The Italian Cook’s Herb Garden

There are several types of basil but the one most often used in Italian cooking is the sweet basil. The basil needs to be fresh. Adding dried basil to your sauce is basically a waste of time. Basil loses most of its flavor in the drying process. Not only does it need to be fresh, it should be added to the dish at the last minute. Cooking basil for an extended period of time destroys the flavor.

I use a lot of basil so I need a ready supply on hand. Fortunately sweet basil is an easy herb to grow. It is treated like an annual and can be grown in pots on the windowsill or planted in the garden. I keep mine in a pot by my window within easy reach.

There are two basic types of parsley, curly leaf and flat leaf, or Italian parsley. It has a mild flavor and is more often used as a garnish rather than a flavor enhancer. Chopped parsley can be sprinkled on top of soups or platters of spaghetti just before serving, or added to the sauce while cooking. I add parsley to my red sauce as well as to the mixture when making meatballs. I know it doesn't add a whole lot to the overall flavor, but it does add to the visual appeal. When I make garlic toast I sprinkle the bread with a mixture of Parnassian cheese, garlic, and parsley before toasting.

Parsley is a biennial herb and fairly easy to grow. I usually start it from seed in February and plant the sprouts in a flower pot. Once the weather warms I'll move it outside and then bring it in again when the weather cools.

Sage is a fairly common perennial evergreen native to the Mediterranean region. Its leaves are a greenish-gray but its flowers are a pretty blue. While it has a long history of culinary and medicinal purposes, it is also used as an ornamental plant.

Sage is a mint and the flowers are often used as such, but it's the leaves that are used to flavor the main course. Mixed with onion the peppery flavored sage is it used to favor soups, meats, vegetables and side dishes. When I roast a turkey I stuff it with sage and onion dressing. The flavor is out of this world...

Sage is often grown as an ornamental plant so when searching for one for your kitchen garden, be sure to get the right variety. The purple leaf sage is considered the strongest of the herbal sage and it's fairly easy to grow. It can be purchased already potted and ready to go, propagated from a cutting or started from seed. It can be kept in a pot in the kitchen or be planted in the garden.

Thyme is an essential herb in most well stocked kitchens. It is used to flavor meats, soups and stews, and is often used as the primary spice in dishes with a tomato base. Fresh thyme is the most flavorful but until you grow your own, it's not real convenient. Fresh thyme has a very short shelf life. Dried thyme holds its flavor better than some of the other herbs so I don't feel guilty for occasionally substituting dried thyme for fresh. Be sure to add it early in the cooking process as it is slow to release its flavor.

Thyme is an easy herb to grow. It can be started from seed or from a cutting off another plant. It is a perennial and can be planted directly into the garden or planted in a large flower pot. Be sure not to over water it. Thyme does best in sunny location with well drained soil.

The Bay Leaf is actually a leaf from a Bay Laurel shrub or tree. It is one of the few spices that is better used dried than fresh. It gives your sauces that pungent aroma that is often associated with Italian cooking. A leaf or two is all it takes. Break it in half and drop it in. Leave it in the pot while the sauce is cooking, but remove it before serving. The bay leaf is bitter and the texture unpalatable. My husband claims that the bay leaf is added to the sauce to remove the acidity from the tomatoes, but I find that hard to believe. Tomatoes are acidic before and after cooking.

As only one or two bay leaves are needed for a big pot of red sauce, I have considered planting a small bay laurel in a pot form my patio, but have yet to do it. The bay leaves need to be dried before using and it just seems easier to buy them that way.

Ask any Italian cook what spice they can't live without and they'll tell you its oregano. It is used in Italian red sauces, used to spice up vegitables, and added to casseroles. It adds a distinctive flavor that is characteristic of many Italian dishes.

I add oregano to many of the dishes I cook not only for the flavor but for the antioxidants. It can be used fresh, but is more flavorful as a dried herb.

Although oragano is fairly easy to grow, I don't. The quality of the oregano varies depending on the climate and the growing conditions. As it can be stored dry without risk of losing flavor, I save my gardening space for the herbs that are best used fresh.

Cilantro or Coriander is another popular herb. All the parts of the plant are edible but I have to admit I've never used the seeds or roots when cooking. I know it is used in some Italian dishes but I mainly use it when making fresh salsa. When I first started making and canning salsa I added a great deal of cilantro to the mixture, but I rarely do anymore. Cilantro loses its flavor when heated so it needs to be added at the last minute or used as a garnish. When canning that's not possible.

Cilantro can be cultivated but it is not an herb I've found in the nurseries here in South Carolina. When I need Cilantro, I make a quick trip to the grocery store.

Luigi Art Print by Joanna

Chris's Domain

This is just a small sampling of the herbs that can be found in my cupboard, on the window sill and in my garden. Today the kitchen is more my husband's domain than mine. I cultivate it, he cooks it, and we both eat it.

Manga! Manga!

Eat! Eat!