Harvest Entertaining Ideas

Herbs and Spices Add Flavor to Harvest Meals

Experimenting with new herbs and spices is one of the easiest ways to add to your repertoire of entertaining recipes. Something as simple as exchanging rosemary for thyme in your usual marinade recipe, for instance, can make all the difference in the world.

We suggest that you always use the freshest herbs and spices possible for best flavor. Ideally, you’ve got an herb garden or at least a half-barrel filled with fresh herbs on your patio. If not, you can easily find fresh herbs at most grocery stores.  Dried herbs and spices are a good, readily available option. When purchasing new jars of herbs and spices, be sure to jot the month and the year of purchase on the label or bottle cap. Then you’ll easily be able to toss any bottles that are over a year or so old. That way you’ll ensure that you’re always cooking with the freshest possible ingredients.

Here are some of our favorite ways to use herbs and spices to add flavor to everyday foods.

Marinated cheese: If you’re looking for a quick but flavorful appetizer, try marinating chunks of feta cheese or goat cheese and then serving them with crackers or toasted baguette slices. Toast cumin seeds, coriander seeds and crushed red pepper flakes in a small pan. Combine with olive oil, crushed garlic, lemon zest, minced fresh basil and rosemary. Add cheese and marinate overnight or up to a week before serving. Pair with our Silverado Vineburg Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

Mushrooms with Herbs: Clean a selection of button mushrooms, and simmer them in a mixture of dry white wine, Silverado Vineyards Soda Creek Ranch Olive Oil, minced shallots, dried thyme, oregano, peppercorns, coriander seeds and bay leaves for about 10 or 15 minutes. Let cool, and refrigerate mushrooms in cooking liquid for up to a week before serving. Silverado Vineyards Merlot is a nice match for these appetizer mushrooms.

Flavorful dressings: You can make a classic green goddess dressing to drizzle over greens, cooked vegetables or even poached fish by combining mayonnaise in a food processor with a few anchovies, fresh tarragon, parsley, chives, green onion and a dash of tarragon vinegar. To make a simple basil-flavored salad dressing, just blend buttermilk and mayonnaise with chopped fresh basil leaves and fresh garlic.

Herb-roasted Potatoes: Clean a selection of small potatoes – Yukon Gold, purple potatoes, red creamers, etc. – and cut into uniform chunks.  Boil potatoes for 10 minutes, until just barely tender, drain and place in a roasting pan. Toss with Silverado Vineyards Soda Creek Ranch Olive Oil, halved garlic cloves and chopped fresh rosemary, thyme and parsley. Top with a sprinkle of paprika and roast until fork tender. Serve with your favorite Silverado Vineyards wine.

Savory Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms: Saute Italian sausage until cooked and crumbled. Combine with dried bread crumbs, shredded provolone cheese, chopped garlic, parsley, rosemary, oregano and a little Silverado Vineyards Soda Creek Ranch Olive Oil. Pack mixture into Portobello mushroom caps and bake until stuffing is browned and mushrooms are cooked. Serve with Silverado Vineyards Sangiovese or Merlot.

Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Herbs: Combine garlic cloves, fresh mint leaves, parsley, rosemary, dried herbes de Provence, black pepper and Silverado Vineyards Soda Creek Ranch Olive Oil in a food processor and puree to make a paste. Coat lamb with the paste several hours before cooking. Serve with Silverado Vineyards Merlot or Sangiovese Rosato.

Exotic Steak Marinade: If you’ve got an adventurous palate, make an unusual steak marinade by combining crushed cardamom pods and bay leaves, chopped garlic, star anise, red wine vinegar, dry white wine, honey and soy sauce. Let steaks marinate for several hours or overnight before grilling. Serve with Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon.