Every summer I have a huge pot of rosemary growing and just go out and snip off what I need. It likes lots of sun and doesn't want to be kept wet between waterings. I haven't mastered over-wintering it yet...the plants get brittle inside and if left out they freeze.

I use rosemary when roasting vegetables and tons along with minced garlic when marinating lamb, which isn't one of my favorites, so I need all the help I can get!

One of my favorite uses for rosemary is to make a flatbread.

Rosemary Flatbread
Preheat oven to 400
2 1/2 cups ap flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons rosemary, divided evenly
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

Combine flour, yeast, salt and rosemary in food processor. Whirl a few seconds to combine. Add water, process until evenly moist. Add 2 tablespoons oil, continue processing until dough forms a ball. If needed add more water, a tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency. Hand knead for 1-2 minutes until satiny smooth. Let rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Spread into a circle on pizza pan or baking stone. Brush remaining olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and remaining rosemary. Mist three times with water during the first 10 minutes in oven. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden.

**I usually add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic to the dough.

Powdered rosemary? Anathema!! Get a nice little pot of rosemary and put it in a protected spot in your garden. Ours overwintered in a "microclimate" in upstate NY, so it is a hardy plant! Fresh rosemary should always, always be chopped fine (nobody wants to chew on a pine needle). I like to boil small potatoes and then toss them with butter (margarine) and rosemary. It makes a wonderful infusion for roasted chicken (just pack the cavity with three or four sprigs of rosemary (this time you don't have to chop it), a quarter onion and a half of lemon. It is also a wonderful addition to fresh green beans. Rosemary is one of the best herbs you can have and use. It should be in everyone's herb garden and in the kitchen as often as possible!

Another one here who likes rosemary in bread. I include it chopped very fine plus golden raisins...makes wonderful aromatic toast or grilled ham sandwich.

The stuff is powerful though. A bit goes a long ways. I use it with chicken, lamb, & pork. Also like it infused in melted butter for fresh corn. Like mentioned, it's terrific on potatoes and other roasted veggies.

Next time you roast a whole chicken stuff the cavity with 1/2 an unpeeled lemon, 2-3 garlic cloves, 1/2 an unpeeled onion, 1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme, & a handful of sage leaves.

I'm in Zone 7a & rosemary overwinters in a pot along side the garage (under the eaves). I can't plant it in the ground. It's not the cold that does it in but rather the rain/ice. By putting the pot under the eaves it stays dry & does fine. After it's actively growing in the spring prune off any winter kill. Once every 3-4 years, I repot & take out the old woody center. Do not overwater or fertilize during the summer. Also, toss a couple rocks in the bottom of the pot to assure good drainage. It's humid enough here that I only water mine once every few weeks.

/tricia

Ditto the rosemary with roast chicken, garlic and lemon that tricia mentioned, as well as chopped fresh rosemary with roasted potatoes. Also, LindaC posted a delicious recipe for marinated green beans sometime ago that use herbs and I always include rosemary in that.

I have also been buying a jar of honey here that has sprigs of rosemary and balsamic vinegar in it (a product of Italy). I use it to brush onto salmon filets before roasting them. I've also tossed chunks of veggies with olive oil and drizzled them with the rosemary/balsamic honey and roasted them. At the end, tossed them with some cubed goat cheese. Eggplant and red bell pepper always in that mix.

I'm sorry I don't post recipes often, but mine are all stored the old fashioned way - handwritten or printed out and stored in a recipe box 2 floors down from my computer. I don't have a scanner or a very good memory!

Once I accidentally planted a variety of rosemary that perennialized for me on Cape Cod. I don't know if it's still going strong since I haven't seen my garden in 2 years, but the rosemary plant that I have potted on my terrace here in the Netherlands is blooming with small purple flowers this year. That's a first (and probably last) for me - we're moving back to Massachusetts next month. I think I'll leave the rosemary plant for the next tenants.

seagrass

I love it with chicken. One of our favorites when I make AnnT's high heat roasted chicken.

Just bought a new start last Saturday, it doesn't over winter here.

Nancy

I use rosemary for skewers. I have to wait until the rosemary plants mature in the late summer/early fall when the stems get thick and long enough. Strip off the leaves and use them for something else - a garnish or dry them. Just be sure to soak the long stems in water before use as skewers so they don't burn (as easily - or cover the tips of the uncovered rosemary with foil).

