Best Herb Paste Recipes

ROASTED HALVED CHICKEN WITH GARLIC-HERB PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Garlic-Herb Paste: Combine the rosemary, lemon zest, garlic, olive oil, cayenne, Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, in a small bowl. Stir to incorporate.
• Rub chicken with Garlic-Herb Paste. Let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Coat a large cast iron skillet lightly with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Oil the bottom of a second cast iron skillet, of equal or smaller size.
• Put the chicken, skin side down, in first pan, and top it with the second pan, oiled-side down on top of the chicken. If you don't have a second cast iron skillet, use a regular pan and weigh it down with 2 heavy cans. Sear chicken until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove top skillet, flip the chicken and transfer to the oven. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

FRESH HAM WITH GREEN-HERB PASTE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees with rack positioned as low as possible. To make the green-herb paste, combine garlic, rosemary, oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper in the bowl of a food processor; pulse to combine. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube, and process until just combined but some texture still remains. Green-herb paste can be made 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container, refrigerated, until you're ready to cook the ham.
• To make the ham, you will need a large roasting pan; we used a 14-by-18-inch one. If you can cook a 20-pound turkey in the pan, the ham will fit; just make sure the pan fits in your oven. Arrange onion rounds in the bottom of the pan. Place 8 rosemary sprigs and 2 dozen bay leaves on top of the onions; this onion-herb bed will keep the ham from burning and will make an aromatic gravy.
• While ham is still cold, score the skin and fat: Using a sharp slicing knife, cut large diamonds, spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart, through both the skin and the fat. The uncooked meat should be moist and reddish pink, and the fat should be very white and smooth. Don't be alarmed by the amount of fat under the skin; it melts, shrinks, and crisps while cooking, making the meat tender. Using a paring knife, make a slit in the meat at each intersection; insert a sliver or two of garlic and a tuft of rosemary into each.
• Transfer ham, scored-side up, to pan. Using your fingers, rub 1/2 cup green-herb paste into the cut areas, over the skin and over the exposed end piece. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
• Tie ham crosswise in 2 or 3 places with kitchen twine. Make a bay wreath around the shank bone: Tie a piece of twine around the bone; tuck remaining bay leaves under the twine. Let ham sit at room temperature until no longer cold to the touch, about 30 minutes; if it goes into the oven too cold, it won't cook through. Cook ham 1 hour. Slide out the pan on the rack. Slowly pour 3/4 cup wine over ham; rub more paste into cut areas as they expand and release juices. Bake 3 1/2 to 5 hours more, basting with wine every hour and rubbing in more paste as needed, until an instant-read thermometer registers between 145 degrees and 155 degrees when it is inserted into 2 different sections of the center; be careful not to insert the thermometer next to the bone, or the reading will be incorrect. Cooking times will vary with the size of the ham, the weight of the pan, and the heat of the oven, so an instant-read thermometer is essential. While roasting, reverse orientation of pan for even browning, and tent ham with foil if the outside is cooking too quickly. Remove ham from oven, and let rest; the internal temperature will rise 5 degrees to 10 degrees more.
• When cool enough to handle, transfer ham to a platter garnished with rosemary and dandelion greens; remove twine. For easiest slicing, let ham rest 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Discard onions and rosemary; pour remaining liquid into a fat separator. Place pan over high heat. Add 1/2 cup water; once liquid bubbles, scrape bottom with a wooden spoon to dislodge any cooked-on bits. Cook until mixture reduces slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove fat from reserved liquid, and add liquid to pan. Heat through, strain, and serve with the ham.

