Spice It Up!Let's get cooking with herbs & spices! by Marge Bittetti
Most supermarkets and specialty stores have entire sections set aside for fresh and dried herbs and spices. It’s hard to imagine that at one time kings, wealthy merchants and traders were the only ones who could afford exotic and aromatic spices. Items such as garlic, peppermint and celery were once so prized that they were buried in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs along with other wealth and treasures for their afterlife. In 1500 B.C. Egyptians sent representatives to the present day Somalia because it was near the ancient spice routes of China and Southeast Asia.
Herbs and spices both compliment cooking but each is unique. Spices include the dried bark, roots, stems, buds and seeds of aromatic plants and trees. Herbs are typically the leaves of savory plants that are usually grown in temperate climates. Both dry and fresh herbs are available in most markets. People who frequently use herbs in their cooking often grow them in a small herb garden either in the ground or in pots so that the fresh herbs are cut and used as needed. As a result of the wide spread availability of herbs and spices; people are willing to experiment in their cooking by adding tasty seasonings to give their favorite casserole an entirely new taste.
There are no firm rules for cooking with herbs and spices. If a meal tastes good to you, it is assumed that right blend of seasonings was used to prepare the meal. However, here are some guidelines that will help you to enhance your use of herbs and spices in your cooking. - Don’t season more than one dish in a meal with the same herb. - Use only one strong-flavored herb at a time in a dish. Examples of stronger herbs include: sage, basil, mint, dill, marjoram, tarragon and thyme. Herbs with strong flavors can be combined with other milder herbs and spices. - When using dried herbs, crush them in the palm of your hand before adding them to the dish. Doing this will release the flavors of the herbs quicker. - Dry herbs are stronger in flavor than fresh herbs.
Meats that are roasted, grilled or broiled are flavorful when enhanced by thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, sage, garlic, black pepper and onion. Rosemary and garlic add a natural compliment to roasted or grilled chicken. If a dish requires a lot of tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes; the natural acid flavor of the tomatoes can be reduced by adding a pinch of sugar while the food is cooking.
There are a few traditional herb blends that gifted cooks have used for years. These blends are best when fresh herbs are used in their preparation. Each of these blends involves tying together a small bundle or bouquet of herbs and then adding this aromatic bouquet to the food as it slowly cooks.
Bouquet Garni - Bouquet Garni includes parsley, celery leaf, onion, and thyme. Some cooks also like to add basil and tarragon. Bouquet Garni is commonly used for soups, stews, stocks, and salads.
Fine Herbs - Fine Herb mixture includes equal quantities of parsley, tarragon, chervil, and chives. A fine herb mixture can also include: sage, basil savory, thyme, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, lavender and hyssop. Fine herbs mixtures are suitable for meats, game, poultry, soups and sauces.
Herbs de Province - Herbs de Province are similar to fine herb mixtures. They originated in the south of France. Anise seed and lavender are used instead of sage and parsley that are common to the Fine Herb mixtures. Oregano, hyssop, basil, savory and thyme can also be added to the Herbs de Province mixture. This herb mixture is suitable for barbecued dishes, sauces, vegetable soups, game, meat and poultry.
"The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star." Anthelme Brillat-Savarin Physiologie Du Gout (1825)
Spice It Up!
