I'm curious as to what you might use rosemary for. I toss it into sauteed vegies once in a while, and I'm currently munching on a bag of rosemary/olive oil potato chips from the store. I have a few rosemary bushes out front, and occasionally pick a sprig and toss it in with stew.

I must admit I'm not particularly fond of rosemary's taste w/the sole exception of on roasted potatotes. So I primarily use it to dry for sachets and just to place around the house for that particular smell one can only achieve from dried rosemary. It reminds me of every single dried flower barn or shed or store I've ever gone into.

Cinnamon is the prevalent odor that assails me when I enter stores nowadays. I don't think I've ever encountered dried rosemary scent in a store.
And hay is the main scent I've encountered in barns... must be your neck of the woods has different favorite scents?

Oh, I'm not talking about craft-type stores. Yes, all those cinnamon-scented pine cones in bags and cinnamon brooms can be a bit overwhelming bordering on nauseating. I'm talking about real, old-fashioned, in the country barns and farms and country-type shops where dried flowers are grown and dried on the premises. The predominant scents in those places are rosemary, artemesia, lavender and pearly everlasting. What can I say? I'm a dried flower junkie.

I use it for potatoes sauteed in olive oil.
Most folks cook pork tenderloin with rosemary.
I also have a lot dried to use in herb 'blends'.
My favorite is rosemary, basil,thyme,and oregano.
- small amount of rosemary,lots of basil.
Rosemary shrubs,eh? lol.
I had a 12 year old plant once upon a time in a large pot...my friend digs hers up every fall and brings it inside.

I find that rosemary, sage and chives make a nice mixture to make cheese balls. Do to 8 oz of cream cheese and 8 oz of grated cheddar what you would do to the same amount of stuffing..


You get this wonderful... stuffing flavored cheese ball! It always works to me!

For wine poached fish, cook with sprigs of fresh rosemary on top.
Delicious with chicken cooked in fresh lemon juice/water.
Use to put into a roast chicken's cavity.
Good in any type of soup, especially split pea soup.
Use as a green in flower bouquets, especially when it blooms.

Hi - I like to use rosemary, garlic & black pepper to flavour polenta.I often add mashed winter squash to this as well.(Rosemary & butter are terrific for flavouring baked winter squash.)

That flavour combo also makes a good marinade (w/ tamari) for baked tofu.

& I put it in olive bread - same combo - garlic, rosemary & black pepper - plus kalamata olives & extra-virgin olive oil (of course!)

& I also use it (sparingly) in Southwestern-flavoured dishes, combined w/ cumin, oregano, chiles & garlic/onions.

& it's a wonderful herb for facials - I put it in the water to steam my face - along w/ sage, mint & lavender.

I have 2 kinds of rosemary - pine-scented & an unnamed pale-flowering type started from a small cutting someone gave me.I like the tiny needles of pine-scented best because it is so powerful & perfume-y - a little goes a long way.

FWIW

Rosemary and garlic is a marriage made in heaven - though there are some recipes with rosemary without it, usually garlic is there, and often as the main flavor. Rosemary goes with so many different foods - pork, lamb, poultry, and fish, as well as countless vegetables, and it also blends well with some other other herbs. It also blends well in recipes with butter or olive oil. The main thing to remember when using it is to use a light touch - you can always add more, but you can't take too much out!

I was not overly fond of the pine scented variety the one time I grew it - it seemed overly strong in one part of the flavor, but lacking in something else...the silvery leafed low growing rosemary that supposedly resisted low temps (but didn't, at least here), also had an unbalanced flavor, IMO, when compared next to the regular rosemary. But, tastes are highly personal.

Here is a favorite recipe of mine, and one of my most requested when making a special dinner for somebody. It is based on a recipe from a favorite book of mine - "From Julia Child's Kitchen". BTW, it's easier than it looks, plus, it's one of those recipes that can be made in advance and improves in flavor. And check out the turnips thread for my favorite side dish with this - the mashed potatoes and turnips.

