by
WannabeTVChef
@ 2006-08-20 - 21:48:26
I’ve been in the process of writing this guide for some weeks and am posting it in two parts.
I do hope readers will find this useful and informative. It encompasses my experience with these ingredients on both sides of the Atlantic, hopefully giving this guide a broader usefulness and appeal. This is meant to be a practical guide so I have also tried to keep the entries brief.
Herbs
In most cases these days I use fresh herbs as opposed to dried. Of course every rule has its exceptions such a really good blend of “Herbs de Provence” or other particular blends unique to the area they come from. I absolute hate where dried herbs are sprinkled on a potato dish or other non-liquid foods where they clearly fail to achieve the desired result because they have not been
re-hydrated.
Basil
Basil is a leaf from the mint family that can be used fresh in salads and as a garnish. You add soft herbs like basil at the end of the cooking process. Basil leaves have a peppery-mint flavour, which compliments the flavour of tomatoes and is synonymous with Italian food. These days you also see several hybrid varieties like purple basil (the leaves are literally dark purple) the flavour tends to be less peppery. I like to roll large basil leaves together and slice them into thin ribbons we call this a chiffonade.
Bay Leaf
The woody flavour of the bay leaf is commonly used to flavour traditional stews. It also can be used to season vegetable dishes, soups, and sauces. Remember to remove the leaves before serving, because they present a choking hazard. Bay leaves have a strong flavour so you only need to use 1 in most recipes.
Borage
Borage is rarely seen in restaurants let alone home kitchens unless you’re visiting someone who is an avid gardener and herbalist. The leaves have a refreshing cucumber taste, and can be used in salads and chopped up for herb butters and dips. Borage greens are a little too plain-tasting when cooked alone, but when combined with other greens, particularly cabbage, they add a unique flavour. The flowers can be used as a garnish or candied to decorate pastries.
Chervil
Chervil is a small low-growing annual of the carrot family. It derives its name from the Latin chaerophyllum which means "festive herb" or "herb of joy." Its lacy, fern like foliage is rarely seen for sale in retail outlets. Even though it is a member of the Parsley family, it is much more aromatic. Used in poultry, seafood, vegetables, vinegar, and soups. Chervil is used in French and European cuisine and the spice blends of bouquet garni and fines herbs.
Chervil is native to Eastern Europe and western Asia. The Romans introduced it to France and England more than 2,000 years ago. It is now primarily grown in France and Holland. Chervil is an herb used more often in Europe than in the USA; its mild aromatic flavour works well in delicate sauces and clear soups.
Chives
Chives are members of the onion family. The tubular leaves can be used fresh for a fragrant mildly onion flavour to sauces, soft cheeses, poultry, eggs, salad dressings and dips. You can also buy garlic chives, which is a hybrid cross between garlic and chives. Garlic chive leaves look similar but are flat not tubular. I have also used purple chive flowers tossed in a salad. Garlic chives also known as Chinese chives are flat as opposed tubular.
Young Garlic chives leaves give a sweet garlic flavour and it has white flowers in the summer.
Coriander/Cilantro
Fresh coriander is called by its Spanish name cilantro in America, and is perhaps the most widely used herb in the world. Oriental countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam uses it so does India, Pakistan. North Africans use it too as do Mexicans and other South Americans. The flavour is essential in creating pico de gallo and Thai foods such as green curry paste. Guacamole, ceviche, and salsas usually include cilantro, which has a cool, citrusy flavour that offsets the spiciness in typical hot climate cuisines.
Dill
Dill also known as dill weed in the USA is often paired with salmon. It can be used in its fresh or dried form, and it works particularly well with creamy deli-style salads, cucumbers, breads, and pickles. It has soft feathery leaves and is similar in appearance to fennel leaves. Also works well combined with various shrimp dishes.
Fennel
You can use the feathery foliage of either bronze or Florence fennel as an herb. Bronze fennel is also grown for its seeds. Plants grow to four feet tall with feathery, smoky purple or dark green foliage. I remember seeing lots of fennel growing wild in Bermuda. Its aniseed flavour is milder than anise.
