I am sure you could almost guess what the weather has been around here, couldn’t you? Yep, raining. Again. I have been very concerned that my seeds would just wash away. But when I went out today to see what was going on, I found this …
Garden Cress. Isn’t it pretty? The leaves look like little stars. The watercress is still alive and growing, although slowly. My arugula and lettuce have also grown a bit.
In the bed where the Garden Cress has sprouted I can also see tiny sprouts from the Swiss Chard (too little to show up on camera). Nothing yet from the parsley or the Tom Thumb lettuce. I remember last year, it took the parsely f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get going. Usually the Tom Thumb germinates fairly easily. Maybe it washed?
We are due for more rain this evening. gah!
So while I was in the garden, I took advantage of not being rained upon and did an inventory of the herbs I have growing.
Dill.
Oregano.
Tarragon.
Scrawny Thyme. The snails had gotten into this pot, but they are gone for the moment and as you can see it is putting out new growth (lighter colored leaves).
Rosemary topiary.
and Spearmint. I also have Lemon Balm and Chives which I have shown you before.
I always grow tarragon for one special recipe. This recipe is the chicken salad from Eli Zabar’s restaurant in New York called EATS. When I would visit NYC I would eat this chicken salad almost every day, it was so amazing. So you can imagine how excited I was to find the recipe on Martha Stewart.com.
Ina Garten also makes a version of this, but she roasts her chicken. I have tried both thinking the roasted would be better. But I believe poaching is more like the original and I like it better.
Eli’s Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches
adapted from marthastewart.com
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2 whole chicken breasts, poached, boned, and skinned (I have used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and couldn’t tell any difference)
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1 loaf whole grain bread (this requires a substantial bread like a 7-grain bread ) cut into thick slices
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1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
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3/4 cup mayonnaise
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1 long sprig tarragon, chopped
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Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Cut poached chicken breasts into 1 inch chunks. Mix together with the lemon juice. Add mayonnaise, tarragon, and salt and pepper to chicken mixture. Mix to combine. (Martha’s recipe calls for 2 T. lemon juice but I find it is way too soupy. This chicken salad is very “wet” which is why the whole grain bread cut thickly is important. However, if it should be too dry for your taste, add more lemon juice.)
Place chicken salad between two slices of bread. Press firmly to flatten. Enjoy!
Here is a link to a printable copy of the recipe.
fromgardentotable 