Cooking With Herbs Part II: Herb Supherb

Herbs are one of natures little surprise packages that contains a lot of flavor. You do not need much to make an extraordinary impact in your cooking. A little goes a long way. Just remember to avoid mixing strong flavoured herbs together.  Instead mix a milder herb like basil and parsley.

Fresh herbs are easy to find at your local supermarket, particulary in summer months. But it is even more fun to go and pick your own from your garden. Cut fat and salt but flavouring foods with herbs instead of butter, cream or salt.

Once you know your hebs you'll be able to mix and match flavours and you will be well on your way of making your own herb dressings, soufles, flat breads and much more.

Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual usage. General usage differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs. As this is a cooking blog we will discuss the most commonly know herbs for cooking. 

 

Basil

Basil is a culinary herb  featured in most Italian/Mediterranean dishes but also in the Far East where Thai basil is a key ingredient to many Thai dishes. African Blue Basil, sometimes referred to as African Basil, Dark Opal Basil or Opal Basil found in many African dishes and has this variety has a strong camphor scent which makes it sweet. The fresh leaf  is incredibly aromatic which tastes somewhere between aniseed, clove, lemon and pepper.  It is also strong enough to stand up to the pungency of garlic, so it is often paired together in Pesto's. Tomatoes and Basil are like best friends. It is fantastic is different types of salads and it will even go well with freshwater fish like Salmon Trout.  Its flavour also tends to weaken when dried so rather preserve it in Vinegar or Oil.

Bay Leaf

It has a punges flavour and woody aroma which gives it intense depth and meatiness meats, soups, and stocks, stews. Add the leaf at the start of cooking to allow timer for it to release its flavour.  The fresh leaves are very mild and do not develop their full flavor until several weeks after picking and drying. Most recipes will say: "Remove the leaf before serving". Reason for this is that they remain very stiff even after thorough cooking, and if swallowed whole or in large pieces, they may pose a risk of scratching the digestive tract or even causing choking. Thus, most recipes that use bay leaves will recommend their removal after the cooking process has finished.

Chervil

It has a faint taste of liquorice or aniseed. Sometimes referred to as "gourmet's parsley", it is used to season mild-flavoured dishes and is a constituent of the French herb mixture fines herbes. Chervil is used to season poultry, seafood, and young vegetables. It is particularly popular in France, where it is added to omelettes, salads and soups. Because it has a very mild flavour it best added to the last few minutes of cooking to preserve the flavour.

Chives

Are part of the onion family and have sharp but milder onion taste. They are often chopped and sprinkled over the top of cooked dishes like soups or salads for presentation and flavour. They go extremely well with eggs, potatoes, fish, chicken and light buttery sauces, and dips. Fresh chived and be chopped and frozen in ice trays to ensure a constant supply. The flowers are edible as well and make stunning little garnishes to salads and soups.

Coriander (Ciliantro/Dhania)

Coriander plants are native to Southwestern Asia to North Africa. It was also found in the tomb of Tutankhamun which indicates that it was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. In Africa fresh coriander leaves is used to garnish both hot and cold dishes. The seeds are mostly used in South Africa to maker "boerewors" and "biltong".  Because of its strong flavour people will either love coriander or hate it. It is best crushed in a pestle and mortar as the stems have more flavour than the leaves. It goes great with chili, lime and cumin.

Dill

Looks very similar to fennel but has a slightly different flavour. It goes fantastic with seafood, particulary Scandinavian dishes like Gravadlax (Salt and Dill Cured Salmon) As it is mainly used in the Baltics it goes great with Borsch (therefore great with Beetroots) and other soups as well as pickles and chutneys.

Fennel

It is a highly aromatic and flavourful herb with culinary and medicinal uses. Florence fennel is a selection with a swollen, bulb-like stem base that is used as a vegetable and may be sauteed, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw. It has a mild anise-like flavour, but is more aromatic and sweeter and goes exeptionally well with fish and shellfish or pork, salads, dressings and sauces.

 Marjoram

It can be used fresh or dried (3 times the strenght) and as it it is very similar to origano it can easily be substituted. To tell the two apart is to look at the leaves as Majoram has thinner and delicate leaves which are rounded instead of them being pointed. Used a lot in Northern European cuisine and goes great with carrots, beetroots, pork, fish, as it is a strong herb it is mild enough to be eaten raw. Toss through roasted vegetables or meat before cooking.

Mint

It goes well iwth peaches, figs and melons, but it is so much more than a dessert garnish. It can be added to pestos or salsas or even in yoghurt dressings. Perfect with a roast of lamb. Try it with chili - the fresh flavour balances the heat of the chilli very well.

Oregano

It is a more robust version of majoram. Oregano is an important culinary herb. It is particularly widely used in Turkish, Palestinian, Syrian, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, Latin American Southern French and Italian cuisine. It is the leaves that are used in cooking, and the dried herb is often more flavourful than the fresh. Oregano  is often used in tomato sauces, fried vegetables, and grilled meat. Together with basil, it contributes much to the distinctive character of many Italian dishes. Fantastic with Pizzas and Pasta.

 

Parsley

 

Is a strong aromatic herbs that comes in two varieties: Flat Leaf and Curly Leaf. Curly leaf is mostly used for garnishes. Parsley is the most common and most used herb in cooking.  Persillade is a mixture of chopped garlic and chopped parsley used in French cuisine. Gremolata is a traditional accompaniment to the Italian veal stew, ossobuco a mixture of parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. It can be stirred through sauces, tossed through boiled potatoes drizzled with olive oil and grated parmasan.

