Fresh Herbs
Have you ever tried cooking with fresh herbs? When using fresh herbs you will get a very different flavor profile than you would using the same herb that has been dried.
Herbs are edible plants. Most of the flavor is found in their leaves. In the context of cooking dinners herbs are used to enhance flavor. But throughout history herbs have been found to be multipurpose. Herbs are good for humans in lots of ways.
Most people I know are more familiar with using store bought dried herbs than they are using them fresh. I know that was true for me when I was a younger. I didn’t see fresh herbs being used when I was growing up so I didn’t use them. But at one point I decided that there was a whole new world of fresh herbs that were just waiting to be discovered and I was ready to experiment. I am glad I did.
My journey into the world of fresh herbs began with BASIL and that is the herb I am going to feature in this post. But what is true about basil will apply to most herbs, certainly the most commonly used ones.
Just a word about dried herbs
Herb leaves that are dried have a lot more concentration of flavor than fresh herbs do. While the leaves are drying the water in them evaporates. The oil is left behind in the dried leaf. The flavor punch is in the oil. A dried herb with all that concentrated oil is very different in appearance and flavor.
Dried herbs are perfect to use in dishes that are going to be cooking for a long time like soups, stews or casseroles. As the dried herb slowly rehydrates, it plumps up and releases its concentrated oil. In turn the oil is giving flavor to your other ingredients. The longer your dish cooks the more flavor is infused.
If you are using a dried herb in a marinade or a dish you will be cooking for a short period of time, it helps to crush up the herb in your hand before adding it. You will be able to smell the oil in the herb as you do this. Not only are you bringing the oil in the leaf to the surface while crushing, the smaller pieces will rehydrate quicker getting to the job of flavoring your dish.
You can dry your own herbs by just picking the leaves off and letting them air dry. More on that in It’s Drying Time Again.
So let’s meet basil
The star of this show is the fresh green sprig of basil in the middle of the picture, cut fresh from my own plant. Growing a basil plant is worth the effort just for the aroma you get when you cut off a sprig. The smell of freshly cut basil is like a burst of fresh air.
There’s a lot more information about growing your own herbs in Back Porch Herb Garden.
The dish on the upper left corner has dried basil purchased from the grocery store. The dish on the upper right corner has basil leaves that I have homegrown and dried. We have a lot more about drying herbs in It’s Drying Time Again.
But for now, we are going to focus on the ins and outs of using fresh herbs.
Fresh herbs
Fresh herbs have a subtle taste; a fresh taste. They add a light fragrant lift to a dish. The flavor delivered in fresh herbs diffuses quickly. All you need to do is tear up a leaf to get a blast of freshness. You will smell their oil right away.
You can cook with fresh herbs and you can eat them as they are. This is especially true of basil. Basil and tomato is a classic pairing of herb and fresh produce. The combo is hard to beat. Tearing up a few fresh basil leaves and sprinkling them over tomatoes really changes the game.
Here’s our TOMATO SALAD. For this picture I used heirloom tomatoes bought at a local farmer’s market. What a feast for the eyes! You can wow the crowd with this one!
This salad couldn’t be easier to make yet the flavors packs a wallop. Fresh basil is one of the reasons for all that flavor.
CAPRESE SALAD is a classic salad featuring basil. Fresh sliced tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and fresh mozzarella cheese are drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with some salt and pepper to make a fantastic salad. This three ingredient match up of basil, tomato and mozzarella has recently become a very popular flavor profile for many dishes.
Classic Italian Caprese salad made with sliced garden fresh tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the top, add salt and pepper and savor the goodness of summer on a plate!
Pesto is another classic use of fresh basil. You do not use pesto in a dish that is going to cook for a while. Pesto is used to add a bright, fresh, flavorful taste.
Buying fresh basil
When basil is in season, watch for it being sold in large bunches in your produce section, or better yet, your local farmers market or farm stand. When you get it home, put the basil in a vase or class of water so you can savor the aroma. The bright green leaves are a pretty addition to your kitchen even in a jelly jar.