PORK RAGOUT

2 1/2 lbs boneless pork shoulder; cut in 1 1/2 in. cubes
2 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh rosemary; minced
1/8 tsp allspice
2-3 clove(s) garlic; chopped
2 tb olive oil
2 cup(s) onions; thinly sliced
1/2 cup(s) dry white vermouth
1 1/2-2 cup(s) fresh tomatoes; peeled, seeded, chopped
2 cup(s) cremini or white mushrooms
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 tb butter
1 pinch salt
1 1/2-2 tb cornstarch
2 tb white wine
1/4 cup(s) parsley (fresh); chopped
1/4 cup(s) créme frâiche; OR heavy cream

A. Combine the salt, alspice, herbs, and garlic in a mortar and pund to a paste. Combine with the meat in a stainless or ceramic bowl and mix to coat the meat. Press a pieces of plastis wrap onto the surface, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 2 days.

B. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. If pork has exuded juices pat it dry before browning. Heat a large skillet or saute pan over med-high heat, add oil, and brown the meat on all sides, removing pieces to a casserole as they are browned and adding another, until all are browned. If much fat cooked out, remove most of it (I usually have to add more oil as I go, meat has gotten so lean). When meat is all browned, add the onions and cook several minutes, until lightly browned. Deglaze the pan with the vermouth, and pour into the casserole. Add tomatoes, mix well, and bring to a simmer. Cover and place in oven. Bake 1 1/4-1 1/2 hrs., stirring a few times, until meat is tender.

C. Meanwhile, prepare mushrooms: wash and quarter them - if very large (2" or more) cut into soxths. Place in a small saucepan with the lemon juice, water, butter, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer 3 min. Pour liquid into casserole, and set mushrooms aside. Combine the starch and wine and set aside.

When meat is done, skim off any fat (if much cooked off), mix the starch/wine well, and pour most of it in, stirring until thickened, adding the rest if needed. Add mushrooms, and simmer, several minutes, stirring frequently. Off heat, stir in the creme fraiche, and serve, sprinkled with parsley, and with plenty of freshly baked bread, to soak up the sauce.


OPTIONS:

This can also be made using canned tomatoes, drained and chopped. The original herb in the recipe was thyme, which was also good, and I have also made it with a combination of sage and rosemary that was fantastic. If you have no creme fraiche, heavy cream will do, but the creme fraiche makes a difference.

Dave

I use Rosemary so much that my husband insisted on adding more this year. I'll just list a couple of ways...

Focacchia Bread: finely chop the rosemary and add 1 teaspoon to the dough--adding much more creates too strong a taste. Just before you bake it, brush the top with oil and sprinkle on about 1-2 teaspoons of chopped Rosemary, sea salt, and garlic powder.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken: Stuff a whole chicken with a handful of Rosemary [crush in your hands to release the oils]; sea salt & pepper; and a lemon that has been cut in half and squeezed into the cavity and on the skin of the chicken. Close the cavity by cutting a slit in the skin on each side of the cavity and bringing each leg across the opening to tuck into the slit[--neat trick I taught myself!--no need for string]! Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste the outside of the chicken. Bake like any other whole hen.

Both of these are super easy and always seem to impress my guests! Good luck!

I just grab a couple of big garlic bulbs, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle a bit of rosemary on top. Roast it for about half an hour, and spread it on Triscuits.

Rosemary is a wonderful herb to use on all meats. You can combine Rosemary with garlic,
Rosemary with thyme and lemon, Rosemary with Lemon and Garlic to make a marinade for meat.

I find Rosemary is wonderful with all Poultry and salmon. It is also excellent with lamb.
During the Holidays..Rosemary, sage & thyme add wonderful flavor to an onion based dressing.

I find Rosemary a little strong for some cooking... But You can't get enough of it when you want to make Potpourri.. combined with citrus peels (orange and lemon) cinnamon sticks, and other spices.

I've also known of people putting Rosemary in the Cedar chips to prevent fleas on Dogs.

I have a pizza stone that sits in the oven when its not being used and I keep rosemary branches on it, so if I want the kitchen to smell nice I just turn on the oven for a few minutes. It heats the rosemary and smells wonderful.

I love that idea, Pearl! I'm going to have to steal it, of course!

*I do something similiar: When I've made a fruit salad or for whatever reason I have fruit peels--orange, apple, etc.--I put everything into a pot of boiling water along with cinnamon and cloves and boil it. The scent is so yummy and my house smells like I've been cooking.

Fantasic idea, Pearl! I knew I would there had to a use for that pizza stone...besides pizza and bread, of course. I might have to try that with some of the old leaves from the basil, now that I found some I can grow indoors.

Dave