Know Your Italian Culinary Herbs?
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and - Basil: Essentials of Italian Cuisine
Herbs, such as basil, sage and rosemary, are essential in any Italian kitchen. But do you know when to use them? And can you tell flat-leaved parsley from coriander?
Certain herbs are used time and again in Italian cooking. They give dishes their distinctive flavour and aroma. So it’s worthwhile making sure that you’ve got a ready supply of these Italian culinary essentials. Herbs are ideally used fresh. If you don’t have the space (or the sun), then try growing herbs indoors on a sunny windowsill. And while chefs may look down on them, it’s always useful to have a supply of dried herbs for emergencies.
Basil - and pesto
The herb that’s most popularly associated with Italian cuisine is basil (Basilico). There are several varieties, but you’re most likely to find sweet basil in the shops – it has large, aromatic leaves. Pick the leaves as fresh as possible, and tear them rather than cut them. They’re great just added to salads, such as insalata caprese. You can also cook them, in a simple tomato sauce for instance, but make sure you add them just before serving. If they’re cooked too much they lose their flavour.
Fresh basil is, of course, an essential ingredient in pesto sauce. In Liguria, the home of pesto, they insist that authentic pesto can only be made with the small leaved, bushy variety of basil (generally known as Greek basil). However sweet basil still works well.
Bay leaves and the Romans
Bay leaves (Alloro) are used all over Italy and are extremely versatile. You can add them to pasta sauces, to marinades for meat, and to soups and broths. They’re lovely evergreen plants, which were considered sacred by the Greeks and much respected by the ancient Romans. Bay leaves were used to make those wreaths with which the Romans crowned great poets and athletes. They’re an excellent culinary herb – and retain their flavour when dried.
Marjoram - or is it oregano?
Marjoram (Maggiorana) and Oregano (Origano) are related and often confused. There are many varieties. In simple terms, Marjoram has a delicate, flowery flavour. It’s widely used in Liguria to flavour savoury pies, pasta sauces and seafood dishes. Oregano is also known as wild marjoram and has a pungent flavour – particularly when it’s grown in the Mediterranean. Oregano is used in the south of Italy, frequently sprinkled over pizza. Unlike marjoram, oregano retains its flavour when dried.
Flat-leaved parsley
Flat-leaved parsley (prezzemolo) is used in nearly every region of Italy, flavouring pasta sauces, soups and meat dishes. It looks a little like coriander, so don’t get them muddled up. Flat-leaved parsley has leaves with sharp points, whereas the leaves of coriander are rounded. Curly-leaved parsley isn’t a good substitute, as it just doesn’t have the same flavour. The starting point for many Italian dishes is chopping flat-leaved parsley leaves, then sautéing them in olive oil together with some onion or garlic. Flat leaved parsley is only used fresh.
Rosemary
Rosemary (rosmarino) is a gorgeous herb, pungent and fragrant. It’s easy to grow, and can develop into large bushes which attract bees and butterflies when in flower. Pick sprigs of fresh rosemary and use them to flavour roast meats, or roasted potatoes. Italians also use rosemary in some pasta sauces and in speciality breads, such as focaccia. You don’t need much, as its flavour is powerful. If you can’t get fresh rosemary, then dried will do.
Sauteed Sage Leaves
One of the favourite Italian herbs is sage (salvia), a soft-leaved herb that grows widely in the Mediterranean. Fresh sage leaves are chopped, or shredded and used to flavour game dishes, risottos, or the classic Tuscan dish of fagioli all’uccelletto – a stew of cannellini beans cooked with garlic and tomatoes. Sage is also used in Rome to make a delicious sauce for pasta. They simply sautee fresh sage leaves in butter.
