Recommendations Requested: Entrees/Side Dishes Showcasing Fresh Herbs

[jjhunter]

I'm trying to figure out my menu for a small dinner party I'm hosting tomorrow (7 people total), where two of the guests will be showing up late. If I'm planning on serving a light appetizer of basil, mozzarella, and tomato on thinly sliced + toasted french bread while we wait, and peach-blueberry crumble for desert, what kinds of dishes would people recommend for the actual dinner? Keep in mind that a.) the weather will be warm, b.) all my guests are omnivores (i.e. eat meat & have no dietary restrictions), and c.) I'd like to showcase the lovely fresh herbs I have growing on the back porch (mint, thyme, basil, rosemary). Also, I have access to good produce & other ingredients at the local grocery store.


(Help me, obi-boilingwater-kenobi!)

ETA: Okay, I'm all set for my menu - thank you all for your various suggestions! The ones I'm not using tonight I plan on trying out in the next two weeks or so.

Comments

[kaberett]

Basil goes nicely in peach crumble! :-)

Now I am going to chuck out a bunch of ideas - can give more detail on any of them!

Minted halloumi, fresh mint sauce for lamb (cut mint leaves finely and immerse in hot water with a little bit of sugar and lemon juice), minted peas and minted jewelled couscous are all amazing.

Rosemary & thyme roast veg (aubergine, squash, courgette, peppers) that can be eaten cold with good bread and pesto, maybe?

Rosemary & thyme honey-bread is AMAZING if you are up to making bread from scratch.

Rosemary roast potatoes are the best thing ever - I will happily eat them FOREVER - and go really nicely with quiche, which could easily feature the thyme along with maybe red onion and goats' cheese; no reason a quiche couldn't be flavoured with rosemary, though.

I can probably come up with more ;)

[jjhunter]

Oo, intriguing ideas; thank you for sharing them! If you think of more...yes please! ;o)

(Anything I don't do tomorrow I can always try another time. I have a LOT of basil & rosemary in particular.)

[kaberett]

OH RIGHT I was also going to point out that exciting home-made pesto is also a possible option! :-)

[vass]

You could slice some potatoes, drizzle them with olive oil and salt, and some of that rosemary, roast them, then serve them cold as a salad-type thing. Maybe with other roast vegetables too. Bell peppers roast well and are colourful.

[sid]

I like lemon-rosemary chicken. I just salt and pepper boneless-skinless breasts, lay a sprig of rosemary over the top and put a thin wheel or two of lemon over that, and then bake. Of course you can strip the rosemary off the stem and sprinkle it on, but the other way is quicker, easier and still gives tons of rosemary flavor.

Basil and mint both make great pesto. Or a combination of them works. Mint works really well with potatoes and peas. I have no suggestions for thyme!

[weaverbird]

Thyme butter is delicious melted over pasta or rice as a side.

[libitina]

Imam Bayaldi - it's eggplant stuffed with leeks and parsley and braised in tomatoes and olive oil (slightly more ingredients, but not many). It would take well to more herbs, and it can be served anywhere from hot to room temperature.

And then some meatballs - either made with herbs or with an herb-based sauce. Again, pretty flexible temperature wise, and quick to reheat.

And some pita to nibble with them both.

[jjhunter]

Om nom nom. Thank you!

[libitina]

Okay, here, have a proper recipe.

The hot pepper is optional (for that matter, the recipe I learned from didn't have garlic).

Other changes in how I make it:

- you can slit the eggplant before cooking, and it stays a nice clean line which you can just nudge open with a spoon after they're cooked in the oil. And that way, you aren't fiddling with hot eggplant as much.

- I learned it stuffing the eggplants with the onion/parsley mixture and then adding diced (canned) tomatoes over the top with less precision and just letting it all simmer to deliciousness. I'm pretty sure the results are pretty much the same (though you can decide whether the extra juicy comes more from the tomato liquid or more oil), but it's a little less fuss.

- I have made this with as little as 1 Tablespoon of oil, if my pan wasn't too sticky (I used enameled cast iron that had no scratches). Eggplant will keep telling you it needs more oil, but it cooks just as nicely without it.

[metawidget]

Seconded on the roasted potatoes up there and the basil pesto.

I know it's not a side dish or an entree, but mint goes very well in smoothies, lassis and mojitos, so you could showcase your herbs in the beverages as well.

Rosemary and a bit of parmesan on just about any pastry-covered meat dish is also a possibility.