Cooking with Herbs

Basic Tips for Using Fresh Herbs in the Kitchen

Our friends and customers frequently ask how to know which herbs are best for which types of dishes and what herbs go well together. We have three pieces of advice for such questions:
* Check out the great recipe section of this web site.
* Use fresh herbs in place of dry ones in your everyday recipes.
* Nibble on fresh herbs as you garden and cook. Soon you will
become naturally accustomed to their flavors and paring them will
become second nature according to your tastes.

Here are some more great tips and guidelines taken from 'A Country Garden Cookbook'.

*In general, use one third the amount of dried herbs to fresh.
For example, 1 Tbs. fresh to 1 tsp. dried. This is a good rule of
thumb for subtle herbs such as Sweet Marjoram and Thyme. More
pungent herbs like Rosemary or Sage should use a different ratio;
use 1/2 tsp. dried for 1 Tbs. fresh.

*In most dishes use no more than one or two assertive herbs,
although an assertive herb may be mixed with a couple more mildly
flavored herbs.

*A few complimentary combinations:

Sweet Marjoram/ Thyme/ Oregano
Basil/ Thyme/ Oregano
Dill/ Chives/ Parsley
Cilantro/Sweet Marjoram/ Thyme
Tarragon/ Parsley
Fennel/ Oregano/ Basil
Lemon Verbena/ Mint/ Chamomile
Parsley/ Basil/ Chives
Sage/ Winter Savory

*If you want to see how a combination of herbs will taste before
you cook a dish, finely chop a small amount and mix into soft
butter or cream cheese and spread on a cracker or piece of bread.

*Add herbs in small amounts until the flavor suits you. For long-
cooking, hearty dishes like soups and stews, add the most pungent
herbs at the beginning of cooking and add the milder herbs toward
the end of cooking.

*If you want the flavor of the herb in a dish without the green
specks, wrap the herbs in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string
or place herbs in a mesh tea infuser then submerge in the pot.

*Throw complimentary fresh herbs into the cooking water when
boiling vegetables, Rosemary with potatoes for example. Then
sprinkle with the same herb before serving.

*Throw whole sprigs of herbs such as Thyme, Rosemary or Tarragon
directly on the fire when grilling meat, chicken, fish or
vegetables. It will impart the most heavenly aroma and flavor into
your food.