It's Not Too Late to Plant an Herb Garden

The Only Shortcut To Becoming a Great Home Cook

I've published this article a couple times in the past - and continue to share it annually, since this is truly the singular best advice I can give anyone who has an even passing interest in cooking. . 

There is only one shortcut to good cooking. It's fast. It's easy. It's inexpensive. Anyone can use this shortcut, even a child.

       Use Fresh Herbs

You may say to yourself, "Of course that's true. I use fresh herbs whenever I cook nice or fancy." Or this might be news to you. You could also argue that fresh herbs are expensive and don't last long. Usually you only need a few sprigs and the rest goes to waste. So it's really just a way of buying your way to being a better cook.

In some sense this is right. A bag like this one costs $2.79 at my local store.

Yet, a plant like this costs $2.49 at a garden center and will last months, even if you just leave it in the original pot and water it once in a while. If you plant it in a garden, it may last for years. My main thyme plant is ten years old now.  

And finally, an herb garden like this can support your kitchen for a decade, with only occassional replanting of perennials, and inexpensive plantings of annuals.

Here's what you need to know about fresh herbs:

• Simply using fresh herbs where they are called for in a recipe will dramatically increase the flavor of a dish.
• Using fresh herbs where dried are specified is typically done by increasing from teaspoon quantities to tablespoon quantities.
• Buy potted herbs at a garden center - even if you only use them for cooking and never plant them. The small container plant will stay alive in your kitchen or on your back porch for months. And it will KEEP GROWING, funny how they do that. This way you won't continually replace expensive store bought herbs.
• Plant an herb garden. In the south, rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram all survive the winter. Chives, parsley, mint and cilantro do well in pots all year. Some annuals (cilantro) need to avoid the extreme southern heat, but are ideal in a garden in the north. Basil does well everywhere in the warm seasons. A bay tree (which might start as a twig) in an attractive pot can be taken in during a northern winter. I haven't bought bay leaves for 10 years now. Herb gardens need little attention, as most herbs thrive in bad soil, so it's a very simple gardening proposition.

I promised you a shortcut, and now it sounds like you have to plant a garden. Not really. You can simply grab a package of fresh herbs from the store, or pick up a simple plant and use it tonight in the kitchen. 

One of the best ways to use fresh herbs is on pasta. A mix of two or three finely chopped herbs, along with some olive oil, good Parmesan and salt and fresh ground pepper make a surprisingly sophisticated dish, with lots of flavor. Last night I used thyme, tarragon and mint. It was delicious.  

2012 Herb Garden
Now includes sorrel (far left)
and Mexican tarragon (brownish at 1:00 position)
There's a whole lotta fresh oregano behind the rosemary plant,
back  in the raised brick garden

Cooking Gift Sets: No, Says the Grinch

[ Here's a popular article from last year's holiday postings. Tom ]

Who Hash Gift Set, $49.99.
Includes one can Who Hash produced by hash artisans
from rural Whoville and one inexpensive can opener. 

I'm not a big fan of cooking gift sets. Especially Any Gift Set That Includes a Food Product. The quality of the food and gadgets is likely poor and the price likely high. In one catalog alone I saw gift sets for:

• Paella
• Pizza
• Whoopie Pies
• Donuts
• Ebelskivers
• Fondue
• Cupcakes
• Grilling with BBQ Rub
• Moroccan Tagine
• ....and my favorite, the Himalayan Salt Block set

None really looked like a fair value to me. The sets included gadgets you probably wouldn't use, the quality looked questionable, prices high-ish. Bah.

Grinch with 3x larger heart.
No gift sets - just plates, knife, fork and roast beast. 

Yet, in appreciating that the Grinch himself opened up to new possibilities and embraced the positives of Christmas in Whoville, I too, can open up with a positive ending to my Grinchy ramblings today.

Months ago you may have read my thoughts on the Kitchen Tools You Can't Live Without. It's a pretty short list of essentials that every good cook should have. Picking a few items from that list, and a few others we rely on, here's a very short list of favorite kitchen tools. Most are easily found even during last minute shopping, or might be worth exchanging for if there were some impractical cooking items in your stocking.

Moderately Priced SHARP Chef's Knife

Keeping a knife sharp is far more important that what you paid for it.

Oil Mister

Less expensive than Pam, better taste from your own choice of oil.

 Flat edged wood spoons

How well does a rounded spoon scrape a pot / pan?

Stick Blender

Easy to clean up, replaces many blender and food processor tasks

Chinois

Better than a mesh strainer, a key for sauces, large capacity,

easy to clean, and can double as a regular strainer / colander.

Wow - those eggs must be good....

...because I see that I just wrote an entire post without realizing that I had posted this separately about a month or so ago.

Eggs with Toasted Breadcrumbs and Herbs

Here's a simple dish inspired by Judy Rodgers of the Zuni Cafe (in S.F.). Toasted breadcrumbs along with fried eggs seems like an obscure combination - until you've tried it. Then it will seem to be an obvious combination, and one you'll return to often. The gentle crunchiness of small breadcrumbs with fried eggs is surprising. I've also used crumbles of leftover grilled polenta in this dish. 

Eggs with Toasted Breadcrumbs and Herbs

1. Coarsely grind a few slices of rustic bread. Alternately, use Japanese panko breadcrumbs. Reserve a few tablespoons of crumbs.  
2. Add a few leaves of fresh herbs (thyme is great). 
3. Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick or stainless skillet. Add the bread crumbs. 
4. Right after the crumbs begin to brown, break 2, 3 or 4 eggs into the skillet, sunny-side up style.
5. If you care to flip the eggs, sprinkle a the reserved crumbs over them first. 
6. Top with an herb sprig, or a thin slice of crispy pancetta or bacon. 

  

4 Ingredients: White Beans.....a versatile addition to salads and main dishes

I get a little jazzed up about good beans. Think about a semi-fancy salad that has had small white beans sprinkled over the top. Or an Italian appetizer of white beans with garlic, olive oil and herbs (with maybe with a little pancetta or prscioutto). A hearty French stew or cassoulet.

But I also think of bean cooking as a total hassle. Soaking overnight, rinsing, etc. ending up with mush. So sometimes I've resorted to a can of 'high quality' imported white beans. Well, that's not too great a solution either.

Here's what might work best - soak dried beans for 'a while', then cook them with some aromatics until they taste  right. The longer you soak the shorter the cooking. Big beans take longer too. Keeping it that simple, and not obsessing about cooking times and procedures should help make bean cooking less intimidating. 

Using the beans with monkfish and shrimp creates a pretty enjoyable result. 

Braised Monkfish and Shrimp with Fennel, Tomato and White Beans

White Beans

1 cup dried white beans
1 carrot
1 small onion
1 bay leaf

1. Soak the beans in cold water overnight, or for a few hours. Put beans in a pot and cover with cold water. 
2. Bring to a simmer, stir occasionally and cook for 30 minutes or up to two hours. Taste a few along the way, and as soon as they have a texture you like, take them off the heat and drain them. 
3. Add a little olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Serving suggestions: 

- Toss with olive oil, drained flaky tuna, chopped herbs and chopped hardboiled eggs. 

- Serve as an accompaniment to most any soup

- Mash a few tablespoons with fork, add garlic, herbs and spread on a cracker

- Use as a replacement for rice