Lavender
Dried lavender is sometimes an ingredient in herbs de provence. In recent years the use of lavender in cooking has again become popular. Used sparingly it can add an interesting accent to a wide variety of foods.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a staple in Vietnamese and Thai recipes. It adds a refreshing, bright “hot” flavour to soups, meat, seafood and vegetable dishes. It can be steeped in hot water to create a caffeine-free tea. Try to look stems that are not overly dry. *If the lemongrass has gone dry in your fridge then rather than chop it up and it be too woody just cut it in half lengthwise so you can remove the lemon pieces at the end of the cooking. *Often the lemongrass found in the major supermarkets can be dry so also check out your Chinese supermarket if you have one.
Lovage
Lovage is often thought of as an old English herb, though it is in-fact a native of the Mediterranean region, growing wild in the mountainous regions of southern France, in northern Greece and in the Balkans. During Elizabethan times it was widely grown and used in England as a sweet herb, and also in herbal medicine of its root, and to a less degree, the leaves and seeds. Lovage has a lovely celery flavour; it can be used in salads, casseroles and soups. Lovage can also be used as a vegetable. It can grow up to 6ft (180cm) tall, but dies back in winter.
Marjoram
Most scientists consider Marjoram to be a species of Oregano. The light greyish-green leaves of Marjoram have a sweeter and more delicate flavour than Oregano. Marjoram is used most often to season meats. In Germany, it earned the name “sausage herb” because of its frequent use in a large variety of sausages. Marjoram is used in Italian, French, North African, Middle Eastern, and American cuisines and herb blends such as bouquet garni, fines herbs (herbs de provence), and pickle blends.
Mint
Fresh mint introduces a brisk and refreshing flavour to iced tea, desserts, and vegetables. It also provides a nice complement to the intense flavour of lamb. Cooks often add mint to chilled soups and chocolate desserts. Vietnamese dishes are usually garnished with mint. The Italians like to partner mint with garlic in some seafood dishes.
Oregano
Oregano was traditionally harvested in the "wild." The Mediterranean variety is closely related to Marjoram and is very similar in physical appearance. "Oregano" means Marjoram in Spanish, and although sometimes referred to as "Wild Marjoram" it is a different herb.
Oregano is found in much of Italian cuisine: pizza, spaghetti sauces, and other tomato-based sauces. Mexican Oregano is found in chilli powders and adds flavour to chilli con carne and other Mexican dishes. Turkey is the principal modern day grower of Oregano. It is stronger flavoured and more bitter than the Greek variety. The Mexican type has a distinctively different flavour, which is less minty, more hay-like and less bitter than the other sources.
Parsley
Parsley comes in two varieties curly and flat (sometimes called Italian parsley). For year’s parsley has been used chopped to add colour and garnish other foods, its storks are also added to stocks. It is used in wide range of egg dishes, soups, and stews. Though mild in flavour parsley seems to have a quality of bringing out the flavour of other foods and herbs. I have also used curly parsley to intensify the colour of certain sauces. Parsley is popular in Middle Eastern cuisine and the spice blends of fines herbs, bouquet garni, and pestos. Parsley was used to flavour and garnish food as early as the third century B.C. The name "parsley" comes from the Greek word petros, meaning "stone," because the plant was often found growing among rocks. In ancient times, wreaths were made with parsley and were worn to prevent intoxication. The colonists brought parsley to the New World.
Rosemary
This very aromatic herb has a wonderfully fresh, pine-like scent. In the kitchen, use it with lamb, pork, poultry, carrots and peas. Also is used in tomato sauce (with pork or veal). Just like sage, rosemary has a strong flavour so you need to be careful and not add too much. Hard herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage are great for flavouring oils, for marinating things like olives, sun-dried tomatoes etc.
Sage
You will love sage for a variety of reasons. Like all salvias, it has beautiful purple/blue edible flowers. The flavour is assertive and useful in many dishes - particularly those high in fat, where it aids in digestion. It is also good with carrots, tomatoes, squash, corn and potatoes. I have used sage to flavour tomato sauce, in white bean casseroles, sausages and of course sage and onion stuffing. There are several hybrid varieties of sage that I have used. Pineapple sage leaves have the delicious aroma of ripe, freshly sliced pineapple. Although it smells gorgeous it doesn't taste strongly of pineapple, more like a hint of pineapple. Purple sage has lovely soft deep purple leaves but I don’t think the flavour is a good as regular (common) sage. Likewise I have also used golden sage and found it to have a softer, milder sage flavour.
