Drought over? Garden flourishing! That lemon verbena I planted 4 years ago, the one that struggled along throughout it all, is a big and bushy as the nose on the face of The Lorax. I planted lemon verbena for its seductive floral-citrus scent. I planted it right next to the patio door to enjoy its fragrance every time I brushed past it. I think that aromatic fantasy may finally happen. We’ll see… nonetheless, it’s a graceful herb that makes a lovely cuppa tea.
In fact, I’ve already made lemon verbena tea a couple of times this year. But there’s no post there. You don’t want to read about my quiet moments with homegrown herbal tea. So today I’m harvesting just enough to get my creative juices flowing.
Lemon Verbena
If you love lemon flavor, make room for lemon verbena in your garden. But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. Do you know lemon verbena? It’s not a common herb where I live. Maybe I should start there. Lemon verbena is a bushy herb that’s native to South America. It has a distinct lemon lilt, though I don’t consider it a replacement for the lemon. Neither does it taste like any of the other lemon-based herbs you may be familiar with, like lemon balm, lemon mint, lemon thyme, and lemongrass. It has a lighter, less aggressive flavor which can be best described as lemon perfume. It has none of a lemon’s astringency, its clean, herbal taste evokes warm weather – powerfully fragrant with no hard edges.
So, as I was brushing past the patio door, I grabbed a fistful and came into the kitchen.
This is one of those recipes that goes like this: what have I got? what do I want? and how do I put them both together? Asparagus with Mozzarella and Lemon Verbena Vinaigrette. GREG
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh lemon verbena
- 2 tablespoon shallots (minced)
- 1 clove garlic (peeled and minced)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon cider vinegar
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (as needed for seasoning)
- 1 pound thick asparagus spears
- 2 ounce low-moisture mozzarella cheese (cut ½‑inch dice)
- fresh whole lemon verbena leaves (as garnish)
Directions
Make the lemon verbena vinaigrette: Melt the butter in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat until brown and foamy. Continue heating, swirling the pan often, until bubbles begin to subside and gives off a nutty aroma. Take care not to burn the butter. It can go from brown to burnt very quickly. Remove from heat and stir in chopped lemon verbena, minced shallots, and garlic. It should sizzle. Wait 2 or 3 minutes and then transfer the mixture to a small jar with a lid. Add olive oil and cider vinegar. Shake to emulsify and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Make the asparagus: Using a vegetable peeler, lightly peel the asparagus spears to within about 3‑inches of the tip (peeling the asparagus is optional but will improve texture). Cut off woody bases of asparagus. Rinse and drain the asparagus and then cut them in half lengthwise (this is optional and may be unnecessary for thinner spears)
Drizzle some water onto 4 paper towels, just enough to barely dampen them. Spread out the paper towels and lay the asparagus on top of the dampened towels. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt. Roll up the asparagus in the dampened towels, twist or fold the ends closed. Lay the bundle, seam side down, in the microwave. Microwave on high until the asparagus is just tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the microwave using tongs and carefully unwrap.
Transfer asparagus to a heatproof serving plate. Top with cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Broil 4 inches from heat for about 2 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown in places.
Remove from heat, drizzle with freshly shaken lemon verbena vinaigrette to taste. Garnish with lemon verbena leaves.
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This recipe invokes thoughts of summer for me, perfect timing since our nice, warm temperatures of 80° F have plummeted to 50° F! I have not thought of adding lemon verbena to my herb garden, but now that you’ve mentioned it, I will definitely do it! The vinaigrette sounds wonderful and the asparagus with mozzarella looks divine!
Lovely, and a wonderful idea. I used to be able to find it — it’s an annual where I live — but haven’t for many years, sadly. It really does put off an incredible smell!
Sounds fabulous! I have a ton of lemon balm, but not lemon verbena. Must figure out what to do with it!
I think it smells like lemon Pledge. I like to make ice cream out of it. (And then polish the furniture with the ice cream.)
We grow lemon verbena from time to time. It doesn’t love our hot, dry summers! Luckily, I do. Nice combo…
I am going to go buy a Lemon Verbena plant. And then I am going to make this recipe.
I bought mine from the guy who sells pots of herb babies at the Hollywood Farmers Market. Maybe he’s at Studio City too. GREG
I’m gorging on asparagus these days, but I’ve never paired it with lemon verbena, I’ve got to go get some!
Lemon verbena is one of my favorite herbs and I love drinking tea made with this herb. I always get some new information when I read your posts. Thanks Greg, have a great weekend!
Hi Greg! I love this recipe. I just planted kitchen garden at my new house — of course lemon verbena is a part. Beautiful & delicious. ~Bijouxs