I am often asked how we get so much flavour into our meals without adding seasoning. One of the best ways to get flavour into your meals is by using lots of fresh herbs. A few weeks ago we talked about setting up a fresh herb garden. Now I am going to talk about how to incorporate the fresh herbs into your meals. While herbs have been associated with medicine since ancient times we predominantly use them in cooking for flavour and colour. If they still have some magical medicinal properties that is just an added bonus.
Herb Oil – one of the easiest ways to get fresh herb flavours is to infuse your oil with herbs. In the crèche I use rosemary and thyme to infuse olive oil. This oil is used for roasting and sautéing. You can simply place some rosemary and thyme into an olive oil bottle, or if you would like to make it look nicer you can pick up a Kilner flip top bottle and infuse the oil in that.
Herbs to roast – If you are roasting a piece of meat or some vegetables throw some herbs in on the tray – herbs such as sage, rosemary or thyme are ideal. Sweet potato chips are a healthy alternative to fries and taste great when roasted with spices and some fresh herbs such as dill.
Using fresh herbs in sauces and soups – A great way to improve any sauce or soup is the addition of fresh herbs. When you’re adding fresh herbs they are normally added at the end. You can add basil to tomato sauce, coriander to curry sauce and parsley can be used in almost anything.
Herbs in salads – There are many salad dishes that you can enhance with herbs by just adding coriander or parsley to salad leaves. Another great dish I love to prepare in the crèche is tabbouleh. Tabbouleh’s main ingredients are diced parsley, tomato and cracked wheat or barley. You can then add in diced spring onion, mint and lemon juice.
I hope that these ideas have inspired you to start using your own herbs! They really are the perfect way to add natural flavour without including salt, fat or additives of any kind. Keep an eye on the blog for more great recipes & tips from our team of talented chefs!
