Herbs, Herbs, Herbs : Love It and Leaf It: Four Unusual Recipes

Health foodies have done a great disservice to tabbouleh. Dazzled by the prospect of getting “the goodness of grain” in a salad, they have turned this light, refreshing appetizer, mostly consisting of parsley, onion and mint, into a sludgy brown starch mass that hits your stomach like a cannonball. Ironically, the usual bulgur-sludge health food tabbouleh blows a nutritional opportunity: Parsley is crammed with vitamins and iron, but it’s scarcely ever eaten in dietarily significant quantities--except in real, non-sludgy tabbouleh. If you still want more of the goodness of grain, you could keep some pita bread on hand.

This recipe, from “Lebanese Cuisine” by Madelain Farah (Portland, 1972), specifies a small-granule variety of bulgur sold in Near Eastern markets especially for tabbouleh. The elegant Lebanese way of eating tabbouleh is to scoop it up using the delicate inner leaves of romaine lettuce.

REAL TABBOULEH

3/4 cup No. 2 bulgur

2 bunches parsley, finely chopped, about 1 quart

1 cup fresh mint, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 bunch green onions, finely chopped

1 to 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 to 2 teaspoons salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

Romaine lettuce

Place bulgur in bowl with water to cover. Soak 1 hour, then drain well and squeeze out as much water as possible. Mix with parsley, mint, onion, green onions and tomatoes. Mix cinnamon, salt and lemon juice in bowl and stir thoroughly into bulgur mixture. Just before serving, toss with olive oil.

Separate romaine leaves. Discard tough, darker-green outer leaves and arrange inner leaves on plate to use as scoops. Alternatively, place inner romaine leaves on plates and top with tabbouleh. Makes 6 to 8 appetizer servings.

Each serving contains about:

355 calories; 66 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 28 grams fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 1.25 grams fiber; 70% calories from fat.

The basic idea of this powerfully flavored sauce, which comes from the Republic of Georgia, is pureed sour plums flavored with garlic, red pepper and any combination you want of dill, mint, basil and cilantro. This version is the one found, with minor variations, in both the Time-Life volumes “Russian Cooking” and “The Best Foods of the Soviet Union” by Sonia Uvezian. Sour plums are easy to find at the market--take the ones that feel hard.

TKEMALI

2 cups water

1/2 pound sour, unripe plums

1 to 2 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon finely chopped basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Bring water to boil in saucepan. Add plums, cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Cut out and discard plum pits.

Place plums, garlic and 1/4 cup cooking liquid in blender or food processor. Puree until smooth, adding more liquid as needed so mixture attains medium-soft, spreadable consistency.

Return sauce to pan. Stir in cilantro, basil, salt and cayenne. Bring to boil, remove from heat and cool. Serve with grilled lamb or chicken. Makes about 1 cup, or 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

22 calories; 99 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0 fiber; 10% calories from fat.

Shirley Sarvis, a San Franciscan who specializes in matching wine and food, developed this appetizer to accompany Sanford Winery’s Sauvignon Blanc. Thin strips of pork are seasoned with fresh sage, threaded on skewers, grilled and arranged on a sage-lined platter. Strips of prosciutto are then sprinkled over the meat. The prosciutto should be lean, mild, moist and fully spiced, not salty nor dry, Sarvis says. This subdued character is important so that the prosciutto taste will be gentle toward the wine and will show the taste of the sage.

SHIRLEY SARVIS’ SAGE-PROSCIUTTO PORK

1 pound fresh boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh sage, or 4 teaspoons ground sage

Dash light tasting olive or vegetable oil

2 ounces very thinly sliced lean mild prosciutto, cut into fine julienne

Slice pork very thin across grain. Place single layer of slices between 2 sheets wax paper. Pat with mallet to thinness, about 1 1/4 inches wide. Season to taste with salt and generously with pepper.

Add sage. Cover with wax paper or plastic wrap and let stand 1 hour. Thread on small wet skewers (and spread to be nearly flat) to make individual appetizers. Brush both sides lightly with oil. Place on hot grill (or large heavy skillet placed over high heat until hot) and grill golden brown but still juicy on inside.

Arrange pork on sage-lined serving platter and sprinkle with prosciutto. Serve hot. Makes about 48 appetizers.

Each serving contains about:

19 calories; 24 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 0 carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0 fiber; 49% calories from fat.

“The Magic of Herbs” (Smithmark Publishers Inc.) contains more than 100 inspirational ideas for using herbs in the kitchen and for home decorations. Here’s one of the recipes from author Jane Newdick, using borage, which has beautiful blue blossoms.

“ All parts of borage are perfectly safe to eat, so the little flowers can be added to salads, fruit dishes and drinks as edible decorations. The taste of the leaves is a subtle cucumber flavor, which is cool and refreshing. Young shredded leaves can be used in a mixed-leaf salad, but avoid using large pieces, as the leaves can be too rough and coarse to eat in sizable quantities.

If you have an abundance of borage flowers, freeze them to add to cool drinks and punches. Simply place a flower in each square of an ice cube tray and fill with spring or bottled water. This idea will work for all kinds of edible flowers and petals, particularly if they are colorful. “

BORAGE CIDER CUP (From “The Magic of Herbs” by Jane Newdick)

2 1/2 cups plain or hard apple cider or white wine

2 ounces Cointreau

Sliced lemons, oranges and strawberries

3 strips cucumber peel

10 borage leaves, shredded

2 1/2 cups sparkling mineral water

Pour cider and Cointreau into large bowl. Add fruits, cucumber peel and borage leaves. Chill 1 hour.

Fill rest of bowl with mineral water and ice cubes. Pour into large jug and decorate with borage flowers, if desired. Makes 6 servings.