-Grainlady

TUSCAN ROSEMARY CHICKEN AND WHITE BEANS

(source: Country Casseroles & One-Dish Meals (Pillsbury)

1/3 c. purchased Italian salad dressing
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c. sliced celery
1/4 c. coarsely chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1 t. dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed

Heat salad dressing in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

Reduce heat to low. Add carrots, clelery, tomatoes and rosemary. Cover; simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is fork tender and juices run clear. Stir in beans. Cook until beans are thoroughly heated. 4 servings

Total Fat: 13g
Cholesterol: 75mg
Sodium: 760 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 26g
Dietary Fiber: 9g
Sugars: 7g
Protein: 34g

I always use fresh rosemary since I have a plant in my yard. Here in Texas it is grown as often as an evergreen landscape plant as it is as a culinary herb, so I can't really tell you about any special care that I give it.

The following is my favorite recipe using rosemary. The pork is very good on it's own if you are just looking for something simple, but the risotto with it is outstanding! The great part is you don't have to stand there and stir it the entire time it's cooking either.

Chrissy

Ah! Rosemary! The Herb of Remembrance. One of my favourites - especially in the garden. In my subtropical climate, it flowers all year round, and it can become quite a large shrub. In the kitchen, it should be used sparingly, as it has quite a strong flavour.

Tip for students: When studying, put a vase of fresh rosemary on the study desk. When sitting exams, wear a sprig of rosemary to aid the memory. It's up to you to decide whether the studying or the rosemary helps to achieve good results!!

Use a sprig of rosemary dipped in olive oil to brush over barbecued or grilled meats.

Put a sprig of Rosemary into a jar of honey and use the honey for baking biscuits, cakes, breads etc. Or serve on scones.

Use a little Rosemary with eggs and cheese.

Try a little Rosemary with fish.

Experiment with Rosemary in jams, jellies and custards.

Add a little Rosemary to a fruit salad or to fruit drinks for a pleasant flavour change.

Rosemary oil, rubbed into hair ends, gets rid of frizz.

Rosemary goes well in/with meats (especially lamb), poultry, fish, potatoes, spinach and other vegetables. Use fresh or dried to season sauces, breads,fruit compotes, chicken and pea soups.

Medicinal Uses: Leaves and flowers are used as a circulatory stimulant, for nervous problems, as a restorative, to improve memory, treat headaches, depression, colds and flu, fatigue, anxiety, nightmares, poor circulation, liver and gallbladder problems and as a heart tonic. Also used to raise low blood pressure. Rosemary is recommended for flatulence, heartburn and as a digestive. It is also used to inhibit kidney- and bladder-stone formation. Rosemary tea makes an antiseptic gargle for sore throats, gum problems and canker sores. It also eases headaches and migraine. It has been used to treat epilepsy and vertigo. It aids recovery from long-term stress and chronic illness. It is thought to stimulate the adrenal glands and is used specifically for debility, especially when accompanied by poor circulation and digestion. Used externally in salves and ointments as a muscle relaxant after strenuous activity. The essential oil in a bath soothes and relaxes the body. An infusion is used as a hair rinse for dark hair and to treat dandruff and falling hair. The tea is a good mouthwash for bad breath.

Rosemary's magickal name is Elf Leaf, as it was hung around houses to keep thieves and witches out. . When placed beneath the pillow, rosemary ensures a good sleep and drives away nightmares. Laid under the bed, it protects the sleeper from all harms. A chaplet of rosemary, worn, aids the memory, while the wood, smelled often, preserves youthfulness. To ensure the latter, add a rosemary infusion to the bath water.Rosemary is carried in the hand during funerals and is cast onto the coffin as it is lowered into the grave. Here in Australia, most people wear a sprig of rosemary on Anzac Day to remember those who died in war. Any home where rosemary thrives is a home where the mistress rules. Men were occasionally suspected of injuring healthy rosemary bushes so that they wouldn't be suspected of being hen-pecked.

Warning: Excessive use may cause convulsions or poisoning. Avoid when pregnant, if or suffering from high blood pressure or epilepsy. The undiluted oil of rosemary should never be taken internally.

Sweet Rosemary Slices
2 eggs
155g brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
155g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
1 tablespoon rosemary leaves or 2 teaspoons dried
250g raisins and candied fruit (angelica, glace cherries, candied pineapple etc)
185g pecan nuts, chopped OR sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 190°C. Beat the eggs, gradually add sugar and vanilla, mixing well. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Add rosemary, fold in the fruit and nuts. Spoon the mixture onto a greased and floured 20cm baking tin and spread out evenly. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from tin while still warm, allow to cool, then cut into slices.

In my front yard (all 10 feet of it) is a rosemary shrub on steroids! It is huge and was covered with those gorgeous blue flowers just a few weeks ago when it was still cold. I can cut it all year long and whack it about now and then and it still spreads about 4 feet wide and tall. I love being able to brush off frost/ice/snow in the winter and having this fresh herb to use. I have always heard to plant rosemary where it will be somewhat protected from harsh, drying winter winds. Evidently it likes my tiny yard.