Savory
Though not readily available in retail shops in a fresh form,dried savory is often used in herbs de provence. If you can find fresh Savory it works well with any kind of pulse such as beans or lentals. You also find it in older traditional recipes. I’ve used savory in chicken, beef, soups, eggplant(aubergine), asparagus, onions, cabbage, squash, liver and fish dishes. In German cooking, savory and beans are very popular combination.
Shiso
Love basil? Try Shiso. This flavourful herb deserves a place beside basil and cilantro in every culinary herb garden. The flavour has been described as curry-like and a combination of cumin, cilantro, and parsley with a hint of cinnamon. Leaves are a superior addition to mesclun salad mixes and occasionally seen in some supermarket salad mixes. Try Shiso as a garnish with sushi, and sprinkle it over cucumbers, cabbage and fish. Chop and add to pesto. Flowers are edible, and make a fragrant tea.
Sorrel
Sorrel is a hardy perennial plant that produces long narrow tender succulent green leaves with a slightly acid tang or lemony flavour that adds zest to salads and is excellent with fish and in creamy soups and sauces. Leaves grow up to 8” long and can be harvested over a long period of time. Remove flowering tops to keep leaves tender.
Tarragon
Tarragon is a one herb above all others I wish was more readily available in supermarkets. Its versatility is perhaps unmatched. It can be used with poultry, red meats like steak, seafood, eggs, tomato sauce, compound butters, vinegars, salads, mustards, egg based sauces (hollandaise & béarnaise. Tarragon also works very well with mushroom dishes particularly those with stronger flavours like chestnut, flat/field mushrooms, portabella and morels. Cream based sauces for poultry or pork. It’s a great herb to partner with lobster.
Thyme
English thyme is still the most commonly used variety of thyme in the restaurant business.
When using thyme if the sprigs are woody I tend to put the sprig in then remove it when I have enough thyme flavour in the dish. Works well with game, beef, soft cheeses, fish particularly sweet white fish like hake or sole, chowders, pâté, vegetables, and tomato sauce.
Other varieties include lemon thyme and orange thyme. Lemon thyme has a strong lemon scent and attractive green/gold variegated leaves. Orange scented Thyme has grey-green leaves, the spicy orange scented leaves go well in stir-fries and poultry dishes, and they are also used to add flavour to treacle puddings.
Watercress
When I first got into the business watercress was mainly used to garnish steaks.
I must admit watercress isn’t one of my favourite herbs and consequently I haven’t used it as much as I might. It does work extremely well in the classic potato and watercress soup. Also works well in combination of Stilton cheese or other blue cheeses, salads with fruits like ripe pear. Watercress adds an extra dimensional level in combination with wasabi (Japanese horseradish). I‘ve also used watercress in beurre blanc sauces or in sauces containing sherry or sherry vinegar. It adds an interested note to mayonnaise based potato salad. Salmon being a rich oily fish works well with various watercress sauces. The most important thing to remember is do not buy watercress that is less than a bright vibrant dark green, this is a fundamental indication of its freshness. Unfortunately too often the salad bags containing watercress are past their best.
Spice Guide
I started writing this second part to my herb & spice guide months ago….
then Christmas happened and shortly afterwards my computer crashed (god bless the PC).
Now with a few days off from work I’m finally getting back the desire to have a second go at this. Spices are the roots, barks, stems, buds, seeds or fruit of aromatic tropical plants. They should be bought in small quantities; they tend to lose the flavour quickly.
On the Whole
Whenever it is possible buy your spices whole and grind, as you need them, I promise you will notice a difference. Some chefs prefer to add their spices towards the end of cooking to keep the flavours sharp. Usually a vibrant colour is an indication of quality though I say that with some reservations theses days. UK readers may recall in 2005 when some unscrupulous spice traders in India added industrial dyes that are normally used to colour shoe polish to chilli power to make it a more vibrant red and thus sell for a higher price at spice auctions.
Storage
The correct storage of spices is cannot be emphasized too much and need to be stored in a cool dry place not near the stove on a shelf. Heat robs them of their flavour and damp makes them cake. If you bought the spice in a bag store the opened bag in a plastic food container that has a tight fitting lid.
