Herbal Recipes

Cooking with herbs can turn a mundane meal into a cordon bleu treat. Herbs really can bring out the best in food – if you get the herb/food mix right then you’ll produce some fantastic flavors.

Unfortunately, if you get it wrong then things don’t look – or taste – so good! Using the wrong herb with the wrong food will result in a meal that just doesn’t taste right.

So, let’s take a look at some of the more common herb matches made in cuisine heaven…..

Basil – you might associate basil purely with tomato based dishes but this herb is actually also great with chicken, fish and vegetarian dishes. A lot of cooks use basil in Mediterranean-style recipes.

Bay – bay leaves are a staple flavoring for stocks and soups. But, they can add pizzazz to other foods such as fish, for example.

Chives – chives go great in salads. Although many cooks only like to use them fresh rather than cooked you can use them to add great flavor to cheese and egg dishes.

Cumin – most traditionally used in curry dishes, cumin can also enhance a lot of vegetarian dishes especially lentil-based ones.

Mint – most associated with lamb, a nice sprinkling of mint can also make a boring salad taste real special.

Oregano – oregano is great with tomato based dishes such as pasta and, of course, with pizza. But, it can really add something to a fish dish as well.

Parsley – a lot of people only use parsley as a garnish but it can actually add a fine flavor to a lot of dishes such as steaks, for example.

Rosemary – rosemary can go well with lamb, pork and beef (although some people don’t like the combination with beef much). It is also good in vegetarian cooking and with certain types of fish.

Sage – most of us associate sage with pork but you can use it to good effect with any kind of meat, tuna-type fish and chicken. The Italians like to use sage with veal and liver.

Tarragon – too much tarragon can spoil a dish but a little used in poultry or fish dishes can taste great. This herb also goes well with cheese and eggs.

Thyme – thyme is a very versatile herb that complements most meats.