The Herb and Garden Society “herb-a-licious” Event!

The Herb and Garden Society hosted a “herb-a-licious” event this summer on campus. MMC’s Chef Terry Wilson delivered an educational program about the herbs and how to use them as a healthy alternative to enhance flavor. This interactive program gave attendees the opportunity to taste, touch and smell a variety of herbs. Chef Terry also created several recipes to share… give them a try, we think you will love them!      

The Herb and Garden Society, established in 2022, has piqued the interest of many MMC residents and holds regularly scheduled educational events and trips throughout the year.  

Instructions:

• Put potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and add 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt. Continue cooking about 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
• Drain Well.
• When Potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half (or quarters if they are large). Place them in a large mixing bowl. While still hot, sprinkle them with 1 ½ Tbsp. vinegar.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, remaining tablespoon of vinegar, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, and pepper.
• Drizzle the dressing over the potato mixture and toss. Add the sliced onion and minced herbs and toss again. If needed, season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
• Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Keeps in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Please note: Measurements of spices for roasted mushrooms are estimates, and can be adjusted to suit your palate and needs. You can also substitute other dried spices, if one or more of the spices listed are not to your liking.

 Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 F Degrees
• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Ensure that the mushrooms are evenly coated.
• Spread mushrooms out onto large baking sheets with a rim (you may need two baking sheets to make sure mushrooms are in an even layer.
• Roast mushrooms in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir the mushrooms on the baking tray.
• Roast the mushrooms for an additional 10 minutes, and check on them. When stirring, if mushrooms still retain a lot of moisture, continue roasting another 10 minutes and repeat. There should be very little moisture or liquid on the pan when stirring the mushrooms.
• When most of the liquid has evaporated, take the mushrooms out of the oven and allow them to cool.

Soup

1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil

1 c. diced yellow onion

¾ c. diced celery

¾ c. diced carrot

Roasted Mushrooms

¾ c. long grain, par-boiled white rice

6-8 cups water (you can substitute chicken or beef stock, but be aware of salt content)

1-2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (optional)

Kosher Salt & Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

• In a 1 Gallon soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. When hot, add the onions, celery and carrots. Sauté until soft – you don’t want to brown the vegetables. Once soft, add the mushrooms and rice, and stir to heat the mushrooms through and toast the rice, about 2-3 minutes. 
• Add the water to the pot, and bring to a boil. (Start with 6 cups of water, you may need to add more if the rice and mushrooms absorb the water, leaving you with very little broth.) 
• Reduce to medium low heat, and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the rice is cooked through.
• If you would like, at this point you can add the lemon juice.
• Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper for seasoning. 
• Feel free to serve topped with a sprig of fresh parsley or chopped fresh chives for garnish.