This plant is 'Salem' variety from a cutting from the Bethabara church over near Old Salem at Winston Salem. I use it in breads, potatoes, roast chicken and turkey, slouvaki marinade, and sometimes I cut several springs just to have them on the window sill in the kitchen to smell.

OOH I love Rosemary. We are in the process of thinking out a new herb garden and you can bet there will be a number of rosemary plants.

Probably my favourite recipe using rosemary is a Sausage and Rosemary pasta sauce. It is also wonderful in bread, cooked with lamb, pork, beef and chicken. Here are a few favourites.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Adapted from Robert Alda's recipe.

4 to 6 Italian Sausage,
hot or sweet, or combination
Olive oil

2 shallots

3 ounces of Mortadella
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon dried or fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 to 4 cans tomatoes (depending on number of sausages)
. Par boil sausage for 2 to 4 minutes.

Mince Mortedella and shallots in food processor.

Heat in oil in large pot and add mortadella and shallots.

Remove casings from sausage and mince in processor and add to pot.
Cook until meat starts to brown on the bottom. Add the rosemary and
basil and the wine. Simmer until wine has evaporated. Puree tomatoes
but leave some texture and add to pot. Simmer for at least 1 hour.
Remove any fat that surfaces.

Serve over fusilli or Conchiglioni (shell) shaped pasta, to pick up the
little bits of sausage.

Options:

I have made this without the Mortadella and it works.

When I don't have good Italian Sausage I make this same dish using
ground pork.

Saute the pork and season with the shallots, couple of cloves of
garlic, hot red pepper flakes, grind some fennel(optional) with the
rosemary and basil, and then follow the above directions. (Tastes
almost identical)

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Beef Tenderloin - Kabobs
========================
2 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into
cubes (from 1 inch to 2 inches)
2 - 3 cloves of garlic minced
1 large shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
chopped/ and/or Rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
chopped
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup olive oil
salt
Black Pepper - Coarsely Ground

2 Green Peppers cut into squares
2 large white onions- cut into 1/4's

(option: Large Cherry Tomatoes)
. Cut beef tenderloin in to nice size cubes.

Mix together all of the other ingredients and marinate the beef for
about 4 to 6 hours.

Par Boil onions and green peppers for less than one minute. Drain and
cool in icewater.

REmove meat from Marinade and thread onto metal or wooden skewers,
placing a piece of green pepper and onion inbetween each piece of meat.

Grill on high heat. Turn a few times. Tenderloin should be served
rare to medium rare so these do not take long to cook, depending on
your grill.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Potato Rosemary Rolls
Makes 18 small rolls or 12 hamburger sized buns
1 potato, cooked and mashed
1 lb (3 1/2 cups) bread or all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 - 1 cup water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon dried rosemary or 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground sage leaves

Cook the potato until soft, either by boiling or baking in the oven or microwave. For this batch I chopped up and boiled the potato. I then reserved a cup of the potato water to add to the loaf, figuring it had additional nutrients and starches that would help my loaf.

Mash the potato. Removing the skin prior to mashing is optional: if you are using tough skinned potatoes like russets I would suggest removing them, but with soft skinned potatoes such as yukon gold or red potatoes I typically leave them on. The chopped up skin add nice color and texture to your rolls.

Combine the flour, mashed potato, yeast, salt, pepper and herbs in a large bowl. Add 3/4 cups water and knead or mix for 5 to 10 minutes, adding more water or flour until a consistency you are comfortable working with is reached. I added close to a full cup of water and ended up with an extremely sticky dough that was difficult to work with. I was only able to shape the rolls by repeatedly dipping my fingers in flour. The end result was wonderful though.

(I encourage amateur bakers to push the limit of what they think they can handle, moisture-wise. More often than not you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results, though you can go too far and end up baking a pancake, which I've done more than once.)

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a moist towel and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, typically 60 to 90 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl, gently degas it, and shape it. For rolls or buns you can weigh them if you like or just eyeball them. I cut racquetball sized chunks of dough (larger than golf balls, smaller than tennis balls) then rolled them into balls in my well-floured hands. I placed them on a baking sheet covered with parchment, placed the entire sheet in a plastic trash bag, and set it aside to rise for approximately an hour again.

While the dough rose, I preheated the oven to 375 degrees.

