My friend taught me his trick in his catering days to use up a lot of woody herbs like thyme, sage, and rosemary--he just trims back the plant and throws the trimmings directly into hot coals when he's grilling or smoking. When he is grilling on high, he places some on the grill before place the meat directly on top. The herbs impart a great flavor.
It also freezes really well. I just grab it, wash and thoroughly dry it and stick it in a Ziploc type bag. It really holds up well. I've been using mine all winter.
Thyme is one of the most frequently-used herbs in my kitchen. It's great for just about every soup, sauce, braise, roast (veggies, fish and chicken) and is used in almost all French and Mediterranean recipes. I love to use it when roasting fish and chicken, in simple vinaigrettes, when sautéing or roasting veggies (especially haricots verts), making omelets/fritattas, and even infused into a syrup or directly into gin for cocktails. Here are a couple of my favorite combos:
- thyme (whole sprigs) + lemon+garlic + salt + pepper inside a whole chicken before roasting
- Sauteed haricots verts (or asparagus) + thyme + garlic + salt + pepper + butter + olive oil
- Red bell peppers + thyme + olive oil + salt + pepper in a skillet roasted in the oven. Slice and serve with olives, feta, etc. as an appetizer.
- Parmesan thyme crackers (http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=501&S=0)
- Olive oil + lemon juice + salt + pepper + dijon mustard + garlic + thyme for a quick vinaigrette
If you find yourself with more thyme (or any other herb) than you could possibly use, make some herb butter - I like to add a stick or two of unsalted butter to a food processor with lots of herbs, salt and lemon zest.
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- thyme (whole sprigs) + lemon+garlic + salt + pepper inside a whole chicken before roasting
- Sauteed haricots verts (or asparagus) + thyme + garlic + salt + pepper + butter + olive oil
- Red bell peppers + thyme + olive oil + salt + pepper in a skillet roasted in the oven. Slice and serve with olives, feta, etc. as an appetizer.
- Parmesan thyme crackers (http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=501&S=0)
- Olive oil + lemon juice + salt + pepper + dijon mustard + garlic + thyme for a quick vinaigrette
If you find yourself with more thyme (or any other herb) than you could possibly use, make some herb butter - I like to add a stick or two of unsalted butter to a food processor with lots of herbs, salt and lemon zest.