Cooking with herbs

Last week I was invited to speak at a meeting of Lewes in Bloom. For those of you who may not know the group, these are the men and women who spend countless hours planting, weeding and (at the end of the season) clearing out the public flower beds throughout the community. From the triangle strip at the entrance to town to the planters on Front Street to the various mini-parks, we have this group to thank for the riotous flower colors we enjoy each year.

 

They asked me to talk about how to dry fresh herbs for storage and provide some examples of cooking with herbs. First - what is an herb? The word comes from the Latin “herba” meaning grass or green plant. From a botanical standpoint, an herb is a plant whose stem withers to the ground each fall. Medicinally, herbs are plants with healing properties, either when eaten, steeped and drunk, or applied as a poultice. From a culinary perspective, herbs are plants used to flavor foods. For some, we use only the leaves, and for others the leaves, stems and flowers are all usable. And, unlike the botanists, we do include woody plants such as rosemary and lavender under the heading of herbs, even though they are winter-hardy (in temperate climates).

 

The difference between herbs and spices is treatment: spices are typically dried, while herbs are typically used fresh. This is the topic Lewes in Bloom wanted to hear about - drying fresh herbs to retain their signature flavors for cooking. The process is quite simple: Harvest stems, strip the foliage from the base, secure the bundle with a rubber band and hang in a cool, dark place for a couple of weeks.

 

If the leaves are fragile (e.g., dill) you can enclose the bundle in a paper lunch sack and tie the opening around the rubber band; if leaves fall as they dry, they’ll collect at the bottom of the bag. This process only works for low-moisture herbs, such as parsley, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Chives and basil are better frozen in an ice cube tray with just enough water to fill each compartment.

 

Do not try microwaving herbs, as this will cause them to desiccate and completely lose any flavor. Oven drying is also unwise, as no matter how low the temperature, you’ll burn the leaves instead of gently drying them. Once you have dried the leaves, store them in an airtight container and use them within a year. 

 

When a recipe includes an herb on the ingredient list, you can tell if you should use fresh or dried. Usually, the instruction “finely chopped” refers to fresh herbs. A dish that calls for one-half cup of parsley surely expects fresh leaves. But, if all you have is dried, use this equivalency: 1 teaspoon dried equals 1 tablespoon fresh. As the herbs are dried, their essential oils are concentrated, so you need less.

 

You can help release the flavor of dried herbs if you crush the leaves as you stir them into your sauce or stew. When chopping fresh herbs, first strip the leaves from the stems before cutting. The sharper the knife, the easier the process, or you can use one of several specialty tools such as multi-blade scissors designed for cutting herbs.

 

Once I’d given the group a quick tutorial on the herb-drying process, I prepared three different dishes for them to taste. The first was a quinoa salad that featured sharp scallions, bright parsley and hints of lavender from a lavender-infused white wine vinegar (see photo). The next dish was a simple pan of glazed peas with lemon zest, thyme and licorice hints from tarragon. The final dish was sliced mushrooms simmered in a creamy sauce of sour cream and paprika. Instead of hot Spanish paprika, we used sweet Hungarian paprika for a lovely color and subtle flavor combining both herbs and spices. Thanks again to Lewes in Bloom.

 

Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Combine water, salt and quinoa in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently until tender, about 10 minutes. While the quinoa cools, whisk together remaining ingredients in a serving bowl. Add quinoa and toss to combine. Serve warm as a side dish or chill and serve on lettuce greens. *Note: Alternatively substitute lentils, rice or couscous cooked according to package instructions.

 

Melt butter in a skillet over medium low. Add the shallots and salt; sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the peas. Cook just until heated through. Add the remaining ingredients and cook another 5 minutes.

 

Melt butter in a skillet and sauté shallot until softened. Stir in mushrooms and lemon juice; cook until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour, salt and paprika. Stir to combine thoroughly and cook another minute.  Add sour cream and cook just until heated through - do not boil.