More and more scientific research proves that cooking with herbs is not only important for taste but also essential for health. Herbs like curry, turmeric, basil, oregano, garlic, and onions not only bring dishes to life but also contain medicinal compounds with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiparasitic, and antiviral properties. Some herbs contain antioxidants and anti-diabetic agents, while others feature ingredients that can help with anti-aging. The research is clear: our health can greatly improve by adding herbs to our regular meals.
And why not add them to our meals? They taste amazing! The flavors and aromas are something to look forward to, and they form the foundation of our memories of good times, especially during the holidays. What would a holiday party be without the taste of cinnamon-spiced apple cider, the smell of hot apple pie or pumpkin pie, and the aroma of turkey cooking in the oven?
How Do Others Cook with Herbs?
Once you decide to start cooking with herbs, it’s important to observe the standard ways herbs are added to food. If you’ve never noticed the sprig of parsley on a dinner plate or the sprinkle of cinnamon on oatmeal at family restaurants, you haven’t been paying attention!
Restaurant menus are filled with herb ideas that can give you a place to start. It may even be helpful to keep an herb journal to record the many ways herbs are used to season food. Examples include recipes such as herb-roasted potatoes, mint-roasted leg of lamb, apple rosemary glaze, lemon-honey lamb cutlets, ginger-melon pork, dilled meatballs, rosemary walnut beef skewers, and chipotle chicken sausage. When dining out, chefs are often thrilled to share their herb and spice combinations that create perfectly blended or unexpectedly bold flavors. Getting tips from chefs will accelerate your progress.
Few Hard and Fast Rules
Cooking with herbs follows fewer rules today than it did a few decades ago. You can create mild flavors by adding a pinch of any herb or be dramatic by adding an unexpected herb to a dish. For instance, one woman added fresh basil to ice cream, and the combination created quite a stir in her restaurant. No one expected such a delightful, stimulating taste! It’s been a hit ever since. Another example is adding traditional herbs like oregano, basil, dill, marjoram, and rosemary to dinner muffins. Unexpected flavors excite our taste buds.
The easiest way to start cooking with herbs is to first familiarize yourself with the aromas of each herb and spice. The best way to do this is by opening each bottle on your spice rack and taking a whiff.
Once you know the aromas, your taste imagination will be activated. Your next step is to start experimenting. Don’t be afraid to experiment— it’s easy when you do it with a bite of food and a pinch of herb or spice at a time.
For example, take a tablespoon of the bland stew you made for dinner and mix it in a bowl with a pinch of dill or rosemary. How does it taste? If the rosemary flavor is overwhelming, you may have added too much. After drinking a half glass of water to clear your taste buds, try it again with half the amount of rosemary in a new tablespoon of stew. How does it taste now?
Some Ideas to Start With:
- Try adding a pinch of cardamom, mint, lavender, or basil on top of fruit or ice cream.
- For your next salad, add herbs like dill, lemon thyme, rosemary, and sage to your vinegar and oil dressing.
- Add one-half teaspoon of any green spice rack herb to an entrée of beef, chicken, or fish before cooking.
Make cooking with herbs fun, and your results will always surprise you!
By Dr. Donna Schwontkowski (ret.), Master Herbalist
