July Herbs on Saturday Blog Challenge – Win a Copy of ‘The Best-Ever Easy-to-Use Herb Cookbook’

This month the lovely Karen from Lavender & Lovage has invited me to guest host her wonderful Herbs on Saturday blog challenge.

Herbs on Saturday is one of my favourite bloggers’ challenges as it always attracts such diverse and delicious dishes, so I really must not let the side down! It is a simple and easy way to share recipes throughout the month that celebrate cooking with herbs, as well as a chance to pick up new ideas and discover new blogs and bloggers, and I hope you’ll join in the fun.

To enter all you have to do is add any recipe you have made during the week by emailing me with the URL for your post. And they don’t only need to be recipes made on a Saturday! At the end of each month, a ‘special blogger’ will choose their favourite recipe from all the entries, and the winning blogger will receive a fantastic cookbook as their prize. The full entry guidelines are below.

July’s prize is The Best-Ever Easy-to-Use Herb Cookbook, edited by Joanna Farrow.

This beautiful book features 85 flavourful recipes for soups, salads, appetizers, fish, meat, poultry, vegetarian dishes, bread, biscuits, cakes, desserts and ice creams – all of course made with generous handfuls of fragrant fresh herbs.

There are classic dishes such as lamb with mint, and roasted tomato and mozzarella salad with basil dressing, as well as unusual combinations such as chicken with thyme and lavender. It includes a useful herb directory that identifies some of the best-known and most useful culinary herbs, as well as delicious flowers, fruits and spices to pep up a plain meal.

So, to get the ball rolling here’s my recipe for a lovely summery salad with oregano – just wish we had the weather to go with it!

Courgette and oregano flower salad

This fresh, light salad features delicate oregano flowers, as well as the leaves. The crunch of the courgette with the soft mozzarella cheese and juicy tomatoes is a sensational combination.

Make sure you slice the courgette as thinly as possible as it is eaten raw in this salad. It’s best to use a mandolin on its thinnest setting. And use the smaller, firmer courgettes if you can.

Serves 4

For the dressing

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt and pepper

4 or 5 courgettes, very thinly sliced lengthways
250g baby plum or cherry tomatoes
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
300g mozzarella, thinly sliced
Handful oregano leaves, picked
Handful oregano flowers, picked

To make the dressing, simply put the ingredients into a jam jar, screw the lid on tightly and give it a really good shake.

Place your salad ingredients (except for the flowers) into a large serving bowl, pour over the dressing and toss well. Carefully decorate with the oregano flowers.

This is a lovely salad to serve with grilled fish or chicken, or on its own with crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Herbs on Saturday for July – guidelines on how to enter

1. Send your recipe URL to me at vanesther@reescommunications.co.uk, including your own email address and the title of your recipe or post. The closing date is Monday 30 July.
2. Display the Herbs on Saturday badge (as shown above and below) to the relevant recipe post, with a link back to this post  and also to the challenge page over at Lavender & Lovage.
3. Email me as many recipe links as you like, there is no limit and the recipes and posts can be from any day, not just Saturday!
4. If you tweet your post, please mention #herbsonsaturday, @BangerMashChat and @KarenBurnsBooth in your tweet – I will retweet all that I see.
5. The recipe can be one of your own or one you’ve seen elsewhere. You are welcome to republish old recipes/posts but please add the information about this challenge as listed above with the Herbs on Saturday badge.
6. As entries come in, links to these will be added to this page and at the end of the month there will be a round-up of all entries received.
7. A guest blogger will choose their favourite recipe at the end of the month, and the winner will receive a copy of The Best-Ever Easy-to-Use Herb Cookbook.

Hopefully that’s all crystal clear, but if not let me know. I’m really looking forward to receiving your entries for Herbs on Saturday! Come on, let’s get herby!

July’s entries for Herbs on Saturday:

1. Sausage Plait for the Whole Family from Mamacook
2. Pan Bagnat from Lavender & Lovage
3. Mediterranean Feta and Tomato Bake from Cooking Around the World
4. Les Spaghettis aux herbes et ail from Simple Quiet Modern
5. Chicken and noodle salad with coriander and mint from Bangers & Mash
6. Pepper and Mushroom Pappardelle  from Tinned Tomatoes
7. Devilled Gooseberry Sauce and Tarragon Vinegar from As Strong As Soup
8. Cheese and Herb Scone from Farmersgirl Kitchen
9. Turkish Zucchini Fritters from Tinned Tomatoes
10. Involtini di melanzane from Leeks & Limoni
11. White asparagus tips with tarragon sauce from French Foodie Baby
12. Nectarine Shiso Ice Cream from French Foodie Baby
13. Salmon with sorrel from French Foodie Baby
14. Penne with chicken, tarragon and broccoli from Bangers & Mash
15. Rosemary Foccacia from Piece of Cake
16. Blackberry Lavender Popsicles from girlichef
17. Herbal Lemonade from girlichef
18. Strawberry and basil jam from The Garden Deli
19. Courgette, Feta & Basil Bruschetta from Chez Foti
20. Beetroot with Chorizo, Feta and Mint from Farmersgirl Kitchen
21. A Gratin of Tomatoes from how to cook good food
22. Stuffed Tomatoes with Herbs and Oats from Lavender & Lovage
23. Artichoke bottoms with green sauce from French Foodie Baby
24. Herby Roast Chicken from A Trifle Rushed
25. Pesto Linguine from How to be a Gourmand
26. Raspberry, lemon and mint semifreddo from Bangers & Mash
27. Grilled halloumi and herb salad by Lancashire Food
28. Tomato and basil tart by Blue Kitchen Bakes
29. 70s Flashback Stuffed Marrow by Chez Foti
30. Tomato and Herb Foccacia from Working London Mummy