erba cipollina / chives

(Allium schoenoprasum)

I like to make experiments in my little herb and vegetable garden (orto). I do not call myself a gardener, and manage not to get too disappointed when things don't happen according to expectations. On the other hand, I get very excited when things go well: I feel like I receive a gift I do not deserve.

Last year, I had a small bed built along one side of the house, and in it I planted, among other things, chives. The plant did well (I guess it liked its environment) and I harvested leaves from it for several months. It was a pleasant surprise when, a few days ago, I realized that I could start harvesting again. On this page you can read a few words of advice on growing perennial chives.

I decided to celebrate the event by using chives in a bread recipe from Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart: Soft Cheese Bread, even though I knew I did not have as much as was called for in the ingredient list. I halved the quantities to get one loaf. I more than halved the sweetener using only a tablespoon of agave nectar. Among the options offered, I chose to use potato water and water as liquids, and olive oil as vegetable oil. I substituted some of the bread flour with white whole wheat flour and added extra water as instructed in the recipe. Finally, I opted for cubed cheese (formaggio) and kneaded it into the dough after the overnight rise. I prepared the dough an evening that I was very tired and did a couple of things not exactly as specified in the recipe. The following day, my schedule was hectic, but I managed to bake the bread and it was a life-savior on a day in which we had a lot going on and no time to sit down to a proper meal (pasto).

Not only did the chives come from my little herb garden, but the cheese came from my home production: Monterey Jack, aged for four months. The cheese worked very well in the bread. As the recipe anticipated, the small cubes of cheese become "little cheese bursts" once the bread is baked. I am planning to make cheese bread again, trying the other recipe in the book, Crusty Cheese Bread, this time making sure I have the required quantity of chives.

This is my contribution to edition #223 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now administered by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once and hosted this week by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Here is the roundup.

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Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post: 

erba cipollina

or launch the erba cipollina  audio file [mp3].

 

Comments

[Ivy]

Chives or shinopraso as we call it in Greece must be really easy to grow. When I bough some last year its roots were wrapped and the grocer told me to keep it in the refrigerator and use it whenever I needed it. When I used the last of it I decided the plant it and to my surprise it grew.
You are an amazin woman Simona. You plant your herbs, make your cheese and then you also bake bread. Your family must be really happy.

[astrofiammante]

ciao Simona,mi sembra di capire che il tuo orto ti riserva delle soddisfazioni con l'erba cipollina ben ambientata, e il pane prodotto con il tuo formaggio, deve essere saporito, ma se ho capito pan per focaccia, passo comunque per lasciarti un saluto, bacio!

[Paz]

I think it's great that you're able to grow this in your own garden. I still dream of having a window box garden one day. Bread sounds delicious!

Paz

[Susan]

I'm so glad you've had unexpected success with your herb garden, Simona. Chives are among my favorite aromatics. I'd be thrilled to have a loaf of your bread waiting for me after an over-extended day.

Thanks for sharing it for WHB!

[Simona Carini]

What a lovely name, erba cipollina has in Greek! Thanks for sharing your experience, Ivy. I hope it will contribute to make readers try to grow their own plant. I'll let my husband know what you said :)

Ciao Astro: comprensione perfetta. Grazie del saluto, che ricambio di cuore.

Ciao Paz. Chives don't need a lot of space, so I think they would do well in your box.

My pleasure, Susan. Growing herbs is quite satisfying and even though I am not an assiduous gardener, they seem to be able to handle life well.

[Joanne]

Homemade bread, cheese, and chives! The perfect recipe for sure.

[Marie]

You're amazing Simona! I can't get over all the wonderful food you make from scratch. Warm still from the oven that bread would be fantastic!

[Laura]

Chives are easy to grow, and in maybe another year of so you can thin them as they tend to grow very tight. What a great satisfaction to make bread with your own cheese.

[Healthy Foods Blog]

Another great tips I learned for today! Thanks for free sharing.

[marcellina]

Lovely cheese bread. You really are amazing make your own cheese then turn it into a beautiful cheese bread!

[Simona Carini]

Thanks, Joanne.

Ciao Marie. I do love to bake bread. I'll have more bread-baking stories soon.

Ciao Laura. Having my own cheese definitely makes me more open to experiment with it in recipes.

You're welcome.

Ciao Marcellina. It is indeed satisfying to contribute one or more homegrown or homemade ingredients to a dish.

[Acai Optimum Promo Code]

I just made this tonight and it was delicious! Thanks for this recipe. You can't beat how easy it is, plus it tastes great.

Thanks again!