Today I would like to share some information on Italian Herbs. Since I live in the Italian part of Switzerland, the Ticino, I have some typical Italian dishes for dialysis patients to share. Due to the fact that I had to watch my salt intake (water retention and high blood pressure) I started to cook more with fresh herbs. I always have the
following growing in my garden: chives, rosemary, thyme, basil and sage. ERBE ITALIANE/ITALIAN HERBS
Basilico/Basil
Taste: slightly peppery
Use: mutton, venison, duck, fish, pasta dishes, cucumber, salad, potatoes
Tip: Never cook fresh Basil with other ingredients right from the start - only
add shortly before end of cooking time, otherwise it loses its aroma.
Santoreggia/Savory
Taste: tangy
Use: lamb, rich stews, greenbeans, onions, garlic, nuts
Tip: Aroma develops during cooking. Savory's tangy taste brings
an agreeable tasty element to relatively mild foods without overpowering them.
Savory complements egg dishes, whether chopped finely
and added to scrambled eggs and omelets, or treated as a garnish with parsley.
Beans, lentils and peas all benefit from the addition of savory in almost any situation.
Its robust flavor holds up well in long, slow-cooked dishes such as soups and stews.
Savory combines well with breadcrumbs for stuffings.
Dragoncello/Tarragon
Taste: delicate taste, slightly sweet
Use: beef, chicken, fish, egg dishes, sauces, rice, pickled cucumber
Tip: aroma develops during cooking. Marinate in vinegar for a few days and use
as aromatic herbal vinegar for salad dressing. Also finely chopped and added to
mustard tastes delicious.
Alloro/Laurel
Taste: tangy, spicy, aromatic and a touch bitter
Use: venison, fish, sauces, stews, potatoes
Tip: always cook with other ingredients from the beginning and remove at the end
of cooking time. After 6 months, the Laurel have lost its flavour, and should be bought
fresh.
Maggiorana/Marjoram
Taste: slightly bitter, very aromatic
use: roast duck, stews, steamed dishes, pizza, meat-marinate, sausage, nuts,
tomatoes
Tip: Mix marjoram with garlic, tastes delicious with tortelini or ravioli
Origano/Oregano
Taste: intensive tangy
Use: lamb, chicken, steamed fish, pasta sauces, pizza, tomotoes, aubergine,
cucumber, savoy cabbage.
Tip: Always cook from the beginning with the other ingredients as the aroma only
develops after about 20 minutes. Ideal with herb-butter and lemon juice served
with grilled fish or chicken
Prezzemolo/Parsley (in Italy ususally the smooth leaved version)
Taste: spicy, slightly bitter, more intensive than the "frizzy" one.
Use: stews, soup, salad, herb-marinate.
Tip: Dice fine before freezing - dry in salad spinner - this makes it quite dry so that
it is not so sticky anymore.
Rosmarino/Rosemary
Taste: spicy, very intensive, use sparingly
Use: beef, pork, lamb, venison, chicken, fish, marinates, tomatoes
Tip: Use from start (whole twig) as the aroma slowly develops. Remove before
serving. Swing boiled potatoes in butter together with rosemary twig.
Salvia/Sage
Taste: tangy, slightly bitter, use sparingly
Use: pork, mince, veal. lamb, chicken, fish, noodle dishes, salads.
Tip: fry in a little olive oil and serve as side dish.
Timo/Thyme
Taste: pleasant, bend well with other herbs
Use: pork, beef, lamb, stews, sauces, soup, egg dishes, tomatoes, grilled meat
Tip: for full flavour, always cook the dried Thyme from the beginning with the other
ingredients. Fresh Thyme should only be added at the end, then the vitamins and
aroma remains intact.
Erba Cedrata/Lemongrass
Taste: fresh, slightly spicy, somewhat like lemon
Use: fish, herb-sauces, salad, dessert, (eg. curd dishes) fruit (eg. strawberries)
Tip: Do not cook with the other ingredients, only sprinkle before serving.
During my travels to different countries in the past years, I have learned that if you want to get to know the people of the country, you should dine with them.
Sharing some mediterranean dishes will show you the typical culture of the country - take some recipes home with you and enjoy them.
Bread Salad/ Panzanella
(Preparation: 40 minutes plus 1 hour cooling time)
Ingredients
50 ml water
1 laurel leaf
2 tbsp white Balsamico (vinegar)
100 g white bread (crusts removed previous day), cut in slices and left to dry
150 g tomatoes
1 x salad
1 x yellow paprika
2 x spring onions
1 x bunch of parsley and basil (both diced)
2 tbsp diced capers
Marinade: 1 x garlic, 4 tbsp olive oil, black pepper, chili
Preparation
1. Boil water, laurel leaf and vinegar (white balsamico) and leave to cool.
2. Pour over bread slices and leave for about 30 min to soak in
3. In the meantime, peel tomatoes, and cut in quarters. Remove pips with spoon
and dice.
4. Peel cucumber, half and remove pips an dice
5. Dice paprika
6. Cut spring onions in fine slices
7. Press bread dry and make small pieces
8. Mix with tomatoes, cucumber, paprika, spring onion, herbs and capers
Marinade
Dice the garlic very fine and mix well with olive oil. Flavour with herbs. Add
marinade to salad and mix well. Let cool for 1 hr. Flavour once more before
serving
Serving: Serve decorated with herb leaves
Tip: If in a hurry, do not soak the bread, but slice very thin and spread with some
olive oil. Bake crispy in oven, break in pieces and mix before serving with all other
ingredients.
Nutritional value:
Cal: 171 kcal
Prot: 3 g
Carbs: 16 g (1BE)
Fat: 10 g
Potassium: 12%
phosphorus 4%
Broteinheit = bread exchange; bread unit (= 12g of carbohydrate, used esp. in diabetic nutrition)
Buon Appetito
