Herb heaven

Our herbs are coming in nicely now and one of my favourite parts of making dinner is grabbing the scissors and a basket and heading outdoors to snip some, whether for flavour or garnish or both.
We've got more than ever growing now: two kinds of oregano, two kinds of sage, three of thyme, four of mint, two of chives and basil, some tarragon, dill, fennel, rosemary and summer savoury. For some reason I don't have much luck with basil, either indoors or out, but it's my favourite so I keep on trying. If anyone has the secret to growing it successfully, please feel free to share it.
This first recipe I made last night, because I want to expand my repertoire of elegant dinner party soups, and this one sounded like it fit the bill.
I was not disappointed. It's like green velvet -- smooth and full of flavour. My husband said it trumps the Chilled Bell Pepper and Avocado Soup recipe I posted here earlier, and I agree. This is a soup fit for the fanciest dinner, and it looks beautiful in bowls -- luscious, emerald green.
The recipe is from Lazy Days and Beach Blankets, which is fast becoming my favourite fine-weather cookbook. If only the weather would co-operate. If you can't find all of the ingredients, don't worry, you can improvise.
Chilled Spinach, Arugula and Watercress Soup (serves 4)
4 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 fresh nutmeg, grated (or about 1/4 tsp. dried nutmeg plus extra for garnish)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 3/4 c. vegetable stock
8 oz. of mixed fresh arugula, watercress and spinach or any two of these three
3/4 light cream or yogurt
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 tsp. light cream, to serve
4 large leaves of fresh arugula, to serve
Heat olive oil in a skillet and add shallots, garlic and nutmeg and cook over low heat until the shallots and garlic are soft. Add the wine and stock and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Put the spinach, arugula and watercress into a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water and gently submerse the leaves with a spoon. Blanch for 1 minute. Drain and plunge the leaves into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and squeeze out excess water with your hands.
Put the leaves and soup into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add the cream or yogurt and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle in your cream and serve with arugula leaves and grated nutmeg.
Notes: I could not find a whole nutmeg, but the dried spice worked just fine. There was no watercress at my supermarket, so I used half arugula and half spinach, as well as two-thirds yogurt to one-third cream instead of merely one or the other. The wine I used was a Chardonnay, which we also enjoyed drinking with the soup. The garnish came straight from the garden.

Want to make an inexpensive cut of beef feed a family of four? I found this recipe online and we made it for a family dinner Friday night. It's from Weber's On The Grill: Steak & Sides, by Jamie Purviance and it received rave reviews, in large part because of my husband's expert grilling.
This dish is full of fresh flavours from the garden, as well as the tender, smoky steak, the zip of the balasmic vinegar reduction and the creamy melting flakes of parmesan. The recommonded wine pairing is a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, but we had it with an Italian Merlot and that worked just fine.
Tagliata of Flank Steak (serves 4)
1 flank steak, about 750 g (1 1/2 lb) and 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
75 ml (1/3 cup) balsamic vinegar
2 ml (1/2 tsp) granulated sugar
1.5 l (6 cups) loosely packed baby arugula
250 ml (1 cup) loosely packed shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Lightly brush steak on both sides with oil and season evenly with salt andpepper. Allow steak to stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before grilling. Prepare grill for direct cooking over high heat (230 to 290 C/450 to 550 F).
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine balsamic vinegar and sugar. Allow mixture to reduce by half, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.
Brush cooking grates clean. Grill steak over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until cooked to your desired doneness, 6 to 8 minutes for medium rare, turning once or twice. (If flare-ups occur, move the steak temporarily over indirect heat.) Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Cut steak in half lengthwise and then cut each half across the grain into thin slices; divide evenly among serving plates. Pour any juices remaining on the cutting board over the steak, and pile the arugula on top. Drizzle each serving of arugula with oil and the balsamic reduction, season with salt and pepper and top with the cheese.

And in case you were wondering, tagliata is from the Italian and means trimmed or cut. (Thanks Italian Word of the Day).