Get More Out Of Your Herbs.

I am so happy to have herbs on hand all year round. There are times of the year when there is nothing to harvest from the garden and that’s ok. If I have herbs growing, I can always brighten up any dish with a pinch of this or a final flourish of that.

What I didn’t realise was how much you can actually make out of herbs.

When I’m preserving and making Pickles, Jams, Syrups or Chutneys, the addition of herbs can really take the preserve to the next level. Dill Pickled Zucchini is nothing without the Dill. My Rainbow Pickled Veg gets a huge boost from seasonal herbs like dill, rosemary, or mint. Eggplant Chutney can be next level amazing with Fresh Coriander stalks and leaves.

When I’m cooking a meal I like to think of Fresh Herbs in 2 ways.

1. Herbs for eating fresh and at the end of cooking.

These are Basil, Parsley, Chives, Chive Flowers, Dill Fronds, Coriander Leaves, Chervil & Mint.

2. Herbs that can stand the heat and love being cooked.

Rosemary (all varieties are edible), Thyme. Coriander roots, Parsley Stems, Coriander Seeds & Dill Seeds.

Ever thought of making Pesto? It’s not difficult and often you don’t have to measure, but I couldn’t live without my stick mixer. It takes all the hard work out of Pesto and I use an upright jar to blitz in so it’s not messy.

Parsley Pesto:

Pesto doesn’t have to be the Basil and Pine nut one.

If I’m lucky, I have basil in the garden for 3-4 months.

I have made so many delicious versions of pesto.

Try this Parsley Pesto:

In a tall bowl, put 1 large bunch of Parsley, stems included (roughly chopped so it fits in the bowl).

1 large clove of Garlic (or 2 small ones)

1/2 cup of good Olive Oil

Zest and juice of 1 Large lemon (or 2 small ones)

1/4 cup of toasted Almonds or toasted Walnuts or Pine nuts, or Toasted Pepitas or Toasted Pumpkin Seeds.

1/4 cup of Grated Parmesan.

Stick mix until all blended. Then taste and adjust seasonings. You might like more Lemon Juice, or if it’s a bit dry looking, add some more olive oil.

A couple of times I’ve made this and the flavour was spot on but too dry and I added a splash of water to loosen the mix and it was perfect.

The important thing is what you do with this after you’ve made it. How do you use it?

I use it as a dip or my favourite thing is as a pasta sauce.

It’s so simple. I cook up Spaghetti Pasta and stir it through with a bit of pasta water to loosen and coat the Spaghetti strands. For added embellishment I love blitzing fresh bread crumbs and toasting in olive oil in a frying pan and adding to the top of the past. It’s the crunch that goes so, so well.

To store in the fridge, simply put in a matching sized bowl, drizzle with 1/2 centimetre of olive oil on top and cover. The Olive oil keeps it green.

Feel free to swap the Parsley for Mint, Dill, Chives, Chervil, Coriander. But I wouldn’t use Thyme or Rosemary as these two in particular are what I call “The Cooking Herbs” to unlock their potential they love being cooking in a frying pan at the start of cooking, like the frying the onion part. Or roasting away in the pan with the meat and veg. They can handle the high heat. Whereas the other herbs like Basil, Parsley, Chives, Mint, Coriander and Dill, with disappear in flavour if you put them in at the start of cooking.

One of the things I love doing with Rosemary is breaking off a stem, stripping the foliage but leaving the very end foliage and using the stem as a skewer. Now Rosemary can be overpowering, but the flavour that it imparts by being on the stem is mild but OH MY GOODNESS, it looks so good. You honestly look like a Foodie Genius when you make this!

I’ve got a Video on how I make this delicious meal which I hope you enjoy. xx Cindy