Parsley-sage-rosemary and thyme ?

General Cooking tips

Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter

User avatar
KG Tony
KG Regular
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2016 9:22 am

Don't seem to have had a problem - you can always add the cloves a little later I suppose...
User avatar
KG Tony
KG Regular
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2016 9:22 am

Fresh coriander towards the end of cooking a curry gives it that something extra I find. Chive flowers especially nice in salads. :)
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

I might grow a few more herbs as we are cooking with them more, starting a list and this is inspiring.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
Westi
KG Regular
Posts: 5908
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:46 pm
Location: Christchurch, Dorset
Has thanked: 671 times
Been thanked: 238 times

Throw herbs into your dumplings Richard - both the soft dumplings in Jewish soup and the old beef stew ones. As you are undecided & unsure with herbs just split the dumpling dough so only 1/2 are herbed up & experiment away. I always put chives in my cheese omelettes, throw them into salads, dumplings, soup, sandwiches. I don't take the flowers often but like Robo says lovely in salads.

I'll have a wee peek in my seed bag - I was given some wild garlic seed & still have some - somewhere, but could actually get some more. If either you or Robo would like some let me know & I'll be happy to send you some. It's evasive though so research well before you respond.
Westi
User avatar
Ricard with an H
KG Regular
Posts: 2145
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:16 am
Location: North Pembrokeshire. West Wales.

Hello and welcome to tigerburnie, from Angus, no less.

Westi, you inspire me and though I do have an inate tendency to fiddle I hate throwing food away. Although I mostly cook for one and this in itself I find trying when I'm cooking for two it's like I have to feed a child such are her limits. I'll eat just about anything, but not food spoilt by far too much of something.

I have only ever made what I would term, "Simple dumplings". Flour and water added to suet, mostly I use the agora vegetable suet, I'm aware of dumplings made by using eggs and flour and I remember eating potato dumplings my mother used to make.

Just going back to those times just after WW2 when we were supposedly much healthier because we had less and needed to do more I'm now wondering how my mother managed. Olive oil was something you put in your ears and we didn't have vegetable oil, butter was rationed so presumably mother cooked with lard or pork fat. How come we were so healthy ? We didn't have much meat or sugar is a clue, those of that had enough garden grew stuff eating from the garden year round.

We would have had a few herbs though I doubt spices including pepper were in the pantry, yes pantry was where where we kept food. Pantry was a ventilated cupboard with a stone slab though we didn't have that much to spoil.

That's why I asked about carrot tops, I'm sure my mother used carrot tops.

Garlic grows in a few places round here and just up the lane but it's not easy to find because it seems to enjoy hiding. Does it like damp soggy soil ?
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

Hi Rich(that's my proper name too), thanks for the welcome.
Re wild Garlic, just follow your nose when it's coming into flower, if you can't smell it there's none to be found, it seems to prefer shaded areas around here, often by river banks.
I do a fair bit of foraging and for those interested I can recommend Richard(another one) Mabeys' book food for free, a little book that drops in your pocket.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
User avatar
Ricard with an H
KG Regular
Posts: 2145
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:16 am
Location: North Pembrokeshire. West Wales.

I already have Richard Maybey from At least 35 years ago so you'll get an idea about most of my lifestyle choices. I was already vegetarian for ten years when I bought the book, foraging then was easier and more productive. My very first exiting moments were eating sea kale wild mushroom in a garlic dressing. Yes, wild garlic and some mushrooms described as poison though turned out to be magic.

Today fiddle is garlic and mushrooms sautéed in some tasty olive oil then I will try parsley over it and mixed lightly just before the end of cooking. Will it work ?

On the subject of using adjuncts to help bread, rather than talking baking, I found adding seeds in the dough as well as rolling the dough in seed before baking makes a noticeable improvement even though the seeds get all over the kitchen. Lots of seeds available to choose from though I'm not yet up to speed on the individually. In the case of white bread I use sesame in the dough and mixed seeds on the outside A brush of olive oil over the seeds also adds a lovely flavour. Probably better towards the end of baking.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
User avatar
Ricard with an H
KG Regular
Posts: 2145
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:16 am
Location: North Pembrokeshire. West Wales.

Wow, the bestest garlic mushroom I ever made and I'm a regular.

Before I forget, do any of you attach any credibility to fancy salt ? I occasionally have used fancy salt for over two years and am finally convinced though I'm also happy to know and consider your view.

I used pink Himalayan, because the garlic mushroom were so lovely, lovelier than previous, I have to attaché this to the salt though the parsley did make a really nice difference.

