There’s been a shift in the herbs that I’m picking from the garden to use in the kitchen. The summer herbs are just about over, now it’s time for the evergreen herbs to step forward and provide some flavour to see us through the next few months.
I’m keeping the last of the basil going for as long as possible – there’s one pot left on the kitchen windowsill, it still has some leaves but they’re getting a bit tough and the plant isn’t growing any new ones now. The mint and tarragon will soon disappear until next spring, I may get a few more pickings of leaves from them first.
Still with us too is the parsley, which should last right through the winter, as long as I don’t try to pick too many leaves all at once. But now is really the time of year when herbs like rosemary, thyme, bay and sage come into their own.
Rosemary and thyme I use pretty much year round, but for some reason sage seems more suited to the hearty dishes of autumn and winter. So it’s making a comeback in the kitchen after being given a break over the summer months. I’ve tried growing different varieties of sage – the standard green type, purple, and ‘Tricolor’ a pretty variegated variety, but the only one that survives in my garden is the green and gold variegated sage ‘Icterina’. It’s pretty and grows well – that’s enough for me.
I add sage leaves to risottos with pumpkin, sauté chopped sage with mushrooms, or cook them gently with onions. This soda bread uses some of the gently cooked sage and onions for flavouring. It’s a quick and easy bread to make when there’s no time to wait for yeast to do its thing. And even if there is time to make a yeasted bread, sometimes I make it just because we all like it – it’s that good!
Which seasonal herbs from the garden are you enjoying just now?
I’m linking this recipe to Karen’s Herbs on Saturday challenge. Its regular home is Karen’s blog at Lavender and Lovage, but this month Herbs on Saturday is visiting with Jen over at Blue Kitchen Bakes. Last month I was lucky enough to have my recipe for fennel & raisin biscotti chosen to win a book – a real honour as there were so many other great recipes. If you haven’t checked out Karen or Jen’s blogs already I would certainly recommend them for a visit – not just for the herbs, but all sorts of interesting food ideas.
But before you go, here’s the soda bread recipe…
Sage & Onion Soda Bread
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh sage leaves, chopped
freshly ground black pepper
a good grating of nutmeg
500g plain flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
200g natural yoghurt
200ml milk
Heat the butter in a small pan over a medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and cook gently until it has softened and become translucent. Add the sage, some black pepper and nutmeg, stir well then take the pan off the heat and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 190oC, 375F, gas 5. Grease a baking sheet with butter.
Sift the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar into a large mixing bowl. Add the cooled onion mixture and stir it all together to distribute the onions evenly through the flour. Make a well in the centre and add the yoghurt along with enough milk to bring everything together into a shaggy ball of dough, you may not need all of the milk. Form the dough into a round about 4″ (10cm) in depth. Put the shaped dough onto the prepared baking sheet, cut a cross in the top and place in the preheated oven. Bake for about 45 minutes – the bottom will sound hollow if you tap it when the bread is cooked through.
Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack for as long as you can resist it – it’s best eaten warm, so don’t leave it too long!
gardenfreshtomatoes said:
Oh, what a yummy bread recipe!
Funny, I’ve never gotten any of the varigated sages to overwinter, but good old Bergarten comes back better every year!
thegardendeli said:
I guess different plants suit different gardens – just a case of finding what works for your local conditions!
Andrea Mynard said:
This looks great, keep meaning to make soda bread as it’s one of those forgiving breads I reckon I could do in the woodburner oven. Using lots of sage, rosemary, thyme at moment too. Amazingly my variegated sage has survived last two winters, surprising as lots of things are lost in winter here up our hill. It’s planted right up against south facing wall of our house, the warmth from walls must help?
thegardendeli said:
Sounds like you’re gardening in extreme conditions there Andrea! Must admit I’m a bit envious of anyone who has a woodburner oven – I’d love to be able to cook pizzas and bread in a wood oven.
elaine said:
I must say that the herb I use most is thyme, especially lemon thyme, but I do have three varieties of sage but I rarely use them except with liver, I really must expand my repertoire
thegardendeli said:
Ah but thyme is a lovely herb too – I like both the ‘standard’ and the lemon forms.
Anne said:
This bread looks amazing Sarah!
thegardendeli said:
Thanks Anne – it tasted pretty good, though I say so myself!
