I have a very restrictive diet. When I find something that is easy to make, healthy, has no packaging involved, and can be used for several meals-I get very excited. I was pleasantly surprised by how amazing this tasted. It would make a great contribution to a potluck or holiday party. You only need to add artisan crackers or toasted sourdough bread on the side.  Shitake mushrooms really make the dish as they add a rich earthy taste. The texture and color really will remind you of traditional pate but this is a vegetarian option.

Mushroom and Rosemary Pate

1   1/2 cups of pecan halves toasted

2 TBSP of olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 pound of shitake mushrooms

3 TBSP of butter or substitute

1/2 cup of sliced green olives

2 TBSP of fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp of salt (less depending on your taste or your olives)

Saute onions in oil until soft

Add washed mushrooms to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped

Add mushrooms to pan and continue to saute until soft

Add pecans and rosemary to food processor and pulse

Add mushrooms, onions, salt, and olives to the nuts. Process until smooth

Serve at room temperature

I bring my rosemary inside of the house to overwinter. So it is the only fresh herb from my garden that I can use during the winter months. This pate is a great way to get a dose of Rosemary’s strong healing qualities. It is not an overpowering taste but it is not subtle either.

Rosemary is thought to tonify the nervous system and improves circulation to all parts of the body. When eaten with food it can improves the digestion of fats and starches. It contains small amounts of several vitamins and minerals. Rosemary has been used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, colds, gallstones, depression, fatigue, menstrual cramps, vertigo, migraines, and issues with the menstrual cycle. It is considered by some to be a cancer preventative. The Ancient Greeks used it to keep their memory clear when taking tests. It is very effective at preserving food.

Do you use rosemary when cooking. Do you prefer fresh or dried? I think I am now a convert towards fresh. The stuff in my cupboard is pretty sad looking.

If it is snowing outside and you need a warm nourishing treat, this is the perfect recipe to consider (along with hot vanilla steamers).

Bay Sticky Rice

3 TBSP of sushi rice

1 TBSP of butter

2 tsp of maple syrup

1 can of coconut milk

1 cup of milk or subsitute

3 fresh bay leaves

1/8 tsp of cardamon powder

Preheat the oven to 400. Grease an ovenproof dish. Add in the rice, maple syrup, cardamon and milks. Stir and then add in the bay leaves making sure to submerge them under your mixture so that they will not scorch. Finely dice the butter and scatter it over the surface.

Place your dish onto a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 and bake for an hour or until all liquid has been absorbed and your “pudding” is creamy and soft.

Serve warm.

Bay leaves are found in most grocery stores. I prefer to use fresh ones can be found packaged in plastic containers in the produce section. Dried bay leaves are pretty useless for medicine. If you plan to be simmering them for a long time in something like soup, as bouquet garni, they will impart flavor but not much else. I rarely use bottled pure essential oils for anything but “housecleaning”. They are just too concentrated and in my opinion hard to use safely as a layperson. I do use hydrosols, essential oils from the citrus family in baking, Chinese liniments, and on occasion eucalyptus essential oil (make sure to use a pure reputable source).

You may also know Bay as Laurel( not to be confused with Prunus laurocerasus or Umbellularia californica which are poisonous), an evergreen bush from the Mediterranean. Bay leaves are a rich green, shiny, lance shaped, and pointed on both ends. They are a bit tough and have leather like feel about them. White flowers grow in a cluster to later produce black/purple, oval berries.

The volatile oils found in both the leaves and berries can be used externally as a liniment for sore muscles, headache, sprains, arthritis or rheumatism. Historically an infusion has been used to treat fungal and bacterial infection of the skin, nails or scalp. A decoction mixed with honey can be applied to the chest for respiratory illness. Culinarily the leaves help with digestive issues by toning and stimulating the organs. This herb has been used to treat bloating/wind, menstrual pains, blood/energy stagnation, numbness, nerve damage, coughs/colds, jaundice, and edema. Bay leaves should always be removed and not consumed once they have been used for food or medicine. They make an effective insect repellent when placed in food containers or among books and textiles.

Contraindications: none if you have properly identified the right plant. As with all plants hight in volatile oils, use sparingly if pregnant.

I make this a lot because it is so versatile and will last in the refrigerator for months. It is a good substitute for all those dried particles in you cabinet that pass as spices. It contributes a lot of flavor, freshness, and “green” to those fall meals. It can dress up any protein, vegetable or grain. You can blend it into a soft cheese or sauce. I have used it to make salad dressings, marinades, etc. The possibilities are endless. I see it as a way to store sage over the cold times of the year until fresh is available again.

It is pretty easy to make. I coarsely chop the fresh sage. I turn the stove up to medium. I use a cast iron pan. I start with 1-2 TBSP of herb and brown it in 2 TBSP of butter until it crisps but still stays green. I scrape all the butter and bits out of the pan and put them in a small jar. I just keep going until the jar is filled and store it in the refrigerator.

Every garden has at least one “mother plant”. She is a perennial, one of the largest and most vigorous plants in the garden. She may be old, leggy, gnarly, asymmetrical and not as “pretty” as the other ones. She takes care of the other species in the area and she will take care of you. I have a sage plant like that now. I had one like that 30 years ago. She came to me one night in a dream. She was being hacked to pieces. When I visited her the next day in my community garden plot she had been dug out and destroyed by another gardener who did not understand the layout of the plots. She was the oldest plant in my garden. The only one living when I was first assigned the plot to rent. True story.

Sage is thought to be good for stress, depression, hot flashes, migraines, digestive issues, flu, arthritis pain and staph infections. She is a wonderful gargle for sore throats. As a bath she is has been used to address all kinds of skin issues. There is a long history of using her as a symbol of wisdom, longevity, and protection. I like hanging bundles of the fresh plant in my house, washing the floors with the tea, burning dried leaves to clean out energy from a space.

Is there an herb that you feel a strong connection to or have had unsual experiences with?