Surrey Farms grows a variety of interesting and unusual herbs. Be creative! Click a link for recipes: green garlic. chocolate mint, Szechuan buzz buttons.
Seared Pork Cutlets With Green Garlic Salsa Verde
TOTAL TIME: 25 minutes
4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 3 tablespoons chopped mint
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic chives or regular chives
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped green garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
- 1/8 teaspoon chile flakes
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 eight-ounce boneless pork loin chops, butterflied (1/4-inch thick)
- Black pepper, as needed.
Directions:
- Combine the herbs, garlic, lemon, 1 teaspoon salt and chile flakes. Stir in 1/2 cup oil.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and reduce heat to
- medium-high.
- Add the pork and cook without moving, 3 minutes.
- Flip and cook until meat is just cooked through, about 3 minutes more.
- Let rest 5 minutes before serving, topped with salsa verde.
Adapted from The New York Times
Great dried and added to black tea or used by itself, chocolate mint also makes a nice addition to chocolate deserts or a surprise addition to breakfast breads.
Member Marjorie suggests: I use the mint each week now for mint green tea iced and even put some of that honey in it. Just dried in the sun on a tray. The chocolate mint was the best!
Chocolate Mint Sorbet
Ingredients:
- 5 C. water
- 2 C. sugar
- 3 oz. (2 packed cups) fresh chocolate mint (can substitute spearmint or peppermint)
- 14 oz. bittersweet chocolate
- 1/4 t. salt
Directions:
- Remove mint from stems and crush leaves slightly.
- Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and stir to dissolve sugar.
- Add mint to the saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and allow to steep at least 30 minutes.
- Chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl.
- Strain the mint mixture and return to the saucepan.
- Bring mint syrup to a boil and pour over the chocolate mixture.
- Stir until smooth, then strain again and add salt.
- Chill thoroughly before freezing according to ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions.
Szechuan buzz buttons are a versatile herb is used with seafood, raw fish, and cocktails.
Here are some creative ways to use Szechuan buzz buttons in drinks.
For the mildest buzz, mix them in: Use a cocktail shaker, muddler, or blender to integrate Szechuan buttons into your drinks to impart a mild and inconsistent tingle. This is a great choice for drinks where you want an almost ethereal buzz without overpowering your drink. You can also simply sprinkle the petals on top.
For the strongest effect, have the drinkers chew on some of the petals and then drink the cocktail/cooler. It takes a few seconds for the tingle to take effect, so the tingle will hit as they’re drinking. Chewing the petals imparts a much stronger buzz that lasts longer, so it should carry the drinker through most of the cocktail.
You can combine these two methods by mixing the petals from half a button into each drink and then garnishing with the other half to be chewed. This gives the initial wow factor while also imparting more mild tingling to carry them through later sips.
For a more even buzz, infuse the beverage with the buttons.
Slow infusions: Steeping Szechuan buttons in your cocktail ingredients evenly distributes a slight buzz throughout the cocktail. Here are two slow infusion recipes:
Szechuan Button Infused Gin
8 oz of gin
2 Szechuan buttons
- Pull the petals off of the buttons and mash them with a mortar and pestle or muddler.
- Add to the gin and let macerate for at least four hours, though overnight or even longer would be better. We tried it after two weeks and it was delicious!
Szechuan Button Infused Citrus Juice
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
2 Szechuan buttons
- Pull the petals off of the buttons and mash them with a mortar and pestle or muddler. Juice the citrus fruits.
- Stir the mashed petals into the citrus juices and let macerate for at least four hours. After a few days, the electric sensation subsided, so be sure to use this immediately.
Fast infusions: You can use flash-infusion to infuse the alcohol very quickly. This technique requires a cream whipper.
120 ml of room-temperature alcohol (gin, tequila, etc)
6 Szechuan buttons
1 N2O charger for cream whippers
Equipment:
Fine mesh strainer
Cream whipper/foamer (we use an iSi Gourmet Whip Plus .5L)
- Chop Szechuan buttons with a knife.
