Herbes De Napa Food

ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Arrange the tomato halves cut side up and close together on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the 6 tablespoons olive oil, the herbs, and the garlic. Spoon a little over each tomato half, stirring the mixture as you go.
• Broil until the tomatoes are soft and shriveled but still retain some moisture, 15 to 20 minutes. Timing will depend on how large, meaty and juicy the tomatoes are. Let cool completely, then peel and chop tomato halves roughly into a salsa cruda.

HERBS DE NAPA

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container away from light
• and heat for up to 4 months.

HERBES DE PROVENCE

Steps:

• Combine and mix well.
• Store the mixture in small airtight jars in a dark cool location.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH HERBES DE PROVENCE

Steps:

• Note Butternut squash should be peeled and seeded and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks. Leeks use the white and green parts. You can use regular stock in place of the water and omit the veggie stock powder. Also note that it can be any type of stock powder. Chicken would work best. You can add up to 3 tsp sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar If you like, stir in a tablespoon of basil or rosemary olive oil at the end for added flavor depth. I used basil.
• Finely chop squash. A food processor works well here. You should have 5 cups. Finely chop celery. Set aside with squash.
• Heat 2 tbsp of water and saute the leeks for 1 minutes. Note you can also use the basil olive oil for this if you are not keeping fat free. Saute the leeks for 1 minutes.
• Add the water and stock powder or add the stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in squash, celery, oats, Herbes de Provence and salt then return to boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook at gentle boil until squash is soft. About 15 minutes.
• Puree the soup with an immersion blender[I use the Phillips. works fine] or cool slightly and transfer in small batches to food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
• Stir in enough vinegar to heighten the flavors. Adjust salt if needed, and reheat if necessary. Garnish with the chives.
• From recipe "Cooking under pressure: After the initial sauté, cook all the ingredients in a pressure cooker for 4 minutes under high pressure. Use a quick-release method or allow the pressure to come down naturally. Proceed as directed in the recipe.".

OLIVE OIL AND HERBES DE PROVENCE BREAD

Steps:

• Stir the sugar and yeast into the water, and set aside for 10 minutes to dissolve.
• Put the olive oil and salt in a large mixing bowl, and add the yeast mixture.
• Beat in 1-1/2 cups/285 g of the flour, until smooth, along with the herbs.
• Work in the remaining cup/125 g flour, turning it onto the countertop to knead, until you have smooth, springy dough, 10 to 15 minutes. (I found 15 minutes yeilded a much better bread than 10 minutes).
• Cover with a tea towel and set in a warm place to rise to double, about 45 minutes.
• Punch the dough down and shape into a loaf. (I shaped mine into a ball by pressing the dough slightly flat, folding in the corners, pinching them together and then flipping the ball over with the pinched corners on the bottom. I then made three long slices in the top for steam to escape. This is how Laura did it on the show.).
• Let rise again 30 minutes (or not), and bake at 400ºF/200ºC for 25 minutes until done. I brush the loaf with an egg/milk wash before I bake it, but it's not necessary. The wash is 1 yolk beaten with a tablespoon or two of milk. You can also spray the loaf lightly with water, or put a pan of boiling water in the oven to give the bread a crispy crust.
• Let the bread cool a little before slicing to serve.