I use alot of fresh and dried herbs when I cook, I love trying all the different flavors, and experiencing all the fragrances. Using herbs is a great way to "spice" up any culinary dish. Not to mention their holistic, healing and soothing qualities.
Basil
There are more than 60 types of basil, all members of the mint family. Here are three you’re most likely to see at gourmet groceries, farmers’ markets, and nurseries.
Purple Opal - Its large, dark purple leaves offer mildly spicy hints of clove, licorice, mint, and cinnamon. Best uses: Its complexity shines in salads, baked goods, and beverages. Thai - Small, pointed leaves with serrated edges have peppery anise flavor. Best uses: A hint of spicy heat makes this basil at home in Asian dishes.
Sweet Italian - This selection, is the most common variety of basil, known for its licorice-clove flavor. Best uses: Its clean, bright flavor makes it an ideal match for fresh tomatoes, or use it in Italian or Thai dishes.
fun and facts with herbs and spices
- Lavender
While Lavender may not be common place in American spice cabinets, it has been in use as a culinary herb for centuries. Popular in gourmet recipes and found in finer stores and herb shops.
The English Lavenders are the preferred lavenders for culinary use, as they are milder, sweeter, and do not overpower the dish. Provence lavender, a hybrid known as a lavandin with an uncommonly milder flavor, is often used when English Lavender is not available.
All culinary lavenders blend well with citrus, mint, rosemary, sage, berries, fruit, meats, drinks. It is best used as a background flavor and a word of caution is advised: while it is becoming more popular in American cooking, if you haven't used it before - use it sparingly. A little goes a very long way and some varieties are more potent than others.
Lavender Beverages
Lavender Lemonade, Iced Tea, Margaritas, Limeade, Sun Tea
Lavender Accompaniments
Savory Lavender Dishes
Lavender Chicken Stir Fry, Sautéed asparagus, mushrooms or artichokes, Roast Pork with Lavender Apples, Grilled/Baked Salmon with Lavender, Lavender Baked Pork Chops
Sweet Lavender Treats
Lavender Creme Brulee, Ice Cream, Tea Bread, Biscotti, Orange Sorbet, Sugar Cookieswhich herb do I use?
The seed, flower and leaf are all used in cooking. The seed and flowering top used in pickles and the leaf or “weed”.... chopped, used in potato salads, cream cheese, soups, grilled meats and fish.
It is also used in dips combined with other herbs in sour cream and especially butter.
The seed is also commonly added to baked goods including bread.
Dill has a pleasant clean, grassy taste and the fresh leaves partner well with cucumber in sandwiches, cold soups and salads.
When used in cooking it should be added at the end of the cooking process to retain the natural dill flavor.The seed is used to flavor vegetables, roasts and stews. They are also commonly used in flavored vinegars and oils. Dill seed is, of course, famously used in flavored pickles.
what is an herb?
It can be easy to take mint for granted or get bored with it. While it's a fairly natural complement to chocolate and cream-based items (think chocolate mint ice cream!), when was the last time you thought about this flavorful herb for any other role in your kitchen?
There are so many things you can do with mint, and at every part of the meal. Mint combines well with fish, meat and vegetables. Cook a few sprigs when boiling peas or new potatoes to add a fresh flavor. Add mint to water when steaming vegetables. Chop spearmint and add to olive oil as a marinade for fish steaks before grilling. Mint is a natural accompaniment to lamb.
Just adding some chopped mint and cucumber to plain yogurt makes a wonderful sauce for Middle Eastern dishes. Mint just makes sense in beverages, if you are into brewing tea, Peppermint, Swiss or Apple mint are commonly used. Let it complement steamed veggies, or keep a few leaves in a dish of sugar to add sweet intrigue to everything from tea to your next batch of sugar cookies. Trying mint in a new way will delightfully surprise you. alternative nature
*** While mint in the garden can get out of control, it can also be an excellent companion plant as it repels pest insects. The fragrant and flavorful power of it's essential oil leads mint to be used in everything from medicines and cosmetics to cleaning products.
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If you’re looking for an herb that is astonishingly versatile, explore the possibilities that rosemary has to offer. As well known as a medicinal herb, as it is a great cooking companion.
While this delicious herb is often used in savory dishes, it also has a legitimate place in the other areas of the menu, such as when it’s included as a complement to chocolate or used in a sorbet. One of the most popular ways to integrate this herb into your daily cooking is through its grilling and smoking properties. Use the sprigs for kabobs what a fantastic punch of flavor! Rosemary is also used in a number of stuffings and dressings, as well as oils, since it’s a strong-flavored member of the mint family.
This delightful herb can be used in its natural or dried state, and is a great addition to more than just chicken. There are numerous dishes that can benefit from the integration of rosemary. The next time you’re preparing homemade pizza, consider including a bit of rosemary among your toppings. It’s also a great complement to biscuits and breads, as well as sauces and dressings.
medicinal herbs
Cilantro and CorianderCilantro is the leaves of the coriander plant. Add Cilantro leaves to salads, and use as a garnish for fish and soups. Cilantro is an essential ingredient of salsa, tomato sauces, and chutneys. It is a staple in Asian, Mexican, South and Central American, and East Indian cuisine.
Try cilantro in your favorite recipes for tuna, crab, salmon, snapper, and shrimp, and enjoy it in stir-fry dishes, and lamb stews, or with pork, cooked beans, fried rice, and poultry. Cilantro loses its flavor quickly when cooked, so add it just prior to serving.
Coriander seeds are a vital ingredient of curry powder, and all East Indian curry recipes. In India, the seeds are often lightly toasted before grinding to heighten their curry-like flavor. In Middle Eastern cooking, coriander is widely used in meat dishes and stews.
