Essential herbs
Due to Lies's post about her new herb rack installed on an inside kitchen door, we started having a comment conversation about how many herbs we needed and which ones etc...
It made me think about our ridiculously huge herb drawer (90cm wide and very full!) and which herbs I actively use for dishes:
- Salt & pepper: this needs no explanation
- Basil (preferably fresh or frozen): anything with tomatoes, salads, ...
- Mint (preferably fresh or frozen): cold cucumber soup, strawberries, anything that needs a "fresh touch" really.
- Lemon balm (peferably fresh or frozen): back-up when I run out of mint, or to complement the mint , anything that needs a lemon touch.
- Nutmeg: I can't imagine mashed potatoes without it...or broccoli soup
- Cinnamon: baking apples, Indian & Maroccan dishes, pastries, pumpkin soup
- Rosemary: lamb, roasts
- Tarragon: tomato soup
- Koriander (preferably fresh or frozen!): any Asian dish
- Dill: salmon , pumpkin soup or zucchini soup, cucumber salad
- Cayenne Pepper: spicy things, chili con carne, Indian dishes, goulash
- Pili pili: spicy things, chili con carne
- Cumin: potato salad, mediterrean or asian dishes, ragouts
- Paprika: chili con carne, ragouts, goulash, Indian dishes, baked potatoes, Mexican food
- Thyme: carrots, traditional stews, vegetable soups
- Laural: carrots, traditional stews, vegetable soups
- Sage: chicken with apricot and salty bacon
- Oregano: anything with tomatoes, mediterrean, baked potatoes,
- Garam Massala: to marinate chicken or scampi's or ...
- Tandoori herbs: to marinate meat
- Different Indian currys for Indian dishes, sauces, marinating, ...
- Musterseeds: in mustersauce, salads,...
- Guacamole herbs to create guacamole
- Tzaziki herbs to turn yoghurt into tzaziki. I suppose I could create it on my own , just need to make sure to use enough garlic powder :p.
- Kurkuma: for couscous, Indian dishes, Marrocan dishes
- Ginger: any Asian dish, stews, ...
On the other hand I leave the "spaghetti" herbs and the "pizza" herbs etc unused. If you have all the others, why would you need this ready to go mix? Same counts for "Herbs de Provence" although I am finishing up that bottle in our drawer that I've bought when I started living on my own.
So which herbs are frequently used in your kitchen and for which type of dishes??? Let me know in the comments or blog about it.
Comments
I have 2 drawers of herbs and spices. The top drawer is for all the stuff in jars and tins. the bottom drawer for plastic bags of the fresh stuff I buy down at the market.
Our most-used spices are the peppery ones. Paprika for soups, cayenne for burritos, chili powder for sauces, cumin for chile-con-queso chip dip. I also go through quite a bit of cinnamon though, I put it on squash (no sugar, just the cinnamon), into pancakes, French toast, muffins etc.
I use mostly garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme.
You can tell who prefers Asian and who prefers Italian I guess.
Around here, we use lots of spicy smoked paprika, cinnamon, thyme, garlic salt, ginger, coriander, cayenne, and cumin. I've been spoiled by our herb garden and hardly ever use dried basil, oregano, rosemary, or parsley any more, although I keep them around for "just in case."