Herbs and Spices

Herbs and Spices

I like to keep small pots of herbs growing year-round for cooking and I keep a small herb garden for cooking. I feel most recipes have a fresher taste and are just plane better with homegrown herbs. That being said it is not always feasible to grow all your own herbs so some herbs are best purchased dried.

Allspice: Always buy whole and grind yourself. Taste like a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Use in baked goods, jerk seasoning, homemade sausage, and stews

Basil: Is a member of the mint family. It has a sweet and slightly licorice taste and is used with tomatoes, peas, squash, lamb, fish, eggs, in salads, cheese dishes and potatoes. I like to use basil fresh and vary rarely use it dried. I also recommend not cooking basil much so add it at the end for best flavor.

Bay leaf: Bay Laurel is a sweet resinous leaf with a vanilla-like flavor used in vegetables, fish, soups, stews, and tomato sauces. I keep a bay laurel tree in a pot in my garden. Never eat bay leaf, take it out and toss it before serving your dishes.

Cardamom: Try to buy whole and grind yourself if possible. Has a spicy-sweet peppery ginger like taste. Use in curry dishes, beans, and baked goods.

Cayenne Pepper: Hot pungent and a little smoky in flavor. Use in stews, barbeque sauces and rubs, beans, all meats, eggs, and cheese dishes. Try a little on ice cream or in hot chocolate.

Chives: Have a mild onion flavor. Use in egg dishes, salad dressings and on potatoes.

Cinnamon: Has a strong spicy sweet flavor. Use in meat dishes, breads, pumpkin, fruit, desserts, coffee, tea, and chocolate.

Cumin: Has a strong, warm, sweet aroma. Usually used in Spanish, Mexican, Indian and African dishes. Use in chili, lamb, tomato, meatballs, rice, and ground meats.

Cilantro: Used in Spanish and Mexican dishes. Has a pungent flavor but using too much can cause a soapy taste. Use fresh in chili, lamb, tomato, rice, ground meats, and salsa.

Cloves: Has a strong pungent almost hot flavor. Use in baked beans, barbeque dishes, chili, fruits, desserts, and cakes.

Coriander:  Used in Spanish, and Mexican dishes. Use in chili, lamb, tomato, meatballs, rice, and ground meats.

Curry Powder: A very fragrant blend of up to 20 ground spices can be mild to hot in flavor. Used in Indian, and Asian cooking. Use in Meats, sauces, stews, and with root vegetables.

Dill: Dill is from the parsley family. Has a very aromatic smell and a delicate flavor. Use with fish, cream, salad, pickles, and tomatoes.

Fennel seeds: Related to the parsley family and has a mild licorice flavor. Used in Soups, fish dishes, sauces, sweet pickles, breads and sausages.

Ginger:  Sweet and hot with a strong aroma. Use in stir fries, marinades, meats, and baked goods.

Mint: Has a strong, sweet smell and a tangy cool aftertaste.  Used in jellies, fruit juice, mixed drinks, candies, frosting, cakes, pies, lamb, ice cream, potatoes, peas and many chocolate desserts.

Mustard Seeds: Have a hot and spicy flavor. If ground it keeps its hot spicy flavor. Use ground in salad dressings, eggs, cheese and meat dishes. Use seeds in pickling, relishes, vegetables, and meats.

Nutmeg: Always buy your nutmeg whole and grate it yourself as the flavor of ground nutmeg rapidly dissipates. Has a slightly sweet and spicy flavor and aroma. Use in baked goods, white sauces, custard, eggnog, sausage, eggs, and cheese dishes.

Oregano: A member of the mint family. Has a warm, heady and slightly bitter taste. Used in tomato sauce, pork and veal dishes, pizza, vegetables, fish, salads, and chili.

Paprika, Hungarian: Is generally more pungent than other types of paprika and can be labeled sweet, or hot. Use in vegetables, beef, fish, chicken, salads, and egg dishes.

Paprika, Spanish: Has a slightly sweet and bitter flavor. Use in vegetables, beef, fish, chicken, salads, and egg dishes.

Paprika, Smoked: This paprika is smoked and has a slightly smoky aftertaste it is slightly sweet and bitter in flavor. Use in vegetables, beef, fish, chicken, salads, and egg dishes.

Parsley: Has a mild, slightly tangy flavor. Used in meat dishes, vegetables, soups, eggs, and cheese. We like the Italian or flat leaf better for cooking than the curly type.

Rosemary: A shrub like evergreen plant. Has a very aromatic smell and pleasantly piney, bold taste. Use in poultry, stuffing, veal, lamb, roast, potatoes, cauliflower, fish and duck.

Sage: A part of the mint family. Has a pleasant aromatic smell and a warm slightly bitter taste. Use in stuffing’s, pork, sausage, poultry and hamburger.

Tarragon: A leafy plant with a pungent flavor that resembles licorice. Use in fish sauces, eggs, cheese dishes, green salads, pickles, vinegar, chicken, soups, and stuffing’s.

Thyme: A member of the mint family. Has a warm and aromatic smell and pungent flavor. Use in soups, stews, clam chowder, stuffing’s, beef, poultry, lamb veal, oysters, eggs, cheese, beans, and vegetables.