If you don’t like cilantro, close your browser right now, back away from the computer slowly and I’ll see you next week. If you love cilantro like I do, hang on to your butt, because I have a great one for you. Green / unripe coriander or cilantro seeds are one of my all-time favorite,…
Bee Balm / Bergamot / Wild Oregano / Monarda Fistulosa
Just a pinch of fresh monarda makes a tomato taste like pizza.
Wild bee balm, also known as bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is one of the hardest working wild herbs you can forage. If you're new to this wild herb, check out my introductory post on, then try my Salmoriglio sauce first.
Oven-Dried Tomatoes with Bee Balm and Ramp Leaves
This is one of my absolute favorite ways to preserve tomatoes—great for the bounty of tomato season, or even if you’re just craving good tomato flavor in the off season, which I often do. They’re made to mimic the oil-cured, semi-dried Italian tomatoes that restaurants often purchase from wholesale purveyors. If I say so myself,…
Eggplant Gratin with Tomato and Bee Balm
Early last fall I was planning a menu to be executed in someone’s home. It was going to start with a few appetizers, and the client wanted a selection of gluten free, vegetarian, as well as meat centered apps for guests to graze on before I served dinner. It was the very tail end of…
Wild Herb Brioche
Herbs mixes, herb salt, teas, all of them strike a chord with us that looks back to history: for thousands of years, humans have preserved nice smelling herbs because we like to cook with them. For a dinner I did last year, I wanted to make a bread flavored with herbs I gather, and after…
Homemade Italian Sausage with Bee Balm
I try to remember to dry as much stuff as I can to use during the Winter, which if you live in the Midwest you know can mean a lot of time in doors fighting cabin fever and looking for things to do. Inevitably I usually have plenty of bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) every year…
Wild Rice with Black Walnuts and Green Garlic
Here’s another one of my favorite dishes that I developed for the dinner at Piney Hill this year for Slow Food Minnesota’s “Where the Wild Things Are Dinner” which showcases local, wild ingredients. I knew we needed some sort of starch to help complete our meal, and for a whole bunch of people it needed…
Chimichurri with Bee Balm and Ramp Leaves
For a solid year, I had the pleasure of having a sous chef who was from Argentina. I brought him on since he had some good experience and I thought that his view of food and style could be a great help to the restaurant. I remember one day a VIP customer came in and…
Cornmeal Catfish with Bee Balm Salmoriglio Sauce
Here’s a great way to use that bee balm salmoriglio sauce: as a summery garnish to a piece of fish. Catfish is a great, often overlooked fish in restaurants, it’s meaty, and juicy, not to mention cheap. Fried in a crispy dredge of some seasoned cornmeal, it’s the beginning of a great meal. Summer time…
