I know it must seem like I have skipped off to Mexico or some fairytale place far far away, but really I've just been a very bad blogger.
Actually I decided to impose a one-month moratorium on late-night blog surfing and digital scrapbooking on myself. The 30-day ban is over and I'm feeling more refreshed.
During the break I picked up the September issue of The Herb Companion. It has lots of great info on garlic, a story on late summer tapas, immunity-boosting mushrooms, harvesting and preserving your herbal crop for winter use and making herbal pet treats.
The article that surprised me was celebrity chef Mario Batali's two-page spread on Piastra cooking. Of course he's pitching his latest cookbook, Mario Batali Italian Grill, but the article includes a scrumptious Shrimp Rosemary recipe.
For this recipe you take sturdy eight-inch sprigs of rosemary, pull off most of the leaves from the top inch-or-so down and cut the bottom of each sprig on a diagonal to get a sharp point.
I have a thriving, waist-high rosemary bush in my back yard. This recipe gives me a delicious reason to go harvesting.
The recipe recommends leaving "a nice tuft of leaves at the top" to give the skewers a rustic, yet elegant look. The rosemary skewers infuse the shrimp with an aromatic, herbal fragrance. Of course, the skewers must be soaked first so they don't burn on the grill.
I say, this recipe is sounding better by the minute! Sadly, I drool over the photo in the magazine almost daily, but I haven't made this recipe yet. As soon as I do I will report back with photos.
Oh, and no, I am not getting paid to promote the magazine, Mario Batali or his grilling cookbook. I just really think this recipe looks scrumptious and am excited that I have the means to make rosemary skewers in my own backyard. Sometimes it pays to grow your own herbs, eh?
