Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tbsp mustard (spicy brown or Dijon)
3 cloves peeled garlic, roughly chopped
3 – 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped roughly
1 tsp salt
many grinds of fresh pepper
Put all of these ingredients in a deep bowl or measuring cup (large enough to use with an immersion blender*). Blend them until the marinade is thickened and all the rosemary is well chopped.
How to use this marinade: I brush it on everything I grill. It is my standby favorite. It is thick enough that it sticks to my vegetables and I love the rosemary and mustard combination. One of my very favorite ways to use it is to roast the following vegetables:
eggplant
mushrooms
onions
summer squash
Then chop all the roasted vegetables, combine with fettuccine pasta, and add some marinade to the pasta for sauce. Serve with Parmesan.
This would also be great on tofu.
Recipe Note: I have never used a marinade on meat (because I have never been a meat eater) so I can’t say if the proportions of vinegar and salt are enough to partially cook meat before being grilled as marinades are often used for. I do know that this is a very flavorful way to dress anything you want to grill or broil. I don’t use it as a salad dressing because I don’t like rosemary for my salad as I think it’s too strong.
*If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a regular blender. Or a food processor. And then let me convince you that an immersion blender is so much better than a regular one.
YUM. Rosemary is my favorite!
Okay, between this and the pears, I have soo much to try, once I’m back in my own kitchen again!
As long as we’re sharing recipes, you may like this one: http://unintentionalwildlife.blogspot.com/2009/05/mothers-day-mustard.html That’s my mom’s new blog, and the country mustard she’s been making for years.
I can answer the marinade question for meat.
When making a salad dressing, you are adding (generally) 2/3 oil to 1/3 vinegar. This combo is reversed for a marinade. Therefore, you will add 2/3 acidity to 1/3 oil.
The acidity in a marinade can also be a combination of flavors. Citrus juices are excellent tenderizers, and add a lot of flavor. In that case, I add 1/3 citrus juice with 1/3 cider vinegar (it has low acidity) and add extra garlic and herbs.
!Delicioso!
Thank you Mrs. Carlton! (Casa de Lulu is the other headmistress of Stitch and Boots). That is excellent information! Perhaps you could supply us with your favorite marinade that you use for meat? I like the rosemary marinade for vegetables because it’s thick enough to stick to the vegetables. Since they don’t have to be tenderized the acidity isn’t important- but I think your information points out that it’s more of a dressing since it’s used for mostly the flavoring.
I love rosemary too. I just realized that I need a second rosemary plant. My big one got damaged this winter in the crazy snow we had. I’ve been waiting for fresh growth to trim some for rosemary potatoes but I’m afraid to take much until the plant makes a better recovery.
Hmmm….I’d be glad to! Give me a few days to grill one up!
oh OH! This is what I shall do with my poor little rosemary plant. This looks fantastic.