Menefee finds bevy of flavors in her own backyard

Planting, harvesting and cooking with fresh herbs isn’t difficult, said Kathy Menefee, of Sedalia, and she loves to teach others her secrets of success.

While visiting her small backyard after a summer morning shower, you might think you’ve entered a garden paradise. Raindrops glisten on flowers such as tall perennial phlox, moonflowers, ferns, coleus, cleome and hosta. Growing in containers are tomatoes, sweet banana peppers and a multitude of herbs.

She calls this piece of paradise, “My secret garden.”

“I love to cook, but most of all (the garden is) my joy,” she said.

She spends at least two hours a day tending to her herbs, vegetables and flowers.

“I grow eight varieties of mint, 10 varieties of basil, five varieties of oregano, tarragon, Italian and curly leaf parsley, lemon grass, marjoram, bay leaf — I have to bring it in, in the winter — dill, fennel (and) lavender. I use that quiet a lot, and marshmallow (plant).

“You use the root, leaf and blossom. Originally that’s what they made marshmallows out of — the root.

“I grow a lot of my herbs in pots,” she added. “My very favorite is Cuban oregano. I’m very sad I don’t have it this year. It has an excellent, excellent flavor.”  

She also grows rosemary, thyme, cheval, lovage, stevia and cilantro, plus many other flowers and foliage plants.

I have something new, it’s called Malabar spinach,” she said. “They are a lot of fun. They vine up to 14 feet. I have it on a trellis. They are very pretty and very tasty. They are a perennial, but not in our zone.”

Malabar spinach, native to India, can be used like regular spinach. It’s tasty made into a salad with raspberries, strawberries and a lettuce mixture drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

“It’s interesting, before I realized how good herbs were, I used to grow herbs for beauty and aroma.”

Menefee has been cooking with fresh herbs for 20 years and she gives credit to her friends for their inspiration. They are “gourmet cooks,” Marilyn Kiefner and Barbara Guth from Prairieville and DeeAnna Parkhurst from Sedalia.

“They taught me a lot. That’s where my appreciation came from,” she said. “Through experimenting, that’s how I came to love to cook.

“Every Thursday night they would fix a meal,” she said of Kiefner and Guth. “I introduced them to tacos. It was a thrill to me to whip up something so simple.”

When cooking with Parkhurst, the two would dress the part. If they were cooking Chinese food, they would dress in Asian costumes.

“The two of us would get together and cook gourmet foods,” she said. “She had a great (influence) in my life toward cooking and herbs.”

Over the years Menefee has acquired a repertoire of recipes. Many recipes are her own creations like her “chicken a la Kate” prepared with basil and lovage. She makes a cream sauce, to serve over the chicken, out of sour cream, mushroom soup, garlic cheese, portabella mushrooms and fresh minced garlic.

Her roast lamb is made by piercing the meat and placing fresh garlic, tarragon and rosemary inside. She then bastes it with olive oil and sauterne wine. She serves the lamb with homemade mint jelly made from fresh apple mint, and biscuits made with rosemary, tarragon and parsley.

Beef tournedos are served with roasted potatoes made with fresh garlic, rosemary and sweet banana peppers.

She also makes her own herb butters that are used on meat or bread.

Menefee buys many of her herb plants locally, from a nursery in Lee’s Summit, and from Powell Gardens in Kansas City.

“Powell Gardens is like a gold mine for me,” she said. “People from all over grow herbs and then bring them in, and I like that. It’s a fun time to be there. I did learn you have to careful with basil. It cannot withstand any temperature below 50. I lost 12 varieties one year.

“The reason I grow so many (is) I like to experiment with different flavors.”   

Her favorite basil varieties are cinnamon, spicy globe, Italian and holy. Holy is mild and is delicious added to eggs, breads, butters and glazes.

Basil varieties lemon, lime and red ruffle are good in potatoes. Red ruffle is also great in salads.

Mint varieties are just as numerous as basil. Menefee grows hazelnut mint used in coffee or tea; curly leaf, lemon, lime, chocolate and lavender mint.

“Lavender itself is very strong,” she said. “But the mint (variety) itself is very mild.”

It is steeped for four to five minutes and the liquid is used for cakes, teas and glazes for icing.

Menefee said starting a basic herb garden isn’t difficult, but knowing the correct way to do it is important.

“I started out being very particular. Most herbs like a coarser sand.”