The stems you are not putting in water can be wrapped in dampened paper towel and put in a small plastic bag. Leave a little of the bag left unsealed so air can circulate and keep it from mildewing. Put it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator.
Whether the basil is in water or in the refrigerator, the leaves are like cut flowers and will stay fresh for quite some time if you supply them moisture. During that time you can pick the leaves off when you want to use them. When the basil leaves have wilted, but not browned, preserve them. Don’t waste unused fresh herbs. One way to preserve herbs is to dry them, but you can also freeze them.
Making the fresh taste last
Freezing basil and oil cubes
You can preserve the fresh taste of basil by making frozen cubes of chopped basil leaves and olive oil.
Start by picking the basil leaves from the stem and put them on a cutting board. Don’t worry about using some of the stem. The whole plant is edible.
Pour some olive oil in a cup or small bowl. Start with about a half cup or so. You can add oil later if you need to. The amount of oil used will depend on how much basil you are cutting. The cut basil leaves should be just barely submerged in olive oil before they get put in the ice cube tray. That way you get the biggest bang for the buck in fresh basil flavor, per cube.
The tool on the left side of the cutting board is made to cut herbs. The roller that you see is a series of blades. I am not one to buy gadgets, I am happy to stick with my trusty knife, but my mother was. She referred to her kitchen gadgets as her “handy dandies” and this is one of them.
Whether you have a gadget or use a knife, chop the basil leaves into fairly small pieces. Put the chopped leaves in olive oil. The cut basil should be submerged in oil.
Add more oil as you need it. Better to have too little oil than too much. If you have a lot more oil than basil, you have to use more cubes to get the fresh basil flavor, which in turn adds more olive oil. Your dish may not need that extra olive oil.
Spoon the oil and basil mix into an ice cube tray
Here is how the cubes will look before you put them in the freezer. Add water to any cube slots that are empty if you don’t have enough basil/oil mix to fill the whole tray.
This is what the cubes will look like when they are frozen. Now they are ready to pop out of the tray and store in the freezer.
The oil basil cubes are out of the tray and ready to put in a freezer bag to store until I want to use them. As you can see, they are defrosting quickly. I put them in the bowl only to take the picture. Otherwise I would have just transferred them to the freezer bag.
Put frozen cubes in a freezer bag
When you have put the frozen cubes in your freezer bag you should get as much air out as possible. Use bags marked as freezer bags. They do a lot better at holding back freezer burn than a plastic storage bag.
I have a cheap easy way to “vacuum pack” things for the freezer. I close the bag almost shut, but leave a small space open for a bendy straw that I use to suck the air out of the bag until it has collapsed around the item being frozen. Then I take the straw out and quickly seal up that little opening, letting as little air in as possible. It works!
When you want to add your fresh basil cubes to a sauce, soup or stew, just toss a couple of cubes in before the end of the cook time. Thawed, you can use them in a salad dressing too.
An easier way
If you are really in a pinch for time and your basil leaves are wilting, put fresh picked leaves in a freezer bag. Flatten all the air out and put them in the freezer. To use them just pull out your frozen leaves as you need them. They will often clump together, but breaking off a piece is just as good as using a whole leaf left in tact.
Basil leaves freeze very well and can be stored this way for a long time.
Fresh, fragrant & versatile
Are you beginning to see why we are so fond of basil? Fresh, beautiful, delicious, fragrant, versatile, economical; what’s not to love?
But don’t stop at basil. There are other common herbs that shine just as brightly when they are fresh. Oregano is a common herb. It has all the freshness and beauty of basil. Try using your fresh oregano in some of your pasta dishes. One of my favorite pasta dishes that I make with fresh oregano in season is CLAM SAUCE WITH LINGUINI. It’s a very quick cooking dish that brings the fresh oregano flavor front and center.
Fresh rosemary is another herb that brings magic to a dish. Rosemary looks and smells much like an evergreen bush. Because it is a such a hearty plant with robust flavor, fresh rosemary can be left on the stem to cook in stews or soups. Just pick it out before you serve.
Give fresh herbs a chance
Using fresh herbs in a dish brings a whole different flavor dimension to it. Give it a try and taste for yourself!