Cooking For A Better Tomorrow: Help with Herbs

I have said it before and I will say it again - fresh is best! Yes, it is December, but I love using fresh herbs all year round. Of course they are best, freshly cut from the garden, but you can get them year round at almost any store that sells food. My favorite herbs to use as I cook are cilantro, parsley (I like Italian flat leaf best, but there is also curly leaf), basil and chives, but there are tons out there - oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc. I shared with you a quick basil and parsley pesto a few weeks back, but there is so much more you can do with fresh herbs.

Better Bonus Tip: If a recipe calls for a fresh herb of course I would recommend using it, but if you don’t have any on hand at least use dried. A simple conversion is 1 T of fresh to 1 tsp of dried.

Fresh herbs can be intimidating but add great flavor and color to food. To start getting comfortable using herbs, add them as a simple garnish to make your meal look restaurant quality! Add a few sprigs of a fresh herb to the plate or even on top of the dish itself. A couple of easy simple ideas would be cilantro on your favorite Mexican dish, parsley on your favorite pasta dish or chives on your favorite potato dish.

I think a lot of people don’t like to buy fresh herbs because they think they will go bad before they use it all up. That definitely can be true, so here are a couple of tips I use:

Better Bonus Tip: When I first started cooking with fresh herbs I used to wrap whatever herb was left in a moist (not saturated) paper towel and then place in a plastic bag in the fridge, which would help keep the herb fresh longer. Now I have two herb keepers in my fridge that I use constantly. I feel the herb keepers prolong life up to 3-4 weeks, of course dependent on the herb. If you don't want to buy a herb keeper, you could try adding the herbs to a glass or pitcher that is filled with an inch or so of water to keep the stems moist - same idea!

Knife skills with fresh herbs:

Fresh cilantro or parsley - The stems are completely edible, so you can simply chop the bunch until you have what you need.

If you want just the leaves try using a shaving technique. While holding a bunch of herbs, slide the knife (in a somewhat quick fashion) along the stems to shave off the leaves.

Lastly, you could simply pick each leave off from the stem and then chop - this would be the most time consuming method. Be gentle when removing the leaves so you don't bruise them.

Fresh Basil - I like to make tiny ribbons or strips of basil. To get this shape, use a technique known as chiffonade (which would also be fun with spinach). Stack the leaves on top of each other and roll up. Next use your knife, keeping the tip on the edge of the cutting board, and proceed through the rolled up herbs, from one end to the other.

Chiffonade basil is great with some fresh tomatoes, salt, pepper and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

Better Bonus Tip: Try adding your favorite herb to mayonnaise or sour cream for a quick spread or sauce.

I also love to make compound butters which are really simple to make. Mix chopped up herbs to room temperate butter. Also, great with a citrus such as orange, lemon or lime juice and zest.

Basil Butter

Ingredients:
One stick of butter, softened to room temperature
Basil, approx 1/4 cup
Lemon, zest and juice

The butter needs to be soft enough to mix easily with the basil leaves, lemon zest and juice. Once the butter has reached that consistency, mix all ingredients together. Form butter back into a shape you would like and store butter in the fridge for access as needed. I add mine to a piece of plastic wrap and then form into the shape of a log and wrap. When ready to use, you can just cut off a tablespoon at a time.