She suggested growing herbs in containers because it takes up less space. To plant in a container use 1/4 coarse sand, 1/4 humus and 1/2 potting soil in the pot.

“Don’t use moisture-control potting soil. That holds the moisture in and herbs do not like that.”

Most herbs need at least a half day to a full day of sun, and some are sensitive to over-watering.

“Thyme doesn’t like to get its feet wet,” she said.

Basil, rosemary, oregano and savory prefer drier soils. Menefee waters her herbs once a week.

“If we get into 100-degree weather, that’s a different thing. They need more water.”

For a basic backyard garden she said to plant basil, beginning with Italian before experimenting with other varieties. Oregano (Italian, Greek or Cuban), tarragon, dill, rosemary, chives, thyme, parsley and mint are also good choices.

You’ve got to have chives,” she said. “Mint isn’t just for tea, but it’s a good seasoning for any meat, beef, pork or lamb.”

Once you have established a basic garden, Menefee suggested trying other herbs such as winter and summer savory, cilantro, sweet marjoram, lemon balm, fennel, bay leaf, lavender and stevia.

“Stevia is much sweeter than sugar,” she said. “One stevia leaf will sweeten one cup of coffee or tea.”

Having a fresh supply of herbs in the winter when the garden is dormant is important. Menefee has found they freeze well. She suggested freezing them in ice cube trays with a little water, popping them out when frozen and storing in zipped freezer bags. Or if preferred, you can freeze them without water in small freezer bags. Herbs freeze well for six months.

Menefee will be teaching a class this fall at State Fair Community College for the Lifelong Learning program. “Herbs for Everyday Living” will run from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 21 and 28. The class costs $19 for both sessions and senior citizens receive a 75 percent discount.    
   
Beef tournedos

2 filets mignons or tournedos
2 pieces of bacon
Mushrooms of your choice (I use portabella)
Butter
Madeira wine

Heat three tablespoons of butter in skillet. Wrap bacon slices around tournedos; secure with a toothpick. Fry the tournedos in the butter on both sides three to four minutes for very rare, five to six for rare and seven to eight for medium-rare. If you plan to leave the bacon on, turn steaks on end and brown lightly. Serve on hot platter; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Madeira sauce:
Put 1/2-cup Madeira wine in a skillet; add 1/2-teaspoon tarragon (my favorite) or use other herbs, chervil, chives or rosemary and heat for five minutes, until the mixture bubbles. Remove and reserve.
Melt four tablespoons of butter in skillet and add one-pound of sliced mushrooms. Sauté for 10 minutes; add Madeira sauce, stir and serve on filets.

Roasted potatoes with herbs

12 new potatoes red, white or both
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 springs rosemary
1 yellow banana pepper, sliced
Sea salt and peppercorns to taste (optional)

Prepare potatoes; boil for 30 minutes with skin on (optional). In skillet put 1/2-cup olive oil; heat oil in skillet. Add potatoes, and brown; add rosemary, garlic and sliced banana pepper. Cook another 15 minutes, turning as they brown add sea salt and peppercorns last.

Bruschetta

Flavored oil:
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
4 tablespoons oregano, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
In a glass bowl combine garlic, basil, oregano and oil; cover and let stand at room temperature for two hours.

Topping:
8 fresh medium tomatoes, chopped
4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
14 slices of Baguette or Italian bread

Chop tomatoes and place in a bowl. Add garlic, oil, basil, and salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature one hour. Pour off liquid before using.

To prepare bruschetta; brush bread with flavored oil. Toast bread on both sides until golden. Serve hot with topping.

Mint jelly

1 1/2 cups mint leaves and stems, loosely packed
3 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Green food coloring
1/2 of 60-ounce liquid fruit pectin

Wash mint leaves and stems. Place in saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 10 minutes. Strain out mint leaves and stems, reserving 1 3/4-cups liquid. In a 4-quart kettle or Dutch oven combine mint liquid, lemon juice and green food coloring. Stir in sugar.

Bring mint mixture to full rolling boil. Stir in pectin. Boil hard, uncovered, one minute, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Quickly skim off foam with metal spoon. Pour hot jelly at once into hot sterilized half pint jars or glasses.

To seal with screw-top lids after pouring jelly into jar and screwing down lid; invert jar for a few seconds. Then turn jar upright. Allow to cool on rack. When cool, check the seal on each jar by pressing the lid with your finger tip. It should be solid.