Italians demand on fresh ingredients in their food, and their herbs are no exception. There are a assortment of fresh herbs common in italian cooking. Many Americans are familiar with the small bottles of dried herbs from the grocery supermarket, but if you have not t made food with freshly grown herbs, you really need to give it a try. What s the difference between an herb and a spice? Spices are made from the seeds, root, fruit or barks of fragrant plants, while the herbs essentially consist of the leaves and stems. Herb plants have oils which are extremely aromatic and add the unique fragrance and flavor that Italian food is known for. A few of the most common herbs are basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme. Basil-', '3', event)">Basil- Is a member of the mint family, and like all mint herbs, it is extremely fragrant when picked fresh. Basil leaves blacken when exposed to metal, therefore it is common in Italy to tear the leaves by hand before throwing the basil into a sauce or onto a dish. Basil is the primary herb for the famous pesto sauce. Oregano-', '4', event)">Oregano- Is another popular herb in both Italian and Greek food. Most people are familiar with this herb in tomato based pasta sauces and with meats. Parsley', '5', event)">Parsley Italian parsley is also called as flat-leaf parsley. It is readily available in most grocery stores and it is easy to distinquish it from the curly variety frequently used as a garnish. Italians favor this parsley for cooking because it has a better flavor, while the curlier variety is best saved for garnishing your dish. Rosemary', '8', event)">Rosemary - This herb is everywhere available and resembles a small twig from an evergreen shrub. This is one of the most fragrant of all the fresh herbs and it does keep its flavor and aroma when dried. It s great with vegetables and is frequently cooked into the dough of breads such as focaccia . Sage', '10', event)">Sage This herb has long, wide leaves and it s the main ingredient that flavors the well-known Italian Saltimbocca dish. Sage is also very aromatic so be careful you don t use too much and overpower your food. Thyme-', '13', event)">Thyme- Another plant of the mint family, but in as opposed to the other mints, it has very small leaves that can simply be tossed in whole to your sauce or other food. I use a lot of this herb because of its mild flavor that goes nicely with most things and won t overshadow the rest of a dish. There are a few basic rules for cooking with herbs. The oils in dried herbs are concentrated and you need to use a smaller amount of dried herbs than fresh in your recipes. A good basic rule of thumb is to use one tablespoon of fresh herbs for every 1 teaspoon of dried herbs called-for in a recipe. But bear in mind, cooking is an art and you can use as much or as little as you prefer. Fresh herbs, on the other hand, can lose much of their flavor when cooked too much. For long- cooked sauces and meats, you can add the fresh herbs at the end of the cooking time so their flavors and aromas remain intact. The next time you wish to liven up an ordinary meal, throw in a few late italian herbs.
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Joy Harrison is an experienced home cook and cooking instructor. She loves to find easy ways to prepare great home cooked meals in today's busy world. To learn more visit her site at http://www.italian-cooking-made-easy.com.
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