If you have a spritzer, spray the top of the rolls with water right before placing them in the oven. Place them in the center rack and bake them for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake them for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size. My large hamburger bun sized rolls took close to half an hour to bake. You'll know they are done when the bottom of the rolls is solid and slightly crispy. If you have a probe thermometer, check the temperature inside one of the rolls. When the internal temperature is approaching 200 degrees F, they are ready to pull out of the oven.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Italian roasted chicken (Rosemary Lemon)
========================================
Edited November 10th, 2006

This recipe is my version of the Italian Chicken we use to order in a Italian restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie. It can be made with small roasting chickens, chicken pieces or cornish game hens.

2 Cornish Game Hens
3 or 4 sprigs of rosemary
2 heads of garlic, peeled and cracked
salt, pepper
juice from one or two lemons
lemon zest (optional)
hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil

Kalamata olives (optional)
chicken broth
. If using roasting chickens or game hens, split the birds down the back
and remove the back bone.

Place the chicken halves or pieces in the roasting pan. Toss in the
garlic cloves and the sprigs of rosemary. Season with salt, pepper and
red pepper flakes. squeeze the lemons over the chicken and drizzle with
the olive oil.

You can prepare the chicken up to this point and let rest in the fridge
for an hour or two.

Roast in a 450°F

Check after about 20 minutes and add some chicken broth to the pan.
This will stop the garlic from getting burnt. (If you are using the
olives add them now) Add more if needed. When chicken is done, remove
from pan and add a little more chicken broth, stir and serve sauce over
the chicken.

My favourite side with this chicken is Spaghetti Aglio E Olio

Rosemary rice ( just af ew needles in rice cooked in chicken broth with some fresh grated onion) rosemary potatoes, potatoes peeled and oven roasted with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and a bit of slivered garlic. A sprig or 2 in the cavity fo a roast chicken....with a half a lemon, rubbed on a pork tenderloin to be grilled, tucked inside a boneless leg of lamb before roasting...
Dump the powdered stuff....that's not even the same animal as fresh. Buy a plant!
Linda C

I think rosemary may be my favorite herb (unless garlic is considered a herb....we consider it a vegie). I wish I could get the stuff to grow....it just doesn't do well for me. I've tried it outside, in the house and in the greenhouse. Sometimes I splurge on a pitiful handful of limp rosemary for 3.99, but mostly I'm stuck with dried leaves.

I use it in my spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce, poked into pork tenderloin w/ some garlic, in breads and marinades. One of our favorites is pork chops or chicken breasts rubbed with rosemary and granulated garlic, then braised in wine.

I'm surprised more people didn't mention spaghetti sauce. In the city there is a restaurant that will cook me shaved lamb and red potatoes with rosemary. Suddenly find myself with a craving for it... with a side of green beans.

: )
lyra

I don't care for the texture of rosemary (your reference to pine needles is dead on), so I use a tea ball when I'm making stews/soups. It's easier than using cheesecloth for an herb bouquet.

The flavor is delicious, though. Rosemary is in regular rotation in my house, but it gets ground up (coffee grinder) whenever it needs to actually be applied to something - dried is okay, but nothing compares to fresh herbs. It's great on just about everything, as everyone has already mentioned.

I particularly like rosemary in breads and in dipping oils for breads. We are olive oil freaks in my house and regularly create our own dipping sauces for bread; we set them up before we start cooking, and they're pretty yummy by the time we're ready to eat.

I love rosemary!

I don't think Thanksgiving can arrive without it - I put it in my stuffing/dressing and it just screams holiday dinner to me! I also like it in breads, roasted veggies, roasted chicken, lamb and all the other things mentioned above.

I guess I found the "touch" as far as growing it. Mine is about 3 feet tall in a pot and doing really well. I have tried to winter it over in the garden and have had mixed sugccess. Some winters it is okay then I have lost a mature plant for no reason. In the pot I keep it on the dry side and in my unheated Florida room all winter. It is on the patio now and will stay there until fall.

As far as using it - unless it is bread, I toss the whole branch into whatever I am making anf fish it out at the end of cooking before I serve it. The texture can be a little off-putting.

I like rosemary but use it with a light hand - it has a strong flavor that can be overpowering if too much is used. I'm okay with the texture and it can be pounded in the mortar to eliminate that. It goes really well with lamb.

Rosemary is one of my favorites too! I love it fresh but also keep dried on hand. I grow it every year--and kill it every year. Thanks for the tip on watering it.

TJS ROASTED RED PEPPER BISQUE

INGREDIENTS:
1 jar TJs Roasted Red Pepper and Eggplant Dip
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ to ¾ cup heavy cream (or use fat free half and half)
Salt to taste

PREPARATION:
1. Melt the butter in a deep saucepan. Add the onion and rosemary and cook for 5 minutes. Discard the rosemary.
2. Add the peppers and stock to pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Use stick blender to purée soup.
3. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cream and season with salt.