For the most parts I’m not a fan of seasoning mixes because they often contain high levels of salt, though there are a few blends I make acceptations for like Cajun Blackened Seasoning & Old Bay.
There are some spices that I prefer to use in fresh form such as ginger, though I do still use ground ginger in cakes when called for. I mostly use fresh herbs in my cooking these days but I do still like to use “herbs de provence
Allspice
Is a pea-sized fruit, which grows in small clusters on a tree. Picked green, they become shrivelled brown berries after curing. As its name implies, allspice is reminiscent of several spices-cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves mixed together.
Uses Whole in pickling, used in a ground form for baking, puddings, relishes, chutneys and some spicy sauces.
Bay leaves
The dried leaves of the Evergreen Bay tree, believe to be brought to England by the Romans.
The flavour is sweet and herbaceous with a delicate floral note.
Uses In various stews and casseroles, stocks, pickling spices, Béchamel sauce & some tomato sauces.
Black and White Pepper
Black Peppercorns are dried un-ripened berries. White peppercorns are the pale kernels from a fully ripened peppercorn (the dark outer hull has been removed). Both peppers are available whole, black peppercorns also comes in a cracked form and ground;
white can also be bought in a ground form.
Uses Black pepper has a strong, hot taste, and is best used freshly ground or cracked, so I tend to buy my black pepper whole and crack or grind as required. White pepper is more suited to white or light coloured sauces.
Caraway Seed
Very popular in the Netherlands & Germany. These seeds come from a biannual plant that grows 2-3 feet in height. The flavour is similar to Anise but with a nuttier overtone.
Uses In Baking, particularly in rye breads, sauerkraut, other cabbage dishes, fried potatoes, rabbit, chicken, pork and soft cheeses or cheese spreads.
Cardamom Seed
This tiny brown or black seed comes encased in a green or white pod and can vary in size from ¼” to 1” in length. Encased in their pods cardamom looks a little like a large grapefruit pip.
The white ones have been bleached and have less aroma and flavour so buy the green ones if you can. When used whole the cardamom pods are not meant to be eaten so remember to remove them at some point. The flavour is sweet and spicy with slight citrus/grassy note to it.
Uses Whole it can be used in pickling, stock syrups, to flavour seafood stocks.
Ground it is often used in Danish pastries, sweet breads, on chilled fresh fruit such as melon.
Cayenne Pepper
Is less well known in the US, is often made from a variety of red peppers and thus can vary in strength. Generally comes in a ground form and can be hotter than paprika.
Uses Can be used in a wide variety of dishes but has somewhat fallen out of favour compared to chilli powder or paprika.
Celery Seed
A minute, olive brown seed obtained from the celery plant. Not often used in the UK but quite popular in the US.
Uses Excellent in pickling, salads like potato salad, Waldorf salad, oil based salad dressings & fish dishes. Ground and mixed in smoked butter is delicious.
Chilli Powder
For those that did not know chilli powder is actually a blend of chilli peppers, cumin, oregano, garlic, salt, cloves, paprika & sometimes sugar.
Uses In chilli con carni, and other tex-mex dishes, often found in barbecue sauces and in many other meat dishes. Can also be used in certain egg dishes & various spicy cocktail sauces for US Shrimp Cocktail.
Cinnamon
Comes from the bark of an aromatic evergreen tree. There are two varieties of Cinnamon… Cassia and Zeylanicum, the former is more reddish brown in colour and more pungent in flavour and is my favourite. This spice comes either in sticks or ground form.
Uses Cinnamon has a broad list of dishes in which it is used including, pickling, stock syrups, puddings, desserts, sweet breads, Danish pastries, mincemeat, Ice creams, Indian foods, Chinese & Asian foods, even in teas and mulled wine. The convenience of the sticks is that you can remove them when you have sufficient cinnamon flavour.
Cloves
Cloves are the dried flower buds of an evergreen tree. They are dark brown and dusky red in colour and the flavour is sweet, spicy and pungent. Cloves have fallen out of favour with many modern chefs, perhaps because of childhood memories of there overuse. Available whole or ground.
Uses Still used in making a classical Bechamel sauce, in pickling, some stock syrups, studding a ham before honey baking and in some hot mulled drinks.
