I love rosemary. Use it all the time. Great with lamb, pork, chicken and my favourite pasta sauce.

Italian Sausage and Rosemary Sauce
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)

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Last night I added a few sprigs to roasted Italian sausages with potatoes, peppers, onions and Kalamata olives .

Patty, Rosemary is a "must have" in my herb garden. I have a few favorite recipes, but mostly I use it for roasting vegetables (potatoes, bell peppers), pork roasts, bread.

This is one of our favorite soups:
Cathy’s Adjusted TJ’s Roasted Red Pepper Bisque
• 1 jar TJ’s Roasted Red Pepper and Eggplant Dip or mild Ajvar)
• 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
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.

And of course Prime Rib:

Prime Rib w/Horseradish Crust

~Pre Salt: rub the whole roast well with kosher salt, slip into a plastic baggie or a dish and cover well with plastic wrap 2-3 days ahead, the night before you are going to cook it or in the morning if you are doing dinner, uncover and set out in the fridge to "dry".

 30 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
 1/4 cup olive oil
 1/3 cup prepared white cream-style horseradish
 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
 1 6-pound well-trimmed boneless beef rib roast
OR

1 bone in prime rib beef roast, 3 ribs, about 6 pounds
PASTE:
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup grated fresh or prepared horseradish
Leaves from 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
SAUCE:
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups canned chicken or beef broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Lay the beef in a large roasting pan with the bone side down. (The ribs act as a natural roasting rack.) In a small bowl mash together the garlic, horseradish, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste. Massage the paste generously over the entire roast. Put the pan in the oven and roast the beef until the internal temperature of the meat registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer (medium-rare), 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the beef to a carving board and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.
 Pour off some of the pan drippings and place pan on stovetop over medium-high heat.
Add the white wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine by half. Whisk in the flour, then add the broth and continue to cook, whisking until sauce thickens into a gravy, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss garlic cloves and olive oil in small baking dish; cover. Bake until garlic begins to brown, about 35 minutes. Drain olive oil into food processor. Cool 15 minutes. Peel garlic; place in processor. Add horseradish and salt. Puree until almost smooth.

Place roasting rack on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Spread thin layer of garlic mixture on underside of beef. Place beef, garlic mixture side down, onto rack. Spread beef with remaining garlic mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 1 day.

Not a recipe, but I always add it to split pea or navy bean soup.
Jane

Another long time favourite.

Italian Roasted Chicken
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, or whole chicken breasts
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

If you have an all day sunny window during the winter months you can pot it in the fall and bring it inside. (it is fussy and likes to dry out, but needs frequent water) I just planted mine back out in the front bed. It survived the winter, (a miracle). My mother, further south in Delaware has a hedge, huge. Every holiday i snip dozens of cuttings and freeze. Use it as shrimp skewers for the grill, stuff it under the skin of chicken with garlic for a roast. Love it and put a whole stem in stews like above posts. I have only made this once but delish....gelato
(no time for the waffle thing) but lemon and rosemary is such a good combo.
-Fresh rosemary is much more fragrant than dried.

Here is a link that might be useful: lemon rosemary gelato

My favorite is an orange rosemary pound cake or orange rosemary madeleines. Just make your favorite (pound cake or madeleine) recipe and add orange zest and fresh chopped rosemary.

I love it with chicken, pork, potatoes especially and there's breads, biscuits as well and beans either navy, great northern or canelinni beans.

Oh, and it's good added to a caramel cake with caramel frosting!

And little snippets I don't use, I put in a jar of flour I keep by the stove so when I bread something (or even make biscuits), I'll use that "herbal" flour (which has more than just rosemary -- it's snippets of ANY herb that comes into my kitchen).

I've not had good luck with rosemary indoors for the most part -- but often I try! So Sleevendog, congrats for keeping it alive INDOORS!

I may have to try that gelato -- I've made basil ice cream and a strawberry mint ice cream. I've gotten quite fond of herbal ice creams!

Martha

Ann T. Is the Barefoot Contessa's recipe close to your recipe for spaghetti Aglio E Olio it sounds wonderful. Patty

Patty, I think that it is such a simple recipe that they are probably all pretty much the same.

Pasta Aglio E Olio.
===================
1/2 cup olive oil
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (less or more to taste)
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

Spaghetti
. Bring water to boil and cook pasta.

While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in skillet. Add garlic and cook on low for 1 minute. Do not brown. Add hot red pepper flakes to taste.

Drain pasta and add to pan. Toss to coat with oil and sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper and chopped parsley.

Serve as a side with
Veal Piccata, Breaded Chicken breasts or Italian Roasted Chicken.

Love rosemary here also. One of my favorite "Breakfast for Dinner" meals is a simple omelet with just minced rosemary and chives, S/P. Alongside - broiled cherry toms and fresh homemade biscuits with chunks of sharp cheddar. For a short time in late September, I love green apple slices with this meal also but toms and early apples only overlap their seasons for a short time here. This is one of my 'go to' meals when DH isn't home and it's just me.

/tricia

Tuscan Rosemary Chicken and White Beans
(Source: Betty Crocker - Country Casseroles & One-Dish Meals)

I add all kinds of veggies to this Betty Crocker recipe along with the carrots, celery and sun-dried tomatoes called for in the recipe - fresh or frozen. It's a quick one-pan meal. If you don't have sun-dried tomatoes, just leave them out. You can also use fresh tomatoes.

Since there are also beans in this recipe, I generally use a smaller amount of chicken per serving and count part of the protein from the beans for an economical meal. You can also leave the beans out if you'd like. Any leftover chicken is good in a Caesar Salad for lunch the next day. A good "cook once, eat twice" meal.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Tuscan Rosemary Chicken and White Beans

Grainlady, I have had that Tuscan Rosemary Chicken and White Bean recipe in my "To Try" file for far too long - I think I will make it next week, it sounds wonderful!

