SAVOURY

GETTING MY HERBS RIGHT WITH PASTA & CHICKEN

2009/04/15 / 36 Comments
“A man’s nature runs either to herbs, or to weeds; therefore let him seasonably water the one, and destroy the other.”
Francis Bacon, Sr.

2009 04 01+spring,bron+marshall+pasta,val+thyme+chicken16

Do I know my herbs? Well I thought I did, & was basking in my limited glory until I saw Helen’s beautiful Thyme shortbread cookies @ Tartlette. Hmmmmm, I thought, how come my oregano looks like her thyme? I got the seeds a while ago, & my gardener planted them. He’d never seen these herbs & I’ve only seen dried ones that looked more like green tea most of the time! Helen wrote to me when I left her a quizzical comment. A few pictures exchanged, & my life was put on the right herb track by the lovely lady!!panini+pumpkin5My first exposure to herbs was Simon & Garfunkel’s first masterpiece, ‘Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme‘, so you can imagine my childhood connections with herbs. They sounded so exotic, while the only herbs we literally grew up on here were mint, coriander & Indian basil/tulsi. Basil happened to me a few years ago when a friend gifted me a plant. I passed on her good deed, & got many friends addicted to fresh basil! nature+flowers+butterflies1Then one day, not too long ago, Coco @ Purple Foodie mailed me some fresh herbs from Mumbai. I was elated, treated them like gold … & was well & truly bitten by the herb bug! Thyme came to my notice on Val’s chicken post @ More Than Burnt Toast sometime back, & I couldn’t wait for the pot to flourish. Thankfully I saw Tartlette’s cookie post, or my thyme would’ve been oregano, & vice versa!! 2009 04 01+spring,bron+marshall+pasta,val+thyme+chicken7Here are 2 recipes I bookmarked, made & we enjoyed both immensely. They are light & healthy, great for the summer that is here now, & are quite fuss free. That’s what I liked about both. The chicken is from Val’s lovely blog @ More Than Burnt Toast, a blog I have been visiting for long. The pasta recipe is from Bron’s beautiful blog that I discovered recently @ Bron Marshall. She has stunning pictures & her blog is absolutely refreshing! bookmarked recipes
These are off to Bookmarked Recipes, being hosted this week by hosted by Tami @ Tamis Kitchen Table Talk. I often wonder what I would have done if blogging hadn’t happened to me, other than thinking thyme was oregano of course!!
.
HERB MARINATED THYME CHICKEN

2009 04 01+spring,bron+marshall+pasta,val+thyme+chicken12 Ingredients:
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
1- 1/2 T fresh lime
2 T thyme leaves
4 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
6 chicken breast; sliced horizontally into 2 each
Thyme leaves for garnishing
nature+flowers+butterflies2Method:

  • In a large bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the olive oil with the lime zest, lemon juice, thyme, garlic and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper.
  • Spoon 1- 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture into a medium bowl, add the tomatoes and turn to coat.2009 04 04+microplaner+mulberries2This is something that I really liked about Val’s recipe. The flavours ran right through the tomatoes beautifully.
  • Add the chicken to the large bowl and turn to coat. Let the tomatoes and chicken stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. (I leave the chicken overnight in the fridge sometimes)
  • Heat the grill pan. Add the chicken to the grill, season with salt and pepper and grill over high heat, turning once, until cooked through and lightly charred, about 6 minutes.
  • Serve hot with pasta, & the marinated tomatoes on the side.

2009 04 04+db+cheesecake+slice2

Where did Spring go? Was here a couple of days ago … now it’s just sweltering HOT!!

TOASTED WALNUT & CHARRED RED CAPSICUM PASTA
as taken & adapted from Bron Marshall Collages46

Ingredients:
1 cup of shelled walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
2 Red Capsicums, charred, peeled and chopped
400gms of short pasta such as macaroni, penne. (Bron used a beautiful pasta called De Cecco -Galletti)
2 T olive oil
4 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped thyme & oregano, or another fresh herb
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper2009 04 01+spring,bron+marshall+pasta,val+thyme+chicken8Method:

Toast the walnuts either in a dry skillet or oven at 200°C until golden and chop them roughly.

  • Bron says…Scrape the blackened skin off the capsicum, resisting the urge to rinse it under water as this will remove a lot of the delicious smokey flavour. Discard the seeds and stalk, chop the flesh and set aside.
  • Cook the pasta in the large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10-12 minutes or until al dente.
  • Drain and return to the pan with the olive oil, finely chopped garlic, walnuts, capsicum, chives and or other herbs and toss well to combine.
  • Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with the grilled chicken & marinated tomato slices, & a little grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese if desired.presto+pasta+nights

    • The pasta is also off to Presto Pasta Nights, the brainchild of Ruth @ Once Upon A Feast. This weeks round-up is being hosted by Katie of One Little Corner of the World.

