Rosemary, Maple & Mustard Pork

Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs, yet for a long time the only thing I ever combined it with was roasted baby red skin potatoes. Until this summer, when a friend started giving me lots of fresh rosemary from her garden.

The herb goes really well with other vegetables, too, as in Fresh Corn & Rosemary Basil Pesto.

Now that fall has arrived, it seemed fitting to use rosemary to flavor a pork roast for dinner. You probably already have everything else you need to make this marinade and sauce: olive oil, maple syrup and mustard are blended with the rosemary.

To me, this combination of flavors truly tastes like fall.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Rosemary, Maple & Mustard Pork
Inspired by this recipe from Eating Well

1 2-3 pound pork roast or pork loin roast
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

Prick pork roast all over with a fork. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, rosemary, maple syrup and mustard.

Lightly coat a roasting pan with cooking spray. Place pork roast in pan. Pour about half of the sauce on top of the pork roast. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.

Set aside the rest of the sauce and keep at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place roasting pan in oven. Cook for about 1 hour, or until pork is no longer pink inside.

Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. If your roast is wrapped in a string net, remove string, then slice pork roast. Top with remaining sauce.

Fresh Corn & Rosemary Basil Pesto

I'm lucky to receive a steady supply of fresh rosemary from my friend Robin, who loves to cook as much as I do.

I decided to try making a pesto with my latest bundle of this fragrant herb. A recipe for herbed corn salsa in a recent issue of Good Housekeeping magazine inspired me. I just knew the pungent sauce would go well with some sweet, crisp corn.

This side dish goes well with grilled meats such as chicken or steak.

A little rosemary goes a long way, so to preserve what remained, I minced the rosemary leaves, blended them with a little olive oil and filled up an ice cube tray (which Robin also supplied). After freezing overnight, I removed the squares from the tray and put them into a zip-top freezer bag. Now I have perfectly sized cubes of rosemary ready to pop into all kinds of dishes.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Fresh Corn & Rosemary Basil Pesto

3 large ears of corn, grilled or cooked in the microwave
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Grill the ears of corn, shucked, until some kernels start to brown — or follow these directions for cooking the corn in the microwave.

Using a food processor, blend the basil, rosemary, Parmesan, garlic and salt until finely chopped. Add the lemon juice and olive oil and pulse until just combined.

Cut the kernels off the corn cobs (try this trick) and place the corn into a medium bowl. Add the pesto and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve and enjoy!

Packet Potatoes

It's finally starting to feel like summer here in Illinois: hot and humid. That means the last thing I want to do for dinner is turn on the oven. Thank goodness for my grill.

These potatoes come out tender and mellow with just a little bit of crispness around the edges. The combination of garlic and rosemary is a savory favorite of mine and milk adds sweetness that tastes so good with the onions.

This is an ideal side for a main dish like grilled chicken or London broil. The leftovers hold up well and can be turned into breakfast after a quick toss in a skillet with some chopped red or green bell peppers to freshen them up. Serve alongside some fried or scrambled eggs.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Packet Potatoes
Inspired by Guy Fieri

3 pounds potatoes (Yukon or Russet or Idaho), thinly sliced into rounds
1 small to medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup milk (2% or whole)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried or fresh rosemary leaves, crushed or chopped

Heat grill to medium.

Mix all ingredients in large bowl.

Take a 20-inch sheet of aluminum foil and fold it in half. Place half of the potato mixture on foil and fold up edges about a 1/2 inch. Repeat for the remaining potatoes.

Top with another piece of foil and crimp around all edges, wrapping bottom foil up.

Place foil packets on heated grill and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Wearing oven mitts, use a large flat spatula to remove foil packets from grill and place on a cookie sheet. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Remove top piece of foil and serve — straight from the packet or after you transfer potatoes to a serving dish for a nicer presentation.