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I like Rosemary crushed up as one of a half dozen herbs/ spices in potato soup. I put about 2 tablespoons in it (large crock pot) it gives an overall aromatic essence to the broth that I rather like (along with sage, basil, black pepper, cayenne pepper, parsley, butter 1/2 stick and coconut butter. Between the Andouille turkey bits with its own spices and the sweet onion, celery, carrots and potatoes its very tasty.
I also second the usage of a little rosemary on top of a steak grilled medium well (depending on cut of meat). It's one of my favorite rotisserie chicken types (rosemary / lemon) when the local grocery stores do them in various ways. When I've traveled to where Albertson's are they always tend to have them.
Rosemary makes me think of an added name to that Mambo number 5 song... " A little bit of rosemary tastes just fine"
If anybody has a place named Herb's Tavern near them call them up and ask if they serve herbal drinks and teas, if they don't, say, "why don't you change your name then!" (feeling silly)
I think that can be said for every spice and herb.
Not really. Fresh rosemary can easily overpower a dish, whereas an herb like fresh thyme is more subtle. I've ruined several dishes with too much rosemary and not one using any other spice or herb (well, except clove). A little too much rosemary in a seafood soup/stew, and it's terrible. I dump Indian and Moroccan spices/herbs in my dishes without even thinking about measuring the amount, and they always turn out great. The same with cilantro. Those, like me, who love cilantro don't mind a hefty amount in salsas or on Mexican-style tacos.
Last edited by Dirt Grinder; 04-10-2017 at 10:51 PM..
I'm sure I'd had rosemary with food before, but my first consciousness of the herb was when we visited my sister-in-law in Paso Robles about 15 years ago. We were swimming in her pool, and I smelled the most heavenly scent ever. It was from the rosemary plants that cascaded over the side of the pool.
We live in the east, and a rosemary plant comes in a 2" pot or maybe 6" tall and trimmed as a "Christmas tree" in December. I had never seen -- or smelled -- rosemary from plants that were 10 feet across and trailing at least 5 feet.
"Holy Cow!" is absolutely right! I totally get the reaction for the first time you've ever been really aware of rosemary. It's just a total joy. We still can't grow it, but I buy the fresh rosemary in the store or at the farmers' market. I put it on potatoes, lamb, chicken, game hens. Rosemary baked in bread is just unbelievably tasty.
Experiment! There are lots of resources online about how to use rosemary, but you'll think of other foods that it might go well with.
So happy for you that you've discovered and appreciate this marvelous herb.
Not really. Fresh rosemary can easily overpower a dish, whereas an herb like fresh thyme is more subtle. I've ruined several dishes with too much rosemary and not one using any other spice or herb (well, except clove). A little too much rosemary in a seafood soup/stew, and it's terrible. I dump Indian and Moroccan spices/herbs in my dishes without even thinking about measuring the amount, and they always turn out great. The same with cilantro. Those, like me, who love cilantro don't mind a hefty amount in salsas or on Mexican-style tacos.
Without getting into much back and forth, what I was saying holds true, too much of anything in a dish can ruin it. What you may think turns out great, might just be to you and yours. What you might think isn't too much cilantro, others might think otherwise. There are plenty of those, unlike you, who taste differently. I don't say any of this to be rude or as an ass hole, just as a Chef of 20+ years who has made a living of catering to customers tastes/palates, after years of catering to MY tastes. What YOU may like, or even LOVE, isn't a one size fits all to others.
If you add too heavy a hand/pinch of any herb or spice, from salt to rosemary, yes, it CAN ruin a dish. Everyone has a different palate, and everyone has a different tolerance. Just because YOU like it, doesn't mean everyone else will...regardless of if they tell you they do.
Most of my rosemary usage is putting whole sprigs, butter, and lemon slices under the skin of a chicken pre-roasting, and sprinkling on potato slices prior to roasting.
I love the smell of rosemary and usually lay it on top of or underneath the chicken. Only time I've put it under the skin is when I chop it, mix with minced garlic and softened butter and put that all up under the skin. Yum.
Do you put whole sprigs under the skin with the lemon slices?
Not really. Fresh rosemary can easily overpower a dish, whereas an herb like fresh thyme is more subtle. I've ruined several dishes with too much rosemary and not one using any other spice or herb (well, except clove). A little too much rosemary in a seafood soup/stew, and it's terrible. I dump Indian and Moroccan spices/herbs in my dishes without even thinking about measuring the amount, and they always turn out great. The same with cilantro. Those, like me, who love cilantro don't mind a hefty amount in salsas or on Mexican-style tacos.
That was my "pine tree stew" story at the bottom of the first page of this thread. Rosemary and salt are the two ingredients where if you use too much, you can destroy the dish. It's also pretty easy to make something inedible using hot pepper when someone at the table only eats bland food. My "it's a bit bright" ends up being "I can't eat this" to some people.
I like fresh cilantro leaves in a limited list of things. It's fine in Mexican-y things like salsa, fish tacos, guacamole, and ceviche. It's fine in Thai/Southeast Asian food. My girlfriend uses it as a salad ingredient and in other more traditionally western things where I'm not so wild about it.
Anyways, back on-topic:
There are food pairings where it's hard to imagine it without rosemary. Lamb is the obvious one. I use it frequently when baking something savory instead of sweet. In terms of what I tend to use, thyme is the clear #1 in winter cooking along with bay leaves. Basil is the clear #2 in the winter and then shifts to #1 with fresh basil leaves in the summer. Rosemary is a 2nd tier herb for me along with oregano and tarragon.
Rosemary is so versatile. I have used tiny bundles on charger plates, mashed it with salt, just let it sit in a jar of salt, used it as skewers, let the flowers sit in sugar, used it as grill brush, ... Have fun, enjoy, experiment.
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