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I’m Maria, the "Plant Killer Turned Plant Lady" with a mission to help you care for plants successfully, grow your indoor jungles, and cultivate more joy in your life. I've got tons of content for you here on the blog, on the Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast, and Bloom and Grow Youtube Show to help you keep blooming and keep growing.

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Episode 102: Garden to Table: Herb Inspired Recipes

Garden to Table: Herb Inspired Recipes, pesto, bolognese, sage and butter , icebox cake, watermelon feta salad, roasted cauliflower

The 2020 Bloom and Grow Radio Listener Survey is live!- Please take 5 minutes to take this survey and be a part of the future of Bloom and Grow Radio and Media! I did this survey 2 years ago and it was INSTRUMENTAL in planning episode topics and community resources. We had 1000 people complete the survey last time, so my goal for this survey is 3000 planty listeners! I can't wait to hear from you!

At this point in the growing season, I'm sure we all have some beautifully bushy herb plants… and maybe no ideas of what to make with them. Today's episode is focused on getting these homegrown herbs into our bellies! (If you want help learning how to grow herbs, check out Episode 22: Windowsill Herb Gardening).

I’ve connected with some brilliant female chefs who share their favorite herb inspired recipes! Each chef chose an herb, they share why they love it in recipes so much and then educates us on how to cook their favorite dish inspired by their herb!

The first chunk of this episode is three powerhouse professional chefs who guide us through a LOT of helpful cooking and herb pairing info with mouth watering recipes. Then stay tuned to the end, where Billy shares his famous pesto recipe and my Italian Mom, Mama Failla, shares two sauces you can make with a bounty from the garden.

Cooking food that I’ve grown myself has been one of the most rewarding parts of my plant parenthood journey, I hope this episodes not only gets you growing but gets you cooking too! Make sure to report back to me and these chefs on IG about what you make!

In this episode we learn:

[6:50] Getting to know Chef Serena Wolf and her thoughts on using Mint in recipes
[16:50] MINT (and BASIL)Watermelon Salad with Tomato, Feta and Herb Vinaigrette Recipe breakdown and tips
[30:30] Getting to know Chef Priyanka and learn about Coriander/Cilantro and how she uses it in recipe
[36:55] Coriander Vs Cilantro and how to cook with it's 3 components: Seed, Stem and Leaf
[40:00] Chef Priyanka's balance of Sweet, Salty, Spicy, Bitter and Umami and how Coriander plays a strong role in that
[43:19] CORIANDER Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric, Fennel Seed and Dates
[50:20] Getting to know Pastry Chef (and high school friend) Becca Newman
[58:00] Becca breaks down the flavor profile of Lemon Verbena
[1:01:26] Becca's philosophy of “what grows together, goes together”
[1:01] LEMON VERBENA Cherry Chocolate and Lemon Verbena Ice Box Cake Recipe
[1:17:40] Other herb options to substitute into the Ice Box Cake recipe if you don't have lemon verbena
[1:21:33] BASIL with BILLY! And his famous walnut pesto recipe (we also reveal who we have a couples crush on)
[1:24:10] Why Billy uses walnuts instead of pine nuts in his pesto
[1:31:22] ROSEMARY Mama Failla's Rosemary Bolognese
[1:38:35] SAGE Mama Failla's Butter and Sage Boiled Potatoes
[1:41] PARSLEY AND THYME Mama Failla's Famous Polpetti! (Meat balls!)

Recipes Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Serena's recipe for Watermelon Salad with Tomato, Feta and Herb Vinaigrette

Chef Priyanka's recipe for Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric Fennel Seed Dates

Chef Priyanka's BONUS recipe for Vegan Indian Stuffed French Toast

Becca's Cherry Chocolate and Lemon Verbena Ice Box Cake

Mama Failla and Billy's Recipes for Rosemary Bolognese, Sage and Butter Sauce, Mama Failla's Meatballs and Billy's Famous Walnut Pesto!

Check out the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show with Videos of Mama Failla and Billy making their recipes!

Mama Failla makes Rosemary Bolognese

Billy makes Walnut Pesto

Territorial Seed Fast Fall Gardening Fact:

After you make your own pesto or Sauce from Billy and mom’s recipes with freshly harvested garlic- enjoy that flavor all year by freezing the sauce. We suggest filling a sealable freezer bag with the fresh pesto and smoothing it flat so you have about a ½” to ¾” layer. Then seal the bag and freeze. When you need a little pesto flavor, just break off a chunk and toss it into your recipe! I can’t wait to make pesto and bolognese next season with the territorial seed company garlic we are starting this fall!