 to 4 tsp dried minced garlic)
- 1 ½ tsp Backyard Patch Herbal Spread
Combine together all ingredients in a food processor or by hand. Allow to meld for 30 minutes before serving with crackers.
This is a sandwich spread or veggie topping that I crafted that can be made with several different herb blends depending on what flavors you want.
Chipotle Aioli
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 tsp chipotle chile powder or chipotle chili sauce
- 2 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbls Backyard Patch Herb Cheese Dip, Butter N Cheese or Fiesta Dip Mix
Add the herbs to lime juice and let soak for 1 to 2 minutes, then whisk the mayo with chili powder/sauce and add the soaked herbs. Add more chipotle as desired. Season with salt and pepper and chill until ready to serve. Spread on bread or tortillas to make sandwiches.
Fine Herbs
Parsley is a flavor enhancer for many other herbs and is a perfect addition to blends with more gentle ingredients, so they do not get lost in the mix. Fine Herbs which is a combination of parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil uses this ingredient to keep the sweet celery-like flavor of chervil from getting ignored.
Fine Herbs (a traditional French blend) can be used to make a great French Dressing.
French Dressing
- 2 Tbls wine vinegar
- ½ tsp Dijon style mustard
- 1/3 to ½ cup olive oil or to taste
- 1 Tbls Backyard Patch Fine Herbs
In a bowl combine vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add oil in a stream, whisking the dressing until it is emulsified. Stir in the herbs. Serve immediately or shake well before using if allowed to sit before using.
Garlic and Herb Combination
Garlic and Herb Combination was created originally to make garlic bread, so I first thought of it only as a blend to mix with butter, but once I realized it was tasty with olive oil, the possibilities for using this blend became endless. In addition to the bruschetta recipe included on the label, you can make a great restaurant bread dip by adding 1 tsp each crushed red pepper, black pepper, oregano and rosemary to 1 ½ Tbls Garlic and Herb Combination Herb Mix and spread on a plate. Drizzle with ¼ cup olive oil and you have the perfect Italian bread dip you can serve at home.
