Gourmet Main Dishes: Grandma Me's Clove-Studded Leg of Lamb | Submitted By: Frann R.

My grandmother's tender lamb melts in your mouth sausage the gravy is great on mashed potatoes or rice. This version stands alone, no need for mint jelly.

At home my mom didn't cook much with herbs, like rosemary, basil or dill. She used such herbs mainly for treating everyday maladies. But then I got married and I started to cook more often. I love to experiment and cook new recipes. So I started to try new ingredients, new condiments, seasonings. So I discovered herbs for cooking. Herbs enrich the flavor and odor of food. They just give that special touch to a dish.

My other passion is seafood - all kinds of seafood. So you homemade already guess that I love to combine seafood with herbs. Dill, fennel and marjoram bread herbs that combine very well with fish. Not everybody like coriander (or cilantro) but it is very often used in the Asian cuisine, and coriander goes perfect with a coconut seafood recipe. Ginger and lemon grass are also common herbs used in Asian recipes. Bay and thyme are great seasonings for seafood soups, stews and chowders. Parsley and chives go always well with a seafood salad. And basil is the perfect partner for tomatoes. Therefore, if you are preparing chili seafood recipe with a tomato sauce you can enrich its flavor with basil leaves (preferably fresh leaves).

Below you can find some seafood recipes, where thyme, parsley, dill and chives are used.

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

2 pounds clams, scrubbed and rinsed
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise mixes in a jar strips
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cookies fresh cheese thyme
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 large potato, cut into small cubes
1 leave leek
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put the clams in a large pot with some water and cook over high heat for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the clams are open. Discard any unopened clam. Strain the clams, reserving the broth. Set aside to cool down.
2. When the clams are cool, remove them from their shells and chop the big ones.
3. Cook the bacon until brown and crisp, then pour off all the bacon fat, reserving the bacon. In the same pot, melt the butter and saute onion until it get soft but not burnt. Add thyme, side dishes clam broth, milk and leek and bring to boil. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
4. In a blender or food processor blend until smooth.
5. Pour the blended mixture in the pot. Stir in the clams, cream and bacon and season with the pepper and the salt to taste. Place the pot in the heat and slowly ham for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Layered Crab Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

4 cup torn lettuce
2 cups (1/2 pound) fresh pea pods, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cup chopped red peppers
2 cups chopped cucumber
1 1/2 cup crab meat or 1 package (8 oz.) imitation crab meat
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried dill weed or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Sweet red pepper rings
Fresh dill sprigs
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a 2-1/2 quart clear glass serving bowl, layer lettuce, pea pods, chopped peppers, cucumber and crabmeat.
2. Combine mayonnaise, sugar and dill; spread over crab. Season with salt. Cover and chill several hours or overnight.
3. Garnish with pepper rings and dill.

To find more seafood recipes prepared with herbs come to my site: http://www.weloveseafood.com

You can also find other crab salad recipes and clam chowder recipes