Weekend Herb Blogging #179 Roundup

It's been an honor and a lot of fun to host Weekend Herb Blogging this week (April 13-19, 2009). This is my first try at hosting an event like this and I appreciate the talent and creativity of all who contacted me with their fabulous recipes. Thank you!

This blogging event is open to anyone around the world who wishes to enter a recipe about cooking with any herb, plant, fruit, vegetable or flower. The rules are that posts must either have an herb or plant ingredient as one of the primary ingredients in the recipe and/or
spotlight one herb or plant ingredient, including information about how to use it. The event was started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and is now managed by Haalo from Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once. I have entered a couple times in the past and I just love this event--it is great company to be in and since it's weekly there's always something new to see and learn!
So let's get to the roundup. I'm putting the photo of each item below its description.

From Greece, Ivy at Kopiaste made Moussakas with Mushrooms. She used pleurotus mushrooms that she got at the farmer's market--she learned they are the same as oyster mushrooms. They really do look meaty and delicious. Ivy has a great step-by-step photo series to show how she made this moussakas. (That salad looks great too!)



From Haslett, MI, Katie of Eat This made Eggplant pizza with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. She said it was fun to get creative with eggplant. I love the tall layered look of this pizza. The toppings seem like such a natural combination when seen together like this!



From Sydney, Australia, Anna of Morsels & Musings made Scallops with lentils, pancetta and sage. She describes how sage "delivers an anything but common flavour to your cooking" and has been a medicinal herb for ages. This looks like an incredible marriage of textures and flavors, from a foundation of simple lentils up to divine scallops on top!



From Chicago, IL, Apple Pie, Patis & Pâté made Grilled Chicken with Espelette Pepper. Espelette peppers only come from certain parts of France and are "coarsely ground dried chiles with a brick red hue." They are used in classic Basque dishes. Another fascinating thing about this recipe is that it calls for the fowl to be spatchcocked--or opened out for grilling. That's cool.



From Cleveland, Ohio USA, Yasmeen of Health Nut made Asparagus Souffléed Omelet. Asparagus is just starting to come into season where I am too, so I was really excited to see this gorgeous presentation of it! Yasmeen points out that it is a good source of certain vitamins, and gives tips for choosing and prepping asparagus, too.



From the Philippines, Ela of Everything's Herbed made Tanglad Juice (Lemongrass juice). This recipe looks like a simple yet elegant preparation--and so refreshing to drink!



From Saratoga County, NY USA, Rachel of The Crispy Cook made Risotto with Radicchio and Roasted Garlic. She tells a great story of how a favorite cooking show inspired her. She points out that radicchio not only has a unique bitter flavor, but it's also a visually appealing ingredient. I agree--this looks terrific! (Please note that Rachel will be hosting next week's WHB. More below!)



From Salt Lake City, Utah, this blog event's founder, Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, made Cilantro-Lovers Perfect Guacamole with Red Onion, Lime, and Chiles. With the spotlight on finely chopped cilantro, this guacamole does look just perfect and mouthwatering. I've got corn chips--wish I could just dip right in!



From Italy, Graziana of Erbe in Cucina made Stuffed Zucchini Flowers. With anchovies and Thai Dragon peppers as other key ingredients, this looks like a special way to use the interesting ingredient of zucchini flowers. As Graziana reminds us, flowers need to be used soon or they will wither!



Bird's eye view at Food and Laughter posts her recipe for Garlicky Baby Spinach Salad. She says she can eat spinach five days a week and explains about the health benefits of spinach as well as its many uses in Indian cuisine. I'm impressed by the "garlicky" part of this recipe too--doesn't this look amazing?



From Melbourne, Australia, Marisa of All Things Sicilian and More explains how to select and peel Fichi d'India, or Prickly Pears. It is good to know that one should use tongs or gloves when handling the fruit because of the tiny spines! Marisa gives step by step instructions for handling and eating these delights.



From Colombo, Sri Lanka, Laurie Ashton Farook of A Canadian in King Parakramabahu’s Court made Cabbage Mallung. She explains that mallung is a Sri Lankan dish combining a vegetable with freshly shredded coconut. I like how she says the coconut can transform cabbage into a "Wow! What Is This? dish." Nice!



Haalo from Cook (Almost) Anything at Least Once (and this blog event's organizer) focuses on broccoli this week with Broccoli Leek and Taleggio Roll. This looks delightfully savory--it makes perfect sense to me to put "stinky" taleggio with broccoli, which has its own strengths, all in a filo roll. I love how Haalo also describes the "wonderful aroma" this makes while baking. Yum!



From Ontario, Canada, Jerry of Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants made Ann's Salmon on a Bed of Lentils. The focus here is on lentils (hooray!). Jerry says his first instinct was to use rice, but that his final choice of lentils made the dish just delicious--and healthy too! He includes a great section on the fabulousness of lentils.



From Valsorda, Italy, Brii from Brii's Blog in English made Rose Vinegar. She says that where she lives, roses are in bloom in April and May and that a particularly perfumed one is perfect for this recipe. I swoon at the scent of roses, so this sounds just incredible. (I also love the story of Brii's day that precedes the recipe!)



From Italy, Cinzia from Cindystar made Asparagus Milanese. I think the simplicity of this preparation would really bring out the best in this spring's asparagus, but it also looks like a very filling meal! I like that it is described as a favorite dish of Julius Caesar.



THANK YOU again to all who took part, and thanks Haalo for organizing! It has been a great experience to "meet" so many inspired cooks and find new blogs to enjoy. If you want to enter, here are the rules for Weekend Herb Blogging from Haalo's site. Next week (April 20-26th) is hosted by Rachel at The Crispy Cook. The "Who's Hosting" page is updated with info on future hosts as well. Cheers and happy cooking and eating!