Saturday, June 4, 2011

Kitchen Witch: Herb Cookery

 I love the fragrance and texture of herbs! Grow your own if you can in a window box or basket garden, or a few pots on the window sill. Your local farmer's market is a another good source of fresh herbs!

All herbs are magickal and impart an additional vibration to the food you cook. With practice, you'll start using your favorites in everything and will instinctively know which herb goes into the cooking  pot! Fresh herbs are best, but if you use dried, double the amount. Herbs added to light oil will give you flavored oils to cook with and a head start on salad dressings!

**As always, check for interactions with medications or for contraindication with medical conditions.**

Basil, sweet- Use with mushrooms, in eggs,cheese and fish dishes.
Basil, perennial- For flavoring eggs, fish,game meats, pork,beef, chicken, shell fish and salads
 
Catnip ( catmint)- Leaves used in preparing herbal tea. Cat drug (!)
Chervil- Use young leaves, fresh or dried, in tomato sauce, light cream sauce
Chives- Use where mild onion flavor is desired. Good in eggs, sauces, salads and cheese spread/sauce.
Coriander- Ground seeds used in breads, cookies, cheese sauce and  vegetable soup like squash or pumpkin.

Dill- Use in soups, salads, cream cheese,eggs and fish.

Garlic- Used for bread, combined in butter for spread,salads, sauces,soups, in meats, poultry, fish. Roast whole  in 'paper' and peel off clove, squeeze out garlic paste on cracker or bread.

Hyssop- tender young leaves used in flavoring fruits,pies,salads, soups, stews, drinks.

Lavender- Flavoring for beverages and jellies; flowers used for perfume.

Sweet Marjoram- Flavoring of salads,meats, stuffing,fish and poultry.

Orange Bergamont Mint-use in meats,mint jelly and iced drinks.
Oregano- tomato sauce, Mexican dishes,Italian dishes, shellfish,salad and meats.
Parsley- Use as garnish in salads and soups, in cooked meats.
Pennyroyal- Makes a bland salad taste slightly bitter.Use sparingly.
Peppermint- Use sparingly as garnish on fruit cocktails, cold beverages,salads. Makes good herbal tea.
Pineapple Mint- Used in meats. Refreshing slightly fruity taste.

Sage- Use to season meats, sausage,stuffing.
Summer Savory- Use in beans,egg dishes,cream sauce,all poultry.
Sorrel- Use sparingly in green salads.

Tansy- Use in baked fish, meat pies,or egg dishes.
Tarragon- For salads and in dressings, fish, poultry,wild game (especially rabbit) shellfish. delicious in sauces.
Thyme- Use in meats,wild game, fish, as herbal tea ( sedative effect)


4 comments:

  1. This is a great post, but unless you're talking magickal for the amount of fresh vs dried, I've always been told to use 1 tsp of dried over 1 Tbsp of fresh because dried herbs have a more intense flavor.

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  2. I eyeball everything, so I double it.
    It's worked for years, and I like the flavor. A few dried herbs are intense in flavor, but most aren't since they degenerate over time.

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  3. I agree with most dried herbs losing its "zest" over time. As a rule of thumb for me, I keep most dried herbs away from heat source not just bright lights and some actually will require to be kept inside the fridge if we're aiming for longevity. I generally keep store-bought dried cooking herbs a good 6 months to 1 year. As for the herbs I grow, I'll keep them for no more than 6 months after harvesting/drying and any they're always great gifts for friends that love to cook like myself. BB!

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  4. There are lots of types herbs and all the herbs have a many health benefits. These all herbs are crushed and used for made the different flavour of herbal tea.

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