How to Cook with Fresh Herbs

This guide to fresh herbs will help you add delicious new flavors to your cooking. The best tasting food is always those dishes prepared with simple, fresh ingredients. Discovering which herbs to pair with what ingredients is simple. From now on, you’ll be considered a gourmet by your friends and family.

As a rule, add dried herbs at the beginning of cooking so that they have time to reconstitute and infuse their flavor. Fresh herbs should be added near the end of cooking to maintain the best intensity.

• Rosemary-Warm and spicy scent. Place entire stems inside of roasting poultry or on top of fish. Remove before serving. Chopped leaves pair well with soups and stews. Place sprigs in lemonade for a subtle flavor enhancement or infuse olive oil with this delicious herb.

• Basil– This delicious member of the mint family is one that we grow every summer. Fresh Pesto (Basil chopped fine and mixed with Olive oil, Pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese) is very versatile. It can be added to soups and directly over any meat before serving. When making your own vinaigrette salad dressing, add some finely chopped Basil for a flavor explosion.
• Sage-Perfect accompaniment to poultry. Make a batch of Sage butter and you won’t regret it.      Put one pound of butter in a pan, on low to medium heat. It will foam up at first but then cook down and brown. Add  a nice handful of finely chopped sage. Stir it as it foams up and settles down again. Allow it to cool and store in a container, or roll it in waxed paper, so that you can cut off slices. Serve over cooked poultry, especially Turkey. Enjoy the compliments!

• Parsley- Do you see this herb in the produce section and walk on by? Grab a bunch next time and add it chopped up to your salads, on top of stir fry, in your omelets. Use it anywhere you want a fresh, green taste.

• Oregano-Add chopped Oregano to you favorite oil with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Use this for a delicious meat marinade. Plays well with basil also. It has a strong flavor so experiment with this herb to find your favorite ways to use it.

These five varieties will give you a good start on learning to cook with herbs. I have a feeling there will be no turning back once you smell the amazing aromas, and taste the fresh flavors that herbs can bring to the table.

Be sure and pin for later! Until next time, happy cooking.