Jen @ BlueKitchenBakes said:
This looks great, I love making soda bread when I want a quick loaf and the addition of herbs sounds like it would make an excellent loaf. Thanks for entering into Herbs On Saturday, can I ask you to check you added your link properly though as it isn’t showing up on my page. Thanks!
thegardendeli said:
Thanks Jen! I’ve tried adding the link again a couple of times, but it doesn’t seem to work for me – any ideas what I might be doing wrong?
Jen @ BlueKitchenBakes said:
No idea what went wrong but I’ve managed to add it for you, just wanted to make sure I don’t miss you out in the round up in a few weeks.
thegardendeli said:
Thank you – I’m not the best with technology, glad you were able to sort it out! Looking forward to the round up at the end of the month, there are always so many great ideas.
PJ Girl said:
Another great recipe thanks 🙂
I use thyme and rosemary more than anything at this time of year. My window sill basil has finally given up.. it was good whilst it lasted though! .
thegardendeli said:
It’s nice to have some seasonality with herbs though, isn’t it?
Liz said:
I do like the idea of this bread. I don’t use my sage as much as I should but funnily enough I used it tonight, in a sage and lemon chicken dish. I do like the combination of sage with chicken.
thegardendeli said:
Sage with lemon sounds pretty good too!
Promenade Claire said:
Lovely shots of the herbs, it’s days like these when I could do with a scratch and sniff monitor !
And yes the herbs are changing here, like you it is Rosemary and Sage. There are some straggly bits of Thyme left, plenty of Parsley and some Oregano. here’s to winter herbs !
thegardendeli said:
I’d forgotten about oregano – except for a few leaves scattered over a pizza now and then it doesn’t get much attention.
madcrowherbals said:
Yeah, winter herbs.
I grow some Basil in doors on my window seat and I’m pleasantly surprised it is still holding on even though that area near the windows gets quite cool this time of year.
Michael
thegardendeli said:
Enjoy your basil while you can – it’s a lovely herb, but definitely prefers warm summer days (I know how it feels!)
Karen @ Lavender and Lovage said:
I agree with you Sarah, I also think of sage as being a winter or autumn herb and look forward to using it more throughout the cooler months. Your soda bread looks absolutely wonderful and it is the perfect accompaniment for soups and stews, just a perfect entry for herbs on Saturday – thanks so much!
thegardendeli said:
Yup, sage is one of the good things about autumn and winter – it’s foggy and cold here today, so I’m struggling to think of any others just now!
Laura@howtocookgoodfood said:
I too love a good soda bread. There is nothing better to go with a bowl of home made soup. Yours sounds wonderful xx
thegardendeli said:
Thanks Laura! It’s certainly the right season for bowls of soup and thick slices of bread.
Annie_H said:
Just discovered your blog through The Pyjama Gardeners blog and will definitely be following for more recipes like the one above. Sounds delicious, will give that a try.
thegardendeli said:
Hi Annie, glad you found your way to my blog! I’m a big fan of the Pyjama Gardener’s blog – would love to have a garden like hers. And now I can visit your blog too!
sugarbeesblog said:
Really glad that I found your blog! I’m new to veggie gardening and can’t wait to learn as I go!
thegardendeli said:
Welcome to the world of vegetable growing – rewarding and frustrating in equal parts! Can’t guarantee the right answers, but if you have any questions feel free to ask!
Mhara Costello said:
Must try this version of soda bread! Sounds great! Remembered a short while back you asking for vegan recipes? Nowt flash, but good n healthy! Here’s a decent link!
http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/
thegardendeli said:
Thanks for the link – I’m always looking for new ideas for family meals so I’ll take a look at it.
Urvashi Roe said:
I’m not a big sage fan but this has inspired me to trim the parsley bush and make some bread. Have gotten lazy of late as we have a fab artisan baker right across the road
thegardendeli said:
An artisan baker just across the road sounds great!
Cathy said:
My picky eater won’t eat sage(!), so I sometimes make a little sage butter for myself for vegetables or pasta. At the moment I’m using my rosemary a lot, as I bring it in over winter. And there’s still some parsley in a sheltered spot. I must try this bread recipe (minus sage) though – glad you posted it Sarah!
thegardendeli said:
Rosemary or thyme would be good to flavour the onions too. After I made this my picky eater discovered that she did like soda bread after all – of course this may change again next week!
Cathy said:
Thyme is a good idea. Thanks!