Easy Herbs: 5/15: Rosemary

Fifteen Easy Herbs
No. 5 Rosemary
Remember Ophelia? “There’s rosemarry, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember...” Assurer of lovers’ fidelity, protector of the Virgin, symbol of the woman wearing the pants in the family, an aid in digestion of fats— Rosemary should be the emblem of the feminist movement, if it still exists. This herb can be sneaked into the “easy to grow” list, only if she overwinters in a pot indoors. The flavor is so unique (weird?) that it is a must-have, but even the hardiest variety planted outside could disappoint you at the end of winter, when you see that she didn’t survive. But then, neither did Ophelia.
How to grow her:
Grow this Mediterranean herb in a clay pot. Choose a sunny spot in very well-drained soil; plant the whole pot in your garden, and dig it up to bring into the kitchen in fall. The trick in summer and winter is the watering: don’t let her stand in soggy soil, but don’t let her get too thirsty, either. Mist the branches regularly.
How to eat her:
Best use is with lamb, oven-roasted vegetables and focaccia. Get points at a cookout when you lay a wet branch of rosemary on the grill, and cook your chicken, lamb or beef right on it.
Next time: Get that piney rosemary taste out of your mouth with cool Mint.

Focaccia
(You can use this dough to make your own pizza, too.)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
About 4 tablespoons olive oil
Cornmeal for baking sheets
4 teaspoons fresh or dried rosemary leaves
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black peppercorns

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup lukewarm water.
Mix 3 cups flour and salt; make a well in the center, and add the dissolved yeast and 1 cup lukewarm water. Mix thoroughly, and knead well, adding enough of the remaining flour to make a soft, smooth dough. If you knead slowly, do it for 10 minutes; if you slam it hard & fast, count at least 100 slams!
Slather the dough ball with 1 tablespoon oil, and let it rise in a covered bowl for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.
Preheat oven to 4500. Sprinkle cornmeal on 2 large pizza baking sheets.
Divide dough into 2 portions. Using plenty of flour on the rolling surface, roll out circles. Put them onto the baking sheets. Poke the rosemary leaves into the dough. Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil on each focaccia, dimpling the surface with your fingers. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Put the baking sheets into the oven and lower the temperature to 4250. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cut wedges with a pizza cutter, or tear off chunks.