Use coriander seeds, either whole or ground, in pickles, soups, sauces, fruit desserts, such as stewed apples or prunes, and with all types of meat dishes. Add to mulled wine for a warm, summery flavor.
Parsley
Parsley's culinary uses are endless and should not be limited to providing an attractive garnish for savory dishes. Add the leaves to soups, stews, stuffing, sauces, vegetable dishes, eggs, savory pies, and casseroles, and use when preparing meat, fish, and shellfish.
Include fresh parsley in salads, it's an essential ingredient of tabbouleh, a tasty staple of Middle Eastern cuisine, and in savory mousses, dips, biscuits, and crackers.
Parsley is a mainstay of fine French cooking. It's included in "bouquet garni" along with bay leaf and thyme, in "aux fines herbes" a mixture of parsley, tarragon, chives, or chervil, and in "persillade" a finely chopped mixture of parsley and shallots that is traditionally added to a dish just before it has finished cooking.
Italian chefs prefer the stronger taste of the flat-leaved variety and use it extensively.
I use it to flavor all my Italian sauces, I especially love it in Alfredo sauce. Since I am a low carber, I use with Parmesan cheese in place of bread crumbs in my meatloaf, crab and salmon cakes.
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Savory Savory, an herb so bold and peppery in its flavor that since the time of the Saxons it has come to denote not only the herb itself, but also a whole segment of cooking. It is synonymous with tasty and flavorful foods.
Most commonly used as a seasoning for green vegetables, savory's special affinity is for beans. Use summer savory, with its more delicate flavor, for tender baby green beans, and winter savory to enhance a whole medley of dried beans and lentils. It is no coincidence that the German word for the herb is Bohenkraut, meaning bean herb, as one of the components of the herb naturally aids the digestion of these sometimes problematic legumes. Because the leaves are so tender they can be added fresh to salads. One great way to preserve that fresh, summery flavor is to bottle the herb in vinegar or oil.
Once dried and chopped, it is an integral part of many herb mixtures, such as Herbs de Provene. This blend of Mediterranean herbs brings out the best in stews, vegetable dishes, pizza toppings, and shines as a seasoning for roasting meats, fowl, and fish.
Chives are one of the most well known herbs, but often one of the least used. Everyone seems to know someone else who grows chives but other than snipping onto baked potatoes, Chives never seem to get used to their total potential. Chives are a wonderful addition to the beginner's garden. They impart a light onion flavor in any dish and can be used interchangeably in recipes calling for onions. There is even a variety of chives that tastes like a blend of onion and garlic. Chives keep their lovely green color when cooked so they make a fancy addition to butters for an aromatic blended topping for corn on the cob, pasta dishes or garlic bread.
One of the most popular uses of chives today is as one of the components in the traditional herb mixture fines herbs. Combined in equal portions with tarragon, chervil, and parsley this blend adds an aromatic note to chicken and fish dishes and is especially tasty with eggs. An omelet made with fines herbs, asparagus, goat cheese, and garnished with chive blossoms makes a festive spring entree.
For a twist on traditional tempura, add chive stems, with blossom attached, to your list of ingredients. Spicy, crunchy and sweet, all in the same bite.
*** Planting chives near aromatic flowers, such as roses, can repel aphids and other unwanted insects
(they get confused with the smell).
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OreganoWhen we think of Oregano we think Italian, we think Pizza! Because Oregano goes particularly well with all types of tomato sauces. Oregano and basil combine to create the special flavor common in the Italian cooking we know so well. Greek oregano is an essential ingredient of pizza just as Mexican oregano is to chili powder. The two types may be used interchangeably but the use of each one on its own increases the authenticity of certain dishes.
For your Mexican cooking, Mexican oregano has a more earthy flavor than Greek, with less hint of mint in the aroma.. Set Greek and Mexican side-by-side and you will soon see the difference. Mexican oregano has tiny flower buds and leaves while Greek oregano has more of a cut-leaf appearance. Sweet marjoram has leaves that are slightly hairy and more gray-green in color.
*some say Marjoram and Oregano are the same herb, I think the jury is still out on that one.*
Fresh oregano is great with sautéed zucchini and onions, and is a welcome addition, with cilantro, to black beans. For a simple elegant appetizer, carefully grill thick slices of provolone cheese that have been sprinkled with oregano. When the cheese is warmed and starts to melt
Apart from its use in just tomato dishes, oregano may be effectively used in vegetable or bean dishes, or the fresh leaves may be tossed into your next salad. Add a bit of Mexican oregano to barbecue sauce or meatloaf for a change of pace. The leaves can either be used fresh or dried. Crush the leaves in the palm of your hand before using them to release the aroma. It is used in meat, liver and kidney dishes, salads and stuffing. Oregano is also used in soups, vegetable dishes, pasta sauces and scrambled eggs. The possibilities are endless.
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Other herbs with which thyme can be successfully combined include rosemary, marjoram, parsley, oregano and bay leaf.
While there many varieties of thyme, the two types that are mainly used in cooking are common thyme and lemon thyme. Both have sweet, mildly pungent flavors and are highly aromatic. Lemon thyme has slightly more of a citrus flavor.Thyme is widely used to add spice to seafood dishes like mussels and clams, tomato sauces as well as vegetables like onions, potatoes, carrots, peppers, eggplant and zucchini. Garden thyme goes well with clam and fish chowders. The aromatic herb also blends perfectly with onion, garlic, wine and brandy to add essence to different types of meats, for roasts and sausages, wild game, and even poultry. The herb is more effective when used in preparation of dishes that require prolonged and leisurely cookery. The flavor of garden salads increase if you add fresh thyme leaves and flowers to it. Fresh or dried leaves of this aromatic herb may also be added to butter and cooking oil to enhance essence.
Herb Gardening
growing herbs indoors and out
practical way to a great herb garden
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