 

Rosemary

Has an intense earthy flavour. Be wary though as it tends to overpower sublt flavours in foods if added to generously. that is good in marinades and grilled meats. Very popular in Greek cuisine for example, a slow roasted lamb with lots of garlic and a generous amount of chopped rosemary. When burned they give off a distinct mustard smell, next time when you make a braai (BBQ) try adding a few rosemary branches to the fire to give some flavour to the meat. Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6. Rosemary extract has been shown to improve the shelf life and heat stability of omega-3 rich oils, which are prone to going rancid.

Sage

It has a robust woody and a slight anise flavour. Best suited in hearty dishes, stuffings, butter and cream sauces. Great for pickling or sprinkled over potatoes, pumkin, garlic, tomatoes, onions, legumes, pork, and poultry. Very famous in Italian cooking for example: cooked in butter until crispy and then spooned over raviouli.

Tarragon

Tarragon is one of the four fines herbes of French cooking, and particularly suitable for chicken, lasagna, fish, tomatoes, potatoes and egg dishes. Tarragon is one of the main components of Béarnaise sauce. Fresh, lightly bruised sprigs of tarragon may be steeped in vinegar to impart their flavor. It is best used in small quantities because of its strong aniseed flavour.

 Thyme

An aromatic her with strong and warm flavours. Thyme is a good source of iron and is widely used in cooking. The herb is a basic ingredient in Levantine (Lebanese, Syrian, Jordanian, Palestinian), Libyan, Indian, Italian, French, Albanian, Persian, Portuguese, Assyrian, Spanish, Greek, Nigerian, Caribbean, and Turkish cuisines, and in those derived from them.

Thyme is often used to flavour meats, soups and stews. It has a particular affinity to and is often used as a primary flavour with lamb, tomatoes, carrots, atrichokes, mushrooms, swedes, leeks and eggs. It is a common component of the bouquet garni, and of herbes de Provence. Fresh thyme is commonly sold in bunches of sprigs. Thyme retains its flavour on drying better than many other herbs. As usual with dried herbs less of it is required when substituted in a recipe. As a rule of thumb, use one third as much dried as fresh thyme - a little less if it is ground. Thyme, while flavourful, does not overpower and blends well with other herbs and spices.

Watercress:

Mostly used for the small, pungent mustard/peppery flavoured leaves. One may find watercress being to pungent, try chopping up the leaves finely, and sprinkle over other salad leaves or vegetables, and the peppery flavour will hardly be noticed. The best way to get the full nutritional value of watercress is to pick just before a meal and serve. This amazing little herb can be added to cooked dishes, salads, soup, stews, and stir-fries, just before serving. Watercress sandwiches was a favourite at the English  garden tea parties. Watercress, tomato and cheese are a tasty combination in salads. Try serving sprigs of watercress as a garnish on platters of vegetables, and the leaves also make a good accompaniment with diced paw paw and pineapple. Watercress can be the main ingredient in pesto or in soup. Use the leaves in omelettes, pies, quiche, casseroles, dips, rice dishes and stuffings. Watercress contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, magnesium, manganese and zinc., in addition to vitamins A, C, B1, B6, K and E . In some regions watercress is regarded as a weed, in other regions as an aquatic vegetable or herb.

Other Herbs Used In Cooking:

Fines Herbes:

Is a combination of herbs that forms a mainstay of Mediterranean cuisine. The ingredients of fines herbes are fresh parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil. Marjoram, cress, cicely or lemon balm may be added to fines herbes.

The marjoram may be dried. To make your own fines herbes, finely chop equal parts of tarragon, parsley, chervil and chives. Fines herbes should be added to cooked dishes at the end of the cooking period as the herbs, with the exception of tarragon, do not stand up well to heat. For the best results, sprinkle the mixture over dishes as a garnish, or place it in a bowl on the table.

Fines herbes are excellent when sprinkled over green salads. It goes particularly well with egg dishes, especially omelet's. Use it to garnish light vegetable or simple cream-based soups. Chicken, especially when poached, greatly benefits when sprinkled with this blend before being served. Fines herbes are excellent with simple fish dishes. Steamed vegetables, like beans, courgettes and broccoli becomes a delicacy when flavoured with fines herbes.

Bouquet Garni:

The bouquet garni (French for "garnished bouquet") is a bundle of herbs usually tied together with string and mainly used to prepare soup, stock, and various stews. The bouquet is boiled with the other ingredients, and is removed prior to eating.  There is no generic recipe for bouquet garni, but most recipes include parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Depending on the recipe, the bouquet garni may include basil, burnet, chervil, rosemary, peppercorns, savory and tarragon. Sometimes vegetables such as carrot, celery (leaves or stem), celeriac, leek, onion and parsley root are also included in the bouquet.  Sometimes, the bouquet is not bound with string, and its ingredients are filled into a small sachet, a net, or even a tea strainer instead. Traditionally, the aromatics are bound within leek leaves.

Herbs de Provence:

Herbes de Provence (Provençal herbs) is a mixture of dried herbs from Provence, France.The standard mixture typically contains savory, fennel, basil, and thyme flowers and other herbs. Thyme usually dominates the taste produced by the herb mixture. Lavender is only added in American mixes but is not used in French traditional mixes. Herbes de Provence are used to flavour grilled foods such as fish and meat, as well as vegetable stews. The mixture can be added to foods before or during cooking or mixed with cooking oil prior to cooking so as to infuse the flavour into the cooked food. They are rarely added after cooking is complete.