If like me, you find yourself with a surfeit of fresh herbs and a head full of confusion over what to do with them, then fear not. You can read Mark Diacono’s guide to better understanding these versatile gifts from nature to get started. But, if you want to take it a step further, here are a couple of ideas of uses for herbs.
Creative Uses For Your Herbs
Make an herb oil
Pop the herbs (sans stems) into salted, boiling water for 15 seconds. Pour into a strainer and immediately place the herbs into an ice bath. Squeeze all the water out, then blitz with oil (think a ratio of four times herbs to 1 time neutral or olive oil – so four cups of loosely packed herbs to one cup oil). Pour into a cheesecloth-lined strainer and allow to slowly drip, drip through. Gorgeous drizzled over a bowl of vegetable soup or for dunking chunks of crusty bread.
Make a faux-pesto
Yes, basil is the most familiar pesto ingredient. However, cilantro or a mix of soft herbs (flat leaf parsley, chives, mint) are great blitzed with nuts (pistachios or walnuts work well), olive oil, and grated parmesan, if you can be bothered to find the grater. Store in a clean jar, topped with oil to preserve the color.
Make an herb frittata
Frittatas are our friend. Great eaten hot but equally lovely served cold the next day. Crack ten eggs, add a swirl of milk, salt and pepper and a generous handful of chopped herbs (basil, parsley, chives, cilantro, dill), pour into an oven-proof, eight-inch frying pan, coated with a lick of butter or olive oil. Dot with goat’s cheese, feta, or another soft cheese. Let the base sets then transfer to a pre-heated 350 degree oven and cook until just cooked through. Invert onto a plate if you’re feeling fancy or serve straight from the pan.
Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Photo by Natalie Vehn
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