- Combine buttons in the whipper with the alcohol.
- Charge the whipper with the N2O.
- Swirl the base of the whipper for 30 seconds.
- Let sit for 5-10 minutes (even longer may be even better) depending on desired strength. Longer = more tingle.
- Release the gas from the whipper.
- Unscrew the top & pour the alcohol out through the strainer.
- Serve on the rocks or use in cocktails
Some other creative mixed-drinks recipes:
Tootsie Pop Rock Martini
1 part Amaretto
1 part white creme de cacao
2 parts vodka
4 parts cranberry pomegranate juice
Szechuan buttons
Pour spirits over ice in a rocks glass and stir to combine. Garnish by sprinkling Szechuan button strands across the top.
African Lightening
1 part Amarula Cream Liqueur
1 part Finlandia Vodka
sechuan button, separated into strands for garnish
Pour spirits over ice in a rocks glass and stir to combine. Garnish by sprinkling Szechuan button strands across the top.
Child’s Play
2 oz. Three-O Bubble vodka
1 oz. ginger ale
1 oz. cranberry or pomegranate juice
Szchuan button, separated into strands for garnish
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish by sprinkling Szchuan button strands across the top. Each sip is a reminder of the childhood pleasures of Bazooka gum and PopRocks candy.
Thepreceding recipes are courtesy of Marx Foods Web Site, NYC.
‘Lectric Carrot
From First Make a Roux comes this colorful drink that pairs buttons with carrot juice for its electric color and with some fresh ginger for a hint of warm spice.
The result is a tasty drink that lets the electricity of the buttons come through.
Combine the following in a martini shaker:
1 shot vodka
1 shot triple sec
1 shot carrot juice
1 shot grapefruit juice
1/2 tsp grated ginger
2 Szechuan buttons
- Use an immersion blender to blend the Szechuan buttons completely into the cocktail mixture.
- Add ice to fill the shaker.
- Shake until icy cold.
- Pour into a martini glass.
- Garnish with a slice of ginger and an additional Szechuan button.
Batida de Natal
*fivestarfoodie*
Ingredients
4 oz condensed milk (I used fat-free)
1/2 cup Port
Splash of Cachaça (or vodka/cognac to substitute)
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
1/3 cup crushed ice
2 Szechuan buttons
Ingredients
In a blender cup, combine condensed milk, Port, Cognac, walnuts, and ice and blend with an immersion blender. Pour into individual glasses and sprinkle Szechuan button petals over the top.
Bite My Sweet Tarts-tini
* athomewithrebecka*
Ingredients
Drink Mix
2 Szechuan Buttons
1-2/3 ounce Orange Flavor Vodka
1-2/3 ounce Ceren Vodka
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
2/3 ounce Galliano
2/3 ounce Angostura bitters
2 ounces sour mix
1 12 ounce bottle Strawberry soda
Tonic water
Garnish
2 Szechuan Buttons
1 package Smarties
1 package sugar cured green cherries
1 box Sweethearts
Fill 2 cocktail glasses with ice to chill,
fill large shaker 1/4 full with ice, pour vodkas, Grand Marnier
Galliano, Angostura Bitters, sour mix over ice, shake vigorously.
Remove ice from glasses, run a lime wedge around the rim of glasses and dip rim in sugar mixture, pour half of the cocktail mixture into glasses distributing liquid evenly, the top half of glass will be empty, fill 1/4 of the empty space with Strawberry Soda and other 1/4 with Tonic Water, drop 3 whole Sweet Tarts into each drink.
Garnish Preparation
using a clean coffee grinder, pulse Smarties (about 10-12 pieces) until resembles course powder, pour into a saucer, cut entire head of 2 Szechuan buttons into fine pieces and add to Smarties sugar, toss gently to combine. Garnish drink with 2 Sun-Ripe green cherries and 1 whole Szechuan Button
Surrey Farms 