Herbs, Herbs, Herbs : Herb Recipes From the Pros

Many restaurant chefs grow their own herbs. “It’s easy, more fun and gives cooking another dimension,” says Luciana Forge of Malibu’s Beau Rivage. Emilio Baglione of Emilio’s and George Mahaffey of the Hotel Bel-Air also make fascinating use of the herbs they grow in the gardens at their restaurants. But you don’t need to grow your own herbs to develop great recipes: Joe Cochran, executive chef at Riva Restaurant, gets his daily supply of herbs from the Rosemary Clooney gardens and uses them to create wonderful salad dressings and sauces. Here is a sampling of the recipes shared with us by chefs.

Joe Cochran, chef at Riva Restaurant in Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, is an avid fan of Rosemary Clooney and one of the best customers of the Jesse M. Unruh Garden . The herbs fit in perfectly with Cochran’s concepts of health-conscious, low - fat, low - cholesterol cooking. His talent for heightening flavor without excess calories is demonstrated in this extraordinary herb dressing, which contains not one drop of fat or cholesterol.

LOEWS HERB DRESSING

1 cup finely shredded peeled cucumber

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped chives

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup seeded and diced tomatoes

Salt

Combine cucumber, vinegar, garlic, chives, dill, tarragon, basil and tomatoes. Season to taste with salt. Serve with greens. Makes about 2 1/4 cups or 10 servings.

Each serving contains about:

14 calories; 33 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0 fiber; 10% calories from fat.

When Daniel and Luciana Forge opened Beau Rivage in Malibu, they immediately put in an herb garden. “That’s the way we cook at home,” says Luciana, a native of Rome. Now the garden is getting an uplift with a new greenhouse where basil, marjoram, mint and tarragon will be available the year round. Their chef, Andreas Kisler, author of “Viennese Cuisine” (Doubleday: 1987), loves the idea of picking his own herbs, such as the rosemary, sage, oregano and basil used for the salmon ravioli dish below.

BEAU RIVAGE SALMON RAVIOLI WITH HERB VINAIGRETTE

3/4 pound fillet of salmon

Crab Meat Filling

Flour

Oil

Mushroom-Herb Vinaigrette

Slice salmon fillet into 4 thin slices. Place 1 slice salmon on piece of plastic wrap. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Pound gently with flat side of mallet or cleaver, and flatten without tearing flesh. Remove top wrap and place 1/4 of Crab Meat Filling in center of fish slice. Fold salmon over filling, using bottom plastic sheet for leverage. With back side of knife, pound edges of salmon slightly. Set aside. Repeat until remaining slices and Crab Meat Filling are used. Dust salmon “ravioli” lightly with flour.

Heat enough oil to coat bottom of skillet. Add salmon “ravioli.” Saute until opaque underneath. Turn and cook other side until salmon is opaque.

Arrange salmon on platter. Surround with hot Mushroom-Herb Vinaigrette. Makes 2 large or 4 medium servings.

Each serving contains about:

435 calories; 206 mg sodium; 150 mg cholesterol; 32 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 1 gram fiber; 67% calories from fat.

Crab Meat Filling

1 large clove garlic

6 ounces cooked crab meat

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh oregano

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh basil

1 egg, beaten

2 to 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Dash lemon juice

Roast peeled garlic clove in oven until golden brown. Cool, then mash garlic. Set aside.

Press excess moisture from crab meat. Place in mixing bowl and add oregano, rosemary, sage, basil, egg, whipping cream, vinegar and lemon juice. Add garlic and mix thoroughly.

Mushroom-Herb Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons oil

3 white mushrooms, quartered

2 shiitake mushrooms, quartered

1 cup enoki mushrooms

1 Italian plum tomato, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons clam juice

2 to 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh oregano

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh basil

Heat oil in skillet. Add white mushrooms, shiitake, enoki and tomato and saute until mushrooms are tender. Add garlic, lemon juice, clam juice, vinegar, oregano, rosemary, sage and basil. Heat through.

George Mahaffey, chef at Hotel Bel-Air, makes this elegantly simple preparation. You can even layer the casserole and toss its topping together several hours in advance. In that case, however, don’t heat and pour in the liquids until just before you put the casserole into the oven to bake, making sure to add the topping halfway through the baking.

BAKED WINTER SQUASH WITH GARLIC-HERB CRUST

2 medium acorn squash, peeled, halved, seeded and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices

2 medium butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices

2 medium baking potatoes, peeled, halved and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices

2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

Salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 small cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh horseradish

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

Starting and ending with acorn squash, arrange squashes, potatoes and tomatoes in alternating layers in greased 4-quart casserole, lightly seasoning to taste each layer with salt and pepper.

Combine chicken stock, whipping cream, garlic, horseradish and thyme minutes in saucepan. Bring to boil. Simmer until reduced by half and pour over squash.

Cover and bake at 325 degrees 45 minutes to 1 hour. Spread crust evenly over surface of casserole. Bake, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes more. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving contains about:

171 calories; 180 mg sodium; 29 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 1 gram fiber; 48% calories from fat.

Garlic Herb Crust

1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon caraway seeds, lightly crushed

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons finely chopped chives

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint

3 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

Toss together bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, caraway seeds, sesame seeds, thyme, chives, rosemary, mint, garlic and lemon zest.

Emilio Baglione, owner of Emilio’s in Hollywood, grows herbs in the back patio of his restaurant, in pots and available bits of ground. His restaurant can’t do without them. A simple zucchini dish is not only sprinkled with olive oil for its Mediterranean flavor, but with several herbs that enhance an otherwise bland vegetable.

EMILIO’S ZUCCHINI STUFFED WITH HERBS

6 (8- to 10-inch) zucchini

Chopped fresh basil leaves

Chopped fresh marjoram

Chopped parsley

Chopped fresh mint

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Salt

Extra-virgin olive oil

Grated Parmesan cheese

Slice off ends of zucchini. Cook in boiling salted water 3 minutes to blanch. Cut zucchini in halves lengthwise. Carefully scoop out seeds. Sprinkle lightly with basil, marjoram, parsley and mint to taste. Add nutmeg and season to taste with salt. Sprinkle with olive oil and Parmesan cheese to taste. Place on greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 30 minutes. Makes 6 servings.