http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/12/gift-from-kitchen-rosemary-salt.html
We all know those amazing people who make incredible holiday treats like homemade candies and baked goods and give them out to friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Even back in the days when I was more interested in sugary treats, I was never one of those people. Still, even though I’m not a baker or a candy-maker, I do like to make something from the kitchen for Christmas. For many years now I’ve created interesting blends of herbs and spices to give as little holiday gifts.
All this week I’m going to be sharing holiday recipes for Holiday Cooking with Herbs, the special Weekend Herb Blogging event where we’re hoping food bloggers will share their recipes for special foods. For my own holiday recipes, I ‘m starting with three days of herb blends you can make to give as gifts.
My idea to make rosemary salt was inspired by a bottle of rosemary salt from Eatwell Farms I bought at the Ferry Building farmers market when I went to San Francisco this summer. All summer I ate it on tomatoes, grilled veggies, and chicken, and the first time I tasted it, I knew I wanted to try making some. This was simple to make, and I think it will be an unusual treat for the people I’m giving it to.
I used a relatively inexpensive variety of sea salt crystals from the grocery store, and dried cracked rosemary from Penzeys. If you don’t have cracked rosemary you’ll need to buzz your rosemary in the food processor for a couple of minutes so each of the dried rosemary leaves is broken into several pieces.
I’m making herb blends for people at my school, quite a few people, so I can’t afford jars for this. I simply put the rosemary salt into a small plastic bag and stapled on a note about how to use the salt, with a Kalyn’s Kitchen card (designed by the fabulous Rand, who also designed our Holiday Cooking with Herbs banner.)
Rosemary Salt
(makes about 4 cups)
3 cups sea salt crystals
1 1/2 cups dried rosemary (cracked rosemary is best)
(If you don’t have cracked rosemary, measure rosemary and put into food processor with steel blade attached. Process about 2 minutes, until rosemary is broken into small bits.)
Combine salt and rosemary in food processor and process with steel blade less than one minute, until salt and rosemary are well combined. Don’t process too long. You want this to still have a slightly chunky texture.
Suggested uses: Use sparingly, as you would regular salt. Sprinkle on fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, or avocado. An excellent seasoning for eggs, potatoes, butternut squash, or chicken. Delicious on any type of roasted or grilled vegetables.
That’s a good one, too. I have a bunch of extra rosemary and I wondered what to do with it. Yum!
I haven’t made rosemary salt (which sounds wonderful), but I do make my own gomasio, which my hubby puts on practically every vegetable I make (as well as some foods that I don’t think it should be on, lol).
1 jar of sesame seeds (regular size, should be around 99 cents in the cheap spices, or you can get the bigger container at Sam’s)
Very coarse sea salt
In a dry, but seasoned cast iron skillet, pour sesame seeds in an even layer and put on high heat. Heat on high, stirring constantly, just until seeds start lightly turn color, then turn temp down to medium or lower. Keep stirring until seeds are mostly medium to darkish brown, and remove from heat. (If they make popping noises, turn your heat down immediately). Allow seeds to cool slightly, then add sea salt to taste (about a teaspoon for the whole jar of seeds is plenty) and lightly grind with a mortar and pestle just until you have some whole seeds, some broken, and some crushed. Keep in an airtight container, and put on whatever foods need a little zing. I think it’s best on green beans and on salads.