Fresh tarragon, beloved herb, French staple, is in full swing. With an extensive early spring through early fall harvest, this hardy perennial is here and taking over our culinary tool belts. Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa, the most prominent culinary variety, also known as “French Tarragon”, is a great asset for your spring home cooking. Tarragon carries an anise-like smell and flavor, yet acts as a delightful accent to savory cooking.
Tarragon is plentiful!
Tarragon, derived from the French word estragon (little dragon), from the Arabic “tarkhun” is a relatively new herb, carried to Italy around the tenth century by the invading Mongols as a pharmaceutical and seasoning- and, folklore says, a breath aid. This fragrant herb, popular in Persian cooking, was only brought to France by St. Catherine of Siena in the 14th century.
I love the rich fragrance of tarragon as an accent for any slaws, dressings, or flavorings/marinades. Recently- I modified Diane St. Clair’s (famed cookbook writer and buttermilk maker) Melissa Clark-adapted recipe for a Buttermilk Green Goddess Slaw- simplifying it for weeknight ease and adding my own touch of red cabbage and shredded carrots. It may be heresy to the standard of “green goddess” to skip the green-ifying avocado, but the abundant herbs here more than make up for it.
My favored buttermilk and anchovy filets
I added a tiny bit more olive oil, and used the herbs that were in my garden. Don’t skip Melissa Clark’s addition of oil-packed anchovy filets - they add welcome complexity, but aren’t overwhelming by any means. In terms of red cabbage or green cabbage, this is to your preference. I used red cabbage, yet it would be just as delicious and appetizing with green cabbage. I know there’s a culinary tendency to use red cabbage for vinegar slaws and green cabbage to creamy ones. This slaw falls right in between, so follow your heart.
Buttermilk Green Goddess Slaw
Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe
Adapted from Diane St. Clair and Melissa Clark
Yield: Serves 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
For the dressing:
3/4 cup buttermilk (We who don’t have access to St. Clair’s luscious buttermilk should seek out the best buttermilk we can find. I love Kalona Supernatural!)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 oil-packed anchovy fillets
2 scallions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves and tender stems
4-5 sliced chives
1 Tablespoon chopped basil leaves
2 Tablespoons chopped tarragon leaves
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the slaw:
4 cups thinly sliced red or green cabbage (about 1/2 or 2/3 of a small head)
2-3 grated or thinly julienned carrots (julienne will help the carrots keep their crunch, but for a quick weeknight salad, grating works too)
4 scallions, sliced
Extra parsley for garnish (optional)
Notes: Use what you have! I lacked parsley, but was able to use basil, tarragon, and chives from my garden and some leftover scallions. If you don’t have both chives and scallions, don’t worry. I like the scallions in the slaw itself to be a bit larger for texture, but that’s up to your preference.
- Make the dressing. Place all your dressing ingredients excluding salt and pepper into a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- In your serving bowl, combine the slaw ingredients. Pour approximately 3/4 cup of dressing over your slaw and mix well. Taste, and add more to your preference.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Store in the fridge covered in plastic wrap for a few days. Mix well before serving.
My family and friends loved this slaw, and I hope yours will too.
Tarragon is a very versatile herb, and it adds complexity and flavor to any number of dishes. Mix it with butter and lemon and use it as a compound butter, or sauté some chicken and make a tarragon-focused pan sauce. Or, use it as my mother does, throwing it into your favorite pickle recipe.
Tarragon-carrot pickles
Find it at your local farmer’s market, grow it, and most of all, use it! Tarragon is a great herb that plays so well with other ingredients, and you can learn more about it right here at The Chopping Block. Check out our Hands-On New England Seafood Party on June 22nd where you can enjoy a seafood-centered menu including Lobster Rolls with Lemon-Tarragon Butter, or our Hands-On Knife Skills class on June 15th which offers valuable instruction on how to cut herbs like tarragon without bruising them and many other key kitchen skills.
I almost forgot to mention: if you’re ever bitten by a venomous snake in a Russian forest, check out this delicious herb’s close cousin, “Russian Tarragon” (Artemisia dracunculoides Pursch) said to heal venomous snake bites.
Buttermilk Green Goddess Slaw
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (We who don’t have access to St. Clair’s luscious buttermilk should seek out the best buttermilk we can find. I love Kalona Supernatural!)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves and tender stems
- 4-5 sliced chives
- 1 Tablespoon chopped basil leaves
- 2 Tablespoons chopped tarragon leaves
- 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cups thinly sliced red or green cabbage (about 1/2 or 2/3 of a small head)
- 2-3 grated or thinly julienned carrots (julienne will help the carrots keep their crunch, but for a quick weeknight salad, grating works too)
- 4 scallions, sliced
- Extra parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Make the dressing. Place all your dressing ingredients excluding salt and pepper into a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- In your serving bowl, combine the slaw ingredients. Pour approximately 3/4 cup of dressing over your slaw and mix well. Taste, and add more to your preference.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
