Who’s got the herb?
we’re spilling the greens on seasoning
We’ve made it to the weekend after another banner week here on this floating rock hurtling through space. Temperatures are climbing which means you might catch us barefoot in the inflatable pool sippin some of our favorite lemonade.
In food news, there’s an uplifting story about how family recipes can live on in cemeteries all over the world.Honestly, it’s best use of a headstone. In other news neighbors are supporting each other as food prices soar while another restaurant for the rich lies about its food, values, and serves animal products to vegans. All three articles are worth a read if you’ve got nothing to do while you float in your neighbor’s pool. Here at home we’re all just trying to get by, get outside, and ride our bikes without getting hit. In the spirit of not adding one.more.damn.thing. to your list, this week we’re talking about herbs and why you should throw them in everything you’re eating.
If you cook any of our recipes it becomes obvious right away that we fucking love herbs. They make dishes look fancy as hell, taste great, and are underrated nutritional powerhouses. Herbs are often treated as a mere seasoning here in the US instead of the superfood veggies that they are. Let’s change that. Fresh or dried, herbs are here to help you out. Over the last 10 years scientists have found that herbs are a rich source of polyphenols, plant compounds with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Herbs rich in polyphenols are linked to the maintenance of health because they aid against the development of non-communicable diseases like cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. There is also a growing amount of literature on how polyphenols offer health benefits because of their effect on gut microbiota. Basically, they’re good for you and any amount is better than zero.
Without changing anything in your routine you can add fresh or dried herbs to whatever mediocre meal you plan on eating. Making instant noodles? Fold in some cilantro, basil, and/or chives. Microwaving a quesadilla? Add green onions or cilantro inside. Even buttered noodles get a much-needed nutritional upgrade if you toss in some handfuls of dill, mint, and basil. Not only does this upgrade the health of these autopilot meals, it makes them endlessly more interesting to your palate. Throw a large plate on that table at your next BBQ piled high with fresh herbs and see how many people start grabbing at it. Use leaves of basil in your next sandwich, fold parsley and dill into your morning tofu scramble, stir oregano into your soup. It doesn’t have to be any harder than that.
To store your new fresh culinary BFFs, you’ve got 2 options. If they still have a good amount of stem left on them like parsley, sage, rosemary, or dill then treat them like flowers and stick them in a glass of water in the fridge with a plastic bag draped over the top to keep them from drying out. This way you can just pop in the fridge, trim off what you want, and they’ll stay fresh for at least a week. If your herbs are mostly leaves or the stems aren’t very hearty, just give them a quick rinse then wrap them in a paper towel, stick them in an open plastic bag in your crisper drawer, and they should keep for about a week as well. They won’t be as pretty as the other method but that shit won’t matter once the herbs are chopped, so don’t be a perfectionist about it. Just eat more herbs and maybe things will start to feel a little lighter, the days will seem easier, and you won’t dread dinner time so much. Change can be delicious. START WITH HERBS.
Thanks for joining us here in The Broiler Room. Next week we’ll be showing you how to organize your kitchen so that cooking feels more fluid. This week in our Sunday, recipe club edition we’re serving up our current favorite summer side dish that we’ve been eating for weeks. Don’t miss out.
Same place next week?
Michelle and Matt