Herbs and their recipes

Sweet basil

Everyone's favourite fresh herb, sweet basil is known as the tomato herb because it goes so well with this ingredient.

  • Add 1-3 tsp finely chopped basil to one stick of butter, for spreading on breads or crackers.
  • Add 1-3 tsp minced basil to scrambled eggs or any chopped egg salad.
  • Add 1 tbsp finely chopped basil per cup of flour and brush onto poultry (especially good with roast duck).
  • For basting, mince a few large leaves and some garlic and butter in a processor, then brush over the meat (add a dash of white wine if you're cooking with fish or chicken).
  • Add finely chopped basil to tomato soup a few minutes before serving.

    Make your own fresh pesto:

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup Olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely minced

    Place basil leaves in small batches in food processor and blend until well chopped.
    Add about one-third of the nuts and garlic, then blend again.
    Add about one-third of the Parmesan cheese; blend while slowly adding about one-third of the olive oil, stopping to scrape down sides of container.

    Process basil pesto it forms a thick smooth paste.
    Store in refrigerator for one week, or in the freezer for a few months.
    Recipe from Diana's Kitchen.

    Bay leaves

    Best used as full leaves and added early on in the cooking process, bay leaves release their flavour slowly and are best paired with meats.

  • Hearty meat dishes benefit best from bay leaves added early in the cooking process and removed before serving (biting into a bay leaf can be a shocking experience!). Add in this way to tomato sauces as well.
  • Combine fresh bay leaves steeped in gin for a few weeks with juniper berries as a base in marinades for game meats.
  • Cook pasta, potatoes and rice with a few bay leaves in the water.

    Chives

    Flowering chives

    Chives have an onion-like flavour and taste best when they're wallowing in a rich creamy sauce, as well as with eggs, poultry and fish.

  • Add 1 tsp chives per cup of sauce.
  • For a yummy sandwich spread, blend ½ cup cream, 500g grated cheddar cheese until smooth, then stir in 2 tbsps chopped chives.
  • Chives can be added to the poaching liquids (water or milk) for fish, chicken or vegetables.

    Lemongrass

    Most popular in Southeast Asian food, lemongrass makes a delightful compliment to garlic and sweet chilli dishes and is lovely in stir-fries.

  • For stir-frying, chop lemongrass stalks into small pieces and pound them with a pestle to release the flavour.
  • Use cut sections of lemongrass as skewers for baking or grilling shrimp, poultry and pork medallions.
  • Mince ½ cup of lemongrass, add 250ml white wine vinegar and leave it for a month or two in a dark place. This makes a lovely base for basting poultry and marinating pork.

    Baked shellfish with herbs:

  • 2 tbsp chopped lemongrass
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tbsp basil
  • 1 tbsp marjoram
  • ½ cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

    Chop the herbs finely and combine with the breadcrumbs and olive oil.
    Shuck the shellfish (oysters and or mussels) and put a teaspoon of the mixture filling on each.
    Bake at 180 degrees C for 6-8 minutes and serve immediately.
    Recipe from: Freshherbs.com.


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