As I emptied my herb pots this week I was inspired to write about them. Let me preface this by saying I know I am in the land of salt and pepper, maybe some onion salt or garlic powder and, if I stretch it, chili powder and Italian seasoning but, there is so much more to discover and enjoy using herbs in your cooking. As foodies who enjoy many different ethnic cuisines there must be 50 jars in our spice drawer along with many more in the pantry. For those who are curious we have all the individual spices that are in Italian seasoning/cooking along with many Indian and Asian spices which are some of our favorite cuisines.
I saw an article this week that suggested 11 herbs to start with if you want to branch out with your flavor cooking profiles. At least 3-4 of them were spice blends I had never heard of but I do believe spice blends are a good way to start if you don’t want to go broke buying individual spices. Most of these blends can be easily purchased online and, when you are traveling, visit a spice store to actually smell all the options available. Some that we have on hand right now include: Tandoori, Vindaloo and Gram Masala, which are all Indian spice combinations, Singapore which is a 17 herb combo that smells like a rich soup base and Za’Atar which is a Middle Eastern blend often used at the table or for dipping. They sound exotic but they each smell and taste great. Paul has added a Creole seasoning he puts on avocado toast and something called Herbamare which is a light French based spice mix he uses on vegetables. Another category of spices we keep on hand are the warm spices which include: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and all spice. Others I use quite often are star anise and Chinese 5 spice both of which add a licorice component to desserts and use in pickling.
We all have personal preferences when it comes to spices; two I don’t particularly care for are rosemary and cardamom. A few personal favorites I would suggest purchasing individually are cumin, coriander and fennel. Cumin is often used in Mexican food or Midwestern meat and bean based chili. I seem to add a few shakes of cumin into many dishes as I think it adds depth of flavor to food. I recently added ground coriander to our spice inventory and love it. As an herb, it is known as Chinese parsley or cilantro, has citrus undertones and complements chicken and fish nicely. I put a few shakes in my egg wash plus some in my breading mixture when I fry perch. Whole coriander seeds are often found in brining and pickling spice mixes. Finally, I love to use fennel in my cooking. I buy the fennel seeds, toast them and use a mortar and pestle to grind them into a powder. I add fennel to sausage which amps up the flavor tremendously, especially when used on pizza. I have even started using it in our canned tomato sauce which has added a new depth of flavor.
If you are intrigued by all this talk about herbs, you might consider growing a few herbs in a pot next year. You can research and settle on your choices over the winter months and try them out during the next growing season. Starting them inside from seed in the spring might be fun or alternatively, established plants are easily purchased at the nurseries. Two herbs we grow every year are basil and mint. If you like the herbs you grew try drying them at the end of the season so you have fresh flavor all winter long or, if they are still thriving come fall, take them inside to extend the season. Who knows, you might be able to get them to overwinter and be able to take them outside again the following summer. I ended up drying a lot of tarragon this fall which I will use in egg dishes through the winter months. So, in closing, consider ramping up your cooking repertoire with herbs and, hopefully, your family will grow to appreciate your efforts and become more open to new foods in the future.