And my fav is to bone a leg of lamb (or half leg if you are feeding a smaller group) lay it out bone side up (or skin side down, however you want to think about it), top the cut side with rosemary, lemon slices, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Roll it back into shape and tie. Roast until it is about 140F on an instant read thermometer.

Slice and serve with Tzatiki. No, not completely traditional Greek, but it is very tasty that way.

Alexa

I use it with many things but my favorite is Rachel Ray's Tuscan chicken.....and I am not a big fan of Rachel Ray.

I use it with many things but my favorite is Rachel Ray's Tuscan chicken.....and I am not a big fan of Rachel Ray.

I like rosemary with chicken, but for me a little goes a long way. I wonder if the flavor of fresh rosemary changes, depending on the soil and climate. Here in southern California it grows wild in parking lots and is sometimes used to create hedges in parking lots, and so I used to get it from there. Now I have my own plant in my back yard where nothing else will grow, but the flavor is very intense - nothing like the dried version you can buy in bottles. I actually prefer the dried rosemary because it is not so overpowering.

I will put a few sprigs of rosemary inside a chicken that I am roasting, and I sometimes add it to potatoes that I am roasting, but I have learned to mince it finely if it is fresh. The leaves that I get seem to be quite a bit larger than the dried ones, and in large quantities, they taste like turpentine or else have a piney scent. I like it with lamb, however.

I wonder if anyone has techniques for toning down the flavor. Perhaps making rosemary water would be a good way to dilute the flavor. I do like it when it is subtle, but if it is overpowering, it can ruin a dish for me. I'm the same with tarragon, except that I will no longer grow tarragon, as it is too invasive, even in areas where I have bad soil.

Lars

Lars -- I'm in Kansas not California but I wonder if your tarragon problem was due to the fact that you had Russian tarragon rather than French. Russian tarragon is a prolific grower and will take over. French is a lot slower growing and much more flavorful.

Martha

I could almost write what Lars wrote except it doesn't grow wild here. I do have a huge 6'-7' plant and like to garnish meat platters with it. I'd use it as skewers on the grill except I never remember it. And it's pretty when it flowers.

This is a recipe from River Cottage every day veg.
Mushroom ragout with soft polenta.
400ml milk
Bay leaf
Sprig thyme
Peppercorns
Half an onion and/or 2 cloves garlic bashed
150 gr quick cook polenta
20g butter
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
20 g grated parmesan

Ragout :
2 tbls oil
Large knob butter
650g mushrooms, thickly sliced
Garlic bashed
Thyme laves, finely chopped
150ml red wine
150ml stock
S and p

For the polenta, put milk an 400ml water in a pan, add bay leaf, peppercorns, onio'/garlic. Bring to just below the boil and set aside to infuse 20 mins.
Meanwhile, heat half the oil and butter and cook half the mushrooms, S and p and cook until most of the juices have evaporated. Add half te garlic and thyme, cook for a minute more then tip onto a plate. Repeat with the other half.
Add first lot back to th pan, add the wine and stock and simmer for about 15 Mins until liquid is reduced by half.

Strain the infused milk, bring to a simmer, add the polenta, stir likke crazy, let it simmer for a minute. Remove from the heat, Add th butter, rosemary and cheese. Check the seasoning. Serve straight away topped with the ragout.
Serves 4.

Bumblebeez -- you also have Russian tarragon -- French tarragon doesn't flower.

Martha

Martha, I've never noticed flowers on the French tarragon that I have planted in the past. But according to a few articles I've read, French Tarragon does flower. But the flowers are sterile.

From Fine Gardening:

French tarragon plants grow up to 24 inches high and 12 inches wide in two years. The leaves are narrow, up to 2 inches long, and have a fresh green color. The flowers are tiny, pale green, and sterile.

And from lDaisyduckworth on GW Herbs:

French Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)
Also known as Estragon. A half-hardy perennial, growing to about 60cm high and 45cm wide. Has long, fibrous roots spreading by runners. Leaves have an Anise-like flavour and are much used in French cuisine. Woody stems are covered with lance-shaped, thin, blue-green leaves about 5cm long. Flowers are small and greenish-white, and are seldom fully opened.

Ann

The rosemary flowers....I don't have any tarragon.

Lars, When I worked in LA, it amazed me that I saw rosemary growing profusely in public places while I struggled to grow it in my herb garden. I thought it was me.

Here in Region 10, we have to grow Mexican tarragon. Took me a couple of seasons to figure out the French tarragon wasn't going to work.

Does anyone have a recipe for rosemary/olive oil bread? It's sold in Kroger's bakery in a rustic round shape, and I love the taste, but have never been able to duplicate their version.

Cathy, the USDA Zone Maps only take into consideration low temperatures. Humidity, high temps, wind, seasonal rains, etc. have huge impact on whether a plants thrives or fails. Even latitude isn't a good indicator. I'm basically the same latitude as Rome but we've sure got a different growing climate. :)

/tricia

I grow the Mexican Tarragon here, too, aka Texas Tarragon, or Mexican Mint Marigold, aka Tagetes lucida. It is no relation to French tarragon, but has a stronger, but similar flavor. It has beautiful yellow flowers in the late fall.

I love Rosemary. A simple way to enjoy it is with roasted potatoes. Just cut up some new potatoes into quarters, coat with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and some Rosemary, again to taste. Roast in the oven, at 400 degrees till done. I'm not exact on this recipe since I just wing it. I check for doneness every 20 minutes or so.

Sally

Mainecoonkitty, I love rosemary olive bread too, several grocers around here sell a fabulous artisan type.