When I started this thread I had selfish motives, to get some help. It's always good for me when I can share success.

I'll keep quiet about my first and only cauliflower that sits lonely under nets amongst gone to seed broccoli and caulks that didn't make it.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

Don't use ordinary salt only celery salt, tend to just use fresh ground pepper for seasoning.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
Westi
KG Regular
Posts: 5908
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:46 pm
Location: Christchurch, Dorset
Has thanked: 671 times
Been thanked: 238 times

Richard - you have more patience than me!

I like oak smoked salt (M&S), really nice, but like any flavoured salt really and easy to make your own herb infused salts. (Richard already googling away - try pinterest)! :)

Anyway back to your post - your mushrooms were 'magic' Richard? That is concerning - isn't that illegal? :) :) :)
Westi
User avatar
Ricard with an H
KG Regular
Posts: 2145
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:16 am
Location: North Pembrokeshire. West Wales.

Illegal ? Poisonous mushrooms illegal ? I suppose being warned is ample but illegal ?

I'm not up to speed on what goes on and I have never been a user of any hallucinogen other than for interest at the time, nor any opiate or other stuff other than what has been prescribed by a GP. And that's been bad enough. Yes, I'm a recovering drug addict of transdermal opiate that I've been taking for almost ten years. They don't do any pain relief but you can't stop taking them and you don't get any help.

I'm happy to tell you that I'm within a month of being clean, it's taken a year. Next the Codie come down.

Now that's in the open, I don't think mushrooms could be controlled and I'm aware that some specialists offer them for sale. I'm not up for that sort of stuff Westi, I like a beer a few glasses of wine. That's it and always has been.

After trying those magic mushrooms I had weird dreams watching paisley blobs floating and was a relaxed experience, I'm also aware that smoking weed helps those in pain but I don't and won't.

Himalayan salt is pink and moorish.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
Westi
KG Regular
Posts: 5908
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:46 pm
Location: Christchurch, Dorset
Has thanked: 671 times
Been thanked: 238 times

Congratulations on getting off the prescribed meds Richard, easy trap to fall into, harder one to get out.

To move off the subject completely, and as you like dough things - have you a good recipe for flat breads? I've tried several but they go hard as they cool not soft to wrap around the filling. I like the flavour of them with the wholemeal flour & would like to try them with toppings as well, but that would be a double cook, in the pan then into the oven, so think would be like eating a brick with flavour! I found a recipe where you put the topping on raw dough & pop that in the oven, the pic in the recipe looks like it could be crispy but just on the edge and you fold it to eat it so likely softer middle. That recipe comes with a Indian style lamb mince topping. I've got the ingredients to try it this week but think I could just end up with a wholemeal pizza base. It doesn't have yoghurt in it either & I've found those that do a bit better.
Westi
User avatar
Ricard with an H
KG Regular
Posts: 2145
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:16 am
Location: North Pembrokeshire. West Wales.

Good that you understand the difficulties of drugs withdrawal, when I was in hospital for my last surgery they almost convinced me to move to a stronger oral opiate called oxycodone that was given freely to the pharmacy by an American pharmaceutical. I'm told I would have withdrawn from that.

Sorry I can't help about a flatbreads recipe, I used to make flatbreads a lot, lovely puffy-fluffy ones though I don't remember much other that the technique was more important than the ingredient list.

I made flatbreads with flour and water, flatbreads from a yeast dough and flatbreads from a sourdough. The last ones I made two years ago were tough and inedible even they were a recipe from the course I had just attended.

Getting the flat dough pieces onto a hot griddle or frying pan and holding them down so they are in contact is important for the puffing up of the dough. Sorry.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
User avatar
Pawty
KG Regular
Posts: 604
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2015 6:12 pm
Location: Hampshire

Hi,

Talking about thyme...... I am an absolute sucker for a reduced herb plant ( I feel sorry for them!). Some have ended up being brilliant, even making it to the garden. My chives was from a rescue plant many years ago.

However, one kitchen herb I am rubbish with is thyme. They always die. So, yesterday a got a lovely looking thyme plant from Waitrose for 29p. Do I water it, don't I water it? Does it like sun, doesn't it? Should I re pot it?? I have thyme in the garden (which I also struggle keeping alive). So any tips to keep my new rescue plant alive would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Pawty
Monika
KG Regular
Posts: 4546
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2006 8:13 pm
Location: Yorkshire Dales

Party, thyme loves sun, good drainage and lime - give it all three and it will thrive, blossom and attract insects as well as providing you with herby flavour!
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic