What are your favorites and what do you like to do with them?

I like herbs provencal on everything. Lamb of course, but also fish, chicken, cauliflower, mushrooms etc.

I also love taragon, I like it fresh and I also like to use the dried one.

Does anyone ever make a salad with herbs?

I had some spring rolls that were loaded with fresh herbs and they were great.

Fresh coriander improves almost anything.
Garlic, rosemary and mint go great with Lamb.

In my garden I try to grow rosemary, chives, oregano/marjoram, basil (2 kinds), tarragon, thyme (2 kinds), mint (2 kinds), parsley, chervil, nasturtiums and various chilis with varying degrees of success.

I always grow basil. Thyme, rosemary, oregano & chives are also up there. But basil? The absolute 100% "must have" herb in the garden.

PH

Oh, yeah....Cilantro. Sorry Gf!

Basil? Mmmm. I love the stuff. I do a lot of rosemary as well, in addition to garlic, chili flakes, and dill (great on most seafood).

I also use a lot of dried cumin. I put it on morning eggs, and potatoes, and of course in homemade Mexican food.

I don't like cilantro much, but it's necc. in salsa I feel.

As a change of pace, I use yellow curry and/or garam masala as all purpose seasonings for stews and breakfast stuff like omelettes.

Fresh marjoram is nice with scallops from time to time.

I grow herbs but have no success with dill. It's a weed isn't it? How come I can't get a weed to grow? Everything else grows fine, but I stopped growing sage because it gets little bugs on the underside of the leaves. I also prefer the dried rubbed sage to the fresh.

if i told you where i grow my herbs, law enforcement would be sure to follow.

that said, basil makes the world go 'round.

Thyme is my favorite, followed by oregano and basil. I love mixing fresh thyme and oregano into a cheese blend of mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano to put on pizzas. I also love thyme and rosemary on lamb. Marjoram is another herb I like. I will occasionally put it in eggs - like a frittata.

As far as spices are concerned, cumin is one of my favorites. I can put that on almost anything. I love it in spice rubs too. One of my favorite things to put it in is guacamole. It gives it a great flavor. Spanish paprika, saffron, cinnamon, and nutmeg also rock.

I have over 50 different spices in my spice drawer, and I like them all, depending on what I'm making.Each one is indispensable, AFAIC.

I use them all, but I'll find an excuse to put basil and garlic in damn near everything.

I love basil so much that I roll it up & smoke it.

Rosemary - I can't think of lamb without it.

Herbes de Provence - love it with my braised short ribs.

Garlic - a staple in my house. I love it so much I can eat raw cloves of it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Altaholic,

Couldn't live without garlic.
My other favorite H&S in decending order:
Cilantro
Shallots
Black pepper
Lawry's Seasoning Salt (yeah, that's a cheat)
Cinnamon
Rosemary
Basil
Sage
Chives

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
I grow herbs but have no success with dill. It's a weed isn't it? How come I can't get a weed to grow? Everything else grows fine, but I stopped growing sage because it gets little bugs on the underside of the leaves. I also prefer the dried rubbed sage to the fresh.

I don't grow my dill, I buy it at the local super. Haven't grown it in years, but it did well out in Nor Cal (so does everything else, ).

I love sage as well (again, I buy, so no bugs), and sometimes flash fry whole leaves in canola or light EVOO. Leaves them intact, crispy, and a great garnish for lots dishes.

I love them all. The smell of basil gives me chills, though. I tend to use more savory herbs like thyme and rosemary in the cooler months, while basil and cilantro are often in my summer dishes. I hardly ever use dried herbs (except thyme and oregano).
Herbs
Thyme - most brown sauces (especially Chasseur), tomato sauce, mushroom soup, roasted root veggies, lamb/short rib braise, coq au vin,

Rosemary - lamb/short rib braise, blue cheese crust on steak,

Basil - garnish tomato sauce, Caprese Salad, pesto, garnish pho

Cilantro - salsa, fruit relish, spicy cilantro sauce over prawns

Parsley - tomato sauce, lamb,

Occassionally use - Tarragon - white sauce, Oregano - tomato sauce, Mint - lamb, Dill - seafood, Herbs de Provence - Coq au Vin,

Spices
All Spice/Cloves - Jerk sauce,
Cumin - salsa, indian and Moroccan dishes
Nutmeg - potatoes gratin
Sambal Olek (Chili oil) - stir fries

Garlic, ginger, and dijon mustard in too many to mention

quote:

Originally posted by conscious:
I love them all. The smell of basil gives me chills, though. I tend to use more savory herbs like thyme and rosemary in the cooler months, while basil and cilantro are often in my summer dishes. I hardly ever use dried herbs (except thyme and oregano).
Herbs
Thyme - most brown sauces (especially Chasseur), tomato sauce, mushroom soup, roasted root veggies, lamb/short rib braise, coq au vin,

Rosemary - lamb/short rib braise, blue cheese crust on steak,

Basil - garnish tomato sauce, Caprese Salad, pesto, garnish pho

Cilantro - salsa, fruit relish, spicy cilantro sauce over prawns

Parsley - tomato sauce, lamb,

Occassionally use - Tarragon - white sauce, Oregano - tomato sauce, Mint - lamb, Dill - seafood, Herbs de Provence - Coq au Vin,

Spices
All Spice/Cloves - Jerk sauce,
Cumin - salsa, indian and Moroccan dishes
Nutmeg - potatoes gratin
Sambal Olek (Chili oil) - stir fries

Garlic, ginger, and dijon mustard in too many to mention

What's in your spicey cilanro sauce? It is one of my favorite herbs and I try to get a dose in whenever possible. One simple thing my wife does is cilantro, jalapeno and EVOO and it makes for a great dipper for hot, tosty breads.

Basil is my favorite fresh herb
Caterpillars like basil, parsley and dill also and have been known to demolish my small herb garden in about two days, leaving the mint, oregano and lavender.

quote:

Originally posted by PURPLE:
Basil is my favorite fresh herb
Caterpillars like basil, parsley and dill also and have been known to demolish my small herb garden in about two days, leaving the mint, oregano and lavender.

Purple,
I'll trade you our slugs for your caterpillars anytime.

Thyme is my current favorite. I won't grill or sear a steak without each side pressed with a heaping tablespoon of fresh chopped thyme. Lamb and chicken love it too.

Hey Tex, here's the recipe:

Spicy Cilantro Sauce:
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Few drops of toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 Serrano chile, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Stir together cilantro, vegetable oil, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice, and chile. Season with salt and pepper.
Yield: about 1 cup

It's a great Asian style sauce that is quite versatile but I like to serve it with Black Bean Cakes and prawns. Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it:

Black Bean Cakes with Spicy Cilantro Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 2/3 cups canned or rehydrated black beans
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs (I prefer Panko)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped fine
1 jalapeno pepper minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup yellow cornmeal
Vegetable oil, for frying

Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened - set it aside to cool. In a bowl, mash 1/3 of the beans with a fork and stir in the remaining beans, onion mixture, bread crumbs, jalapeno and cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the eggs.
Form bean mixture into 8 (4-inch) patties (mixture will be wet and soft.). Gently dredge patties in cornmeal and transfer to a large plate lined with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the cakes for 30 minutes and up to 12 hours to set.
Pour enough oil into a heavy skillet to reach 1/4-inch up the side. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, cook the patties, turning once, until well browned, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer the cakes to paper towels to drain.Divide the cakes among plates, top with baby greens (add prawns sautéed in garlic and ginger for the carivores) and serve with the sauce.

Hope that works out for you!

Sounds great! We'll give these a go over the next week or two.
Thanks.

Conscious,

Thanks for the recipe, sounds great. Do you find that the cakes "set up" best with the full 12 hours? Or does it seem to matter much?

Sorry for the thread hijack, spo.

Hey B,
I can't say that I've had the patience for a full 12 hours, bread pudding needs it but I don't think this does - about an hour is all I can muster. Less than that and they tend to break apart when you're trying to put some cornmeal on them and flip them in and out of the pan. I do put the onion, pepper and garlic mixture in the freezer to cool it quickly before I combine it with the beans. You could probably do that with the patties as long as you keep an eye on it.

I love sage when chopped and used as a compound butter with salt and pepper.Use unsalted butter.
I love it inside a burger or topped on a grilled steak, along with a Syrah.

I don't have a garden to grow my own so I buy herbs from spice hunter. I love rosemary with grilled pork chops. I like thyme when I make pot roast with potato onion carrots. Basil goes great with everything.

Geez, I use herbs in everything.

Fresh thyme, rosemary and sage as well as dried oregano are ALWAYS on hand in my apartment. Nothing brings out the flavor of wild mushrooms like fresh thyme. Rosemary is nearly a must with lamb (same for garlic and mint). Sage goes with everything. Last night I made a basic dijon/balsamic vinagrette and put a lot of miced fresh sage in it -- had it with my arugala salad w/ fresh onions and goat cheese -- phenominal. We needn't even get in to all the things dried oregano is good for.

I also always have dried herbs du provence on hand. And often I'll pick up parsley (usually flat) or cilantro (esp for Mexican dishes) or fresh oregano or marjoram (great for white meat fillet fish). Then of course there is basil...