Coriander
Is the dried round seed of the coriander plant, after the flowers die off. Earlier in the growing season the leaves of the coriander plant are flat and leafy (looking somewhat similar to flat parsley). Later in the summer the leaves turn fern like (looking similar to dill).
Uses Can be bought in seed form (whole) or ground. Used in Pickling both savoury and sweet fruits
Cumin
Is a small dried fruit, oblong in shape, and resembles caraway seeds. Usually sold in ground form but buy whole if you can. Wonderful aromatic flavour often found in North African and Indian dishes.
Uses Important in both chilli powder and curry power blends. Good in soups and casseroles, chutney and spicy cheese dishes.
Curry Powder
A ground blend of as many as 20 spices. Always includes turmeric, ginger, fenugreek seed, cloves, cinnamon, cumin seed, black & red pepper. The other ingredients vary from one manufacturer to another.
Uses In curry sauces, and a broad list of salads like Coronation Chicken, various meat & seafood dishes.
Dill
This herb is available in fresh and dried form, but as I said before always buy fresh if you can.
The seeds however can’t be bought fresh and I do use them in some dishes. They are a small dark seed, its flavour is clean, aromatic with a green weedy note.
Uses goes well with chicken and most fish (not shell fish) dishes. Is also used in pickling and curing of various foods. It can also make a deliciously different Potato salad and used in the making of Sauerkraut. Try making a green apple pie with a hint of crushed dill seed.
Fennel Seed
Fennel is a small seed-like fruit, which has a distinct agreeable scent and sweet flavour that is similar to Anise. This spice is used whole because it has plenty of flavour without crushing it.
Uses In chicken, rabbit and whole fish dishes. Popular in sweet pickles and Italian sausages. Also adds a note of interest in apple dishes, pastries, sweet and savoury breads.
Mace
Is the lacey/fleshy growth between the nutmeg shell and the outer husk. It is orange-red in colour and has a less pungent flavour than nutmeg.
Uses Not widely used these days, can be excellent in many bakery dishes, can cut the oiliness in whipped cream, increases delicacy. Used in pound cakes, contributing a golden tone to all yellow cakes.
Poppy seed
Tiny blue/black seeds from the poppy plant which have a crunchy nut-like flavour.
Uses Excellent on breads and pastries, also delicious in pasta salads and other noodle dishes. Combines particularly well with honey.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
This American blend of cinnamon, cloves and ginger is designed for Pumpkin pie, but also works well on spice cookies and various sweet breads.
Saffron
Is the stigma of a crocus-like flower and is now grown in various places around the world, though Spanish Saffron is still considered amongst the best. It takes approximately 224,000 stigma (threads) to make a pound in weight. Saffron has a distinctive yet hard to describe flavour and adds a most agreeable bright yellow colour to the food. In relative terms Saffron is not as expensive as it used to be. In the UK I find the best quality at Asian (Pakistani & Indian) supermarkets and at reasonable prices.
Uses In cream based sauces for meat or seafood, Paella and other rice dishes, soups and broths, salads and dressings, and even in some dessert dishes. Steep a pinch of Saffron in boiling water for several minutes before adding to bring out the best in this spice.
Sesame Seeds
A small light honey-coloured seed is infact the dried hulled fruit of a tropical plant. It has a gentle nut flavour and is high in oil content. It is used widely in the middle-east as a cooking oil.
It’s also used in Chinese cooking in various dishes including shrimp toast and noodle dishes
In America & Europe Sesame seeds are used as a topping on breads, salads, in dressings either toasted or un-toasted.
Star Anise
Anise is a dried brown seedpod, of a foot high annual shrub.
Uses for flavouring liquorice. Also used in cookies, coffee cakes, and many other baking and dessert dishes. In recent years has regained its popularity with many modern chefs.
Used in oriental dishes, and lightly in some European seafood and meat dishes & sauces.
Turmeric
Is a root and belongs to the ginger family. It is yellow-orange in colour and is an important ingredient in curry powder. It’s flavour is mildly of ginger with a peppery note.
Uses In many Indian, African dishes also in some British pickled dishes and prepared mustards.
It’s bright yellow colour can also be used to boast the colour of certain dishes. I use a small amount when making yellow pepper sauce to make it really vibrant.