    Posted by Deeba @ PAB

    About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

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    36 Comments

    • Asha

      2009/04/15 at 12:29 pm Reply

      Wonderful Herby post. I planted my 4th Herb pot this Spring, love the fragrance when I walk by them! 🙂

    • aquadaze

      2009/04/15 at 1:18 pm Reply

      looks lip smacking the chicken! Hey BTW, just posted my version of strawberry frozen yogurt, take a look if you can.

    • Soma

      2009/04/15 at 1:51 pm Reply

      LOL nice post. So true about our exposure of herbs to cilantro, mint & tulsi.. & tho think that basil & tusil are the same family but different basils…

      The chicken looks succulent & juicy & that pasta looks good!

    • bee

      2009/04/15 at 3:19 pm Reply

      deeba, have yo tried drying your oregano? a hundred times better than store-bought dried oregano. just keep the stalks in a dark, dry place for four or five days and pull off the dry leaves. or bake at 300 for 10 to 12 minutes and pull off the leaves.

      bee

    • lisaiscooking

      2009/04/15 at 4:39 pm Reply

      I love learning about herbs that are new to me, so it sounds like you’ve been on a fun adventure! Your chicken and pasta both look fantastic!

    • Eliana

      2009/04/15 at 5:35 pm Reply

      This chicken breast looks so juicy and the pasta looks awesome as well. Lovely photos. And thanks for introducing me to these blogs.

    • Lavanya

      2009/04/15 at 6:31 pm Reply

      love the color n looks so yummy..i am a big fan of your blog 🙂
      i tried your strawbery icecream..it came out good.check my blog if you have time!!

    • meeso

      2009/04/15 at 10:27 pm Reply

      After basil, thyme is my favorite herb… but then there’s always rosemary, or sage, or even chives, dill and tarragon!!! Wow, I just really love herbs… I grew up on them! The chicken and pasta look so perfect, and thanks for the link to those thyme cookies 🙂

    • noble pig

      2009/04/15 at 11:40 pm Reply

      That is a funny story about the herbs, glad you are straightened out!

      And these dishes look like they were stars with the wonderful herb additions…bravo!

    • chris

      2009/04/16 at 6:12 am Reply

      The chicken looks great Vindee. I grow my own herbs and love doing it. I grow some veggies, mostly tomatoes, peppers, makes the summer really enjoyable.

    • Ricardo

      2009/04/16 at 1:20 pm Reply

      It seems to me like you got it all just right, delicious, darn delicious.. well done. very succulent. 🙂

    • Ozge

      2009/04/16 at 2:51 pm Reply

      Deeba, I so enjoyed reading about herbs from you!

      Such a delicious selection you made, I lovingly have those dishes!!!

      Pictures were so nice to look at, also.

      Thank you, glad I visited.

      Ozge

    • A_and_N

      2009/04/16 at 3:53 pm Reply

      Ooh I thought I’d commented on this from my other account. Anyway – I was confused with herbs too and it took me some time to develop a palate to distinguish between them! 🙂

      I love the walnut addition.

    • Bunny

      2009/04/16 at 10:53 pm Reply

      Bravo Deeba this is excellent! The pictures are so good it just makes you want to reach out and grab it!

    • Manggy

      2009/04/17 at 6:30 am Reply

      Simon and *who*?!? Ha ha ha. Just kidding 🙂 I’m glad you now have your spices straight. Though I’m sure the delicious chicken and pasta could have worked either way! 🙂

    • kellypea

      2009/04/17 at 4:39 pm Reply

      Funny on the switch up with the herbs! There are many varieties of both, but the flavor is so different so I’m imagining getting oregano in the muffins I love to put thyme in! Ew! You really packed so much into this post — love the chicken recipes — especially the sandwich. Gorgeous photos as always!

    • Tangled Noodle

      2009/04/19 at 3:48 am Reply

      Everything looks marvelous! I can’t wait until my herb garden gets going this summer. 😎

    • Bellini Valli

      2009/04/20 at 7:26 am Reply

      This sounds like a lovely menu Deeba. I am glad you were able to add your thyme to the dish and enjoyed it as well. I will have to give the other elements of your meal a try:D

    • Tami

      2009/04/21 at 1:10 am Reply

      Your pictures are so awesome! This post is full of lots of great info. Thanks for sharing it with us this week!

    Thank you so much for stopping by. I'd love to hear from you.

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