Do you, like me, every get into a flavor rut? Though I adore my standard combinations of hot red pepper, basil and parsley, mixing up your routine a bit with super fragrant fresh herbs will liven up even the most everyday of foods. You can grow fresh herbs at home in a pot on your windowsill or your backyard, and if you don’t have a green thumb, don’t worry. They’ll be very hard to kill.
Sage - key notes: pepper and mint
Italians love burro e salvia, or butter and sage on pasta. In a saucepan, heat up some butter and when it starts to sizzle, place in your fresh bits of sage. Let it simmer on low into the butter for a few minutes until it becomes fragrant. Pour over fresh egg pasta (like lemon pepper pappardelle) or ravioli and garnish with more fresh sage.
Rosemary - key notes: woody and evergreen
Roasted potatoes with fresh rosemary is a standard side dish here and so easy to make. Chop potatoes and toss with salt, olive oil and fresh rosemary. Bake until golden and crispy.
Lavender - key notes: floral and sweet (this is a different variety which feels like velvet and is very lemony!)
Lavender brings out florals when paired with lemon and the combination is perfect for spring. Make lemonade and stir in fresh lavender sprigs. If you want to taste it even more, rub the lavender into the sugar first, then stir with your water and lemon juice.
Oregano - key notes: aromatic and warm
It’s used as a pizza herb, generally stirred dry into sauce, but try this trick instead: once your pizzas come out of the oven, sprinkle fresh oregano on top and the steam from the hot pizza will amplify the fragrance of the oregano.
Do you use fresh herbs? What are your favorites? I'm partial to fresh mint on everything in the summer!
I love this! Herbs are such a great way to spice up an otherwise boring dish.
ReplyDeleteWe are huge rosemary and oregano fans - they end up in almost every dish, ha!
Love the tip on putting lavender in lemonade, I'll definitely have to try it sometime :)
xxx
Jenna
I made a lemon-lavender cake last spring and it was AMAZING! it's perfect for a garden party. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/lemon-lavender-cake.html
ReplyDeleteI have a glassed in window box off my kitchen. It gets some eastern exposure, but not full light. Do you think herbs would grew well there?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is basil, growing it right now! Also love cilantro, it makes everything so fresh!
ReplyDeletei love basil on EVERYTHING! :) but i want to try some of these other herbs, h is allll about having plants so im sure we can get a little herb garden going. btw i tried to comment on your post yesterday but i had a blog fail-- SO glad you had fun with your mom :) and you were able to disconnect and really enjoy your time off! xoxo jillian:: cornflake dreams
ReplyDeleteoh yum! I love fresh herbs! We have Rosemary, Parsley, Mint and Oregano. Basil is too hard to keep alive in Texas because it's too hot!
ReplyDeletegreat ideas with the herbs, i love butter and sage!
ReplyDeletemmmmm, i love oregeno and basil! i haven't tried lavender though. Putting it lemonade sounds simple and delicious though - i ought to try it!
ReplyDeletethanks so much for the suggestions! xoxo
ReplyDeleteSuch a great, informative post!!
ReplyDeleteI always experiment with combinations of many different spices but not so much with herbs...this post has inspired me to seek out some more herbs when creating flavours.
ReplyDeleteI'm very lucky in that there was already rosemary and mint growing in my back garden when I moved into my house! I planted some basil, thyme and coriander (for my Tex-Mex) and all those fresh herbs really make a difference in the food :)
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