LAMB WITH HERB PASTE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425º. Remove as much of the surface fat as is practical from the lamb. Combine the parsley, dill, oil, anchovies and garlic in a food processor (if you're not using the anchovies, add some salt). Purée, adding a little water if necessary. Rub the lamb with this mixture.
• Put the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan with about 1/2 cup of water. Roast for 30 minutes, then check; if the lamb threatens to burn, turn the heat down to 350º; otherwise leave it at 425º. If the bottom dries out (the rendering lamb fat should keep it moist), add a little more water. After about 1 hour (total), check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. When it reaches 130 for medium rare (125 for very rare) in its thickest part (check it in several places), it's done. Total cooking time will be less than 1 1/2 hours. Remove and let it rest.
• Pour off and reserve all but 2 tablespoons of the fat and put the pan over a burner (or two, if it fits better). Toast the bread crumbs over low heat, stirring and seasoning with salt and pepper until they're lightly browned. Remove; add another couple of tablespoons of the fat to the pan. Add the pine nuts, raisins and spinach and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the spinach is very tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Carve the lamb and serve it on a bed of spinach, sprinkled with the bread crumbs.

ROASTED HALVED CHICKEN WITH GARLIC-HERB PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Garlic-Herb Paste: Combine the rosemary, lemon zest, lemon juice,garlic, olive oil, cayenne, Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, in a small bowl. Stir to incorporate.
• Rub chicken with Garlic-Herb Paste. Let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Coat a large cast iron skillet lightly with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Oil the bottom of a second cast iron skillet, of equal or smaller size.
• Put the chicken, skin side down, in first pan, and top it with the second pan, oiled-side down on top of the chicken. Sear chicken until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Remove top skillet, flip the chicken and transfer to the oven. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes.
• Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

LEMON HERB MARINADE / PASTE FOR CHICKEN, PORK AND FISH

Steps:

• Drop everything into a food processor as is. Rind on lemon and all. The finished product is a thick paste. If you want to thin it out, you can add more olive oil, or omit the rind of the lemons. I prefer the paste and dip each piece of meat in the food processor by hand before transferring to the Ziploc bag to make sure it's well coated. Depending on what I'm marinating, I will let it sit in the mixture for 24-72 hours. I've used it in as few as 6 hours and it's still excellent.
• Because this is more of a paste than a marinade, you can stretch it a long way. While this only yields a few cups, it is more than enough for a pack of boneless skinless breasts and family pack of pork chops.

HERB PASTE

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth, scraping down the sides and adding more oil as necessary.

HAM WITH GREEN HERB PASTE

Steps:

• 5.Tie ham crosswise in 2 or 3 places with kitchen twine. Make a bay wreath around the shank bone: Tie a piece of twine around the bone; tuck remaining bay leaves under the twine. Let ham sit at room temperature until no longer cold to the touch, about 30 minutes; if it goes into the oven too cold, it won't cook through. Cook ham 1 hour. Slide out the pan on the rack. Slowly pour 3/4 cup wine over ham; rub more paste into cut areas as they expand and release juices. Bake 3 1/2 to 5 hours more, basting with wine every hour and rubbing in more paste as needed, until an instant-read thermometer registers between 145 degrees and 155 degrees when it is inserted into 2 different sections of the center; be careful not to insert the thermometer next to the bone, or the reading will be incorrect. Cooking times will vary with the size of the ham, the weight of the pan, and the heat of the oven, so an instant-read thermometer is essential. While roasting, reverse orientation of pan for even browning, and tent ham with foil if the outside is cooking too quickly. Remove ham from oven, and let rest; the internal temperature will rise 5 degrees to 10 degrees more. When cool enough to handle, transfer ham to a platter garnished with rosemary and dandelion greens; remove twine. For easiest slicing, let ham rest 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Discard onions and rosemary; pour remaining liquid into a fat separator. Place pan over high heat. Add 1/2 cup water; once liquid bubbles, scrape bottom with a wooden spoon to dislodge any cooked-on bits. Cook until mixture reduces slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove fat from reserved liquid, and add liquid to pan. Heat through, strain, and serve with the ham.

PRIME RIB HERB PASTE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and even. Spread evenly over the surface of the prime rib roast.