Fortunately, I become a martyr when it comes to saving the unsalvageable, so in near tragedy, I hold out one vain hope: to put that shit in a blender and purée the fuck out of it. Tonight I remembered there were just such asshole herbs in my fridge, so put that shit in a blender did I, and purée the fuck out of it I did.
Herb Purée
Leafy greens of the offending herb (parsley, cilantro, basil, tarragon...caveat: no woody herbs like thyme or rosemary, this recipe works best aesthetically with brightly-colored ones)
Juice of half a lemon
A pinch of kosher salt
Canola or any neutral-flavored oil (olive oil is too aromatic and will mask the flavor of the base herb)
Place all ingredients in a blender with the exception of the oil. Switch on the blender and slowly pour the oil in a thin, steady stream until the mixture turns into a green paste. When you can run your finger through the mixture and it falls back into itself, the purée is ready. Divide it into small ziploc bags, and refrigerate overnight- if not using the next day, freeze until needed.
Now comes the fun part sort of! Save the stems and steep them in a broth or stock. Use the purée as a garnish for soups, sauté shallots and blend both into softened butter as an accompaniment to thin white fish fillets, spread it on sandwich bread, or blend it into a simple white wine or cream sauce. Or...hang on, I can't talk anymore. Cookie Monster is on Top Chef All-Stars, and it is making my life. How come no one on this show can ever make a damn dessert?
"I used to do things like eat cereal with heavy cream. Because HEAVY CREAM IS DELICIOUS." - Richard Blais
ReplyDelete<3 Margaret
it makes me so happy that blais was a chubby kid. i think every legit chef was a chubby kid once.
ReplyDeletepea puree was my favorite character on top chef. i put fresh herbs in jars in my fridge--lasts a whole lot longer. in fact, i put everything jars in my fridge...
ReplyDeletedid we ever find out who stole the pea puree?
ReplyDeleteoh i think we all know who stole the pea puree.
ReplyDelete