It's a French term meaning a handful of herbs and/or aromatics bundled with kitchen twine or tied up in cheesecloth sachets, and used to season stocks, soups and stews. Like a bouquet of flowers, the arrangement of a bouquet garni is limited only by assembler's imagination.
A common recipe may include bay leaves, sprigs of parsley and thyme. Whole peppercorns are often slipped in, and pasta sauces or Provençal lamb stew can be perfumed with fresh basil or rosemary-stem bouquet garnis, added at the very end of cooking, and allowed to steep.
The herbs are bound so they do not scatter in the liquid while it simmers and boils, and may be removed easily before serving.
We bruise herbs to release their aromatic oils. To bruise herbs, gently roll and rub a bunch of sprigs in your hand or tap loose leaves with a mallet or the back of a knife.
A recipe may call for bruising herbs in lieu of chopping them when the herbs are not intended to be eaten. We add sprigs of bruised thyme to simmering vegetable soup and then remove the sprigs before serving. Make flavored oil by stuffing bruised rosemary or basil into a bottle of olive oil and letting it stand for at least a day.
You can leave basil leaves whole and add them to salads and hot dishes toward the end of cooking, tear them into pieces for more capricious basil flavor, or thinly slice them. To avoid bruising the basil, slide a sharp knife down and across the basil with a deliberate, smooth stroke. A clean cut will darken the leaves less than a pounding cut.
To slice basil, first stack the leaves together.
You can either roll them up like a cigar and slice through them to make a chiffonade, or just slice away at them as they are.
The easiest way to store basil is in a ziploc bag, tucked away in the refrigerator.
The trick here is to manage the moisture content in the bag. If you notice that too much water accumulates in the bag and turns the leaves dark, slip a few pieces of folded paper towel inside the bag between the basil and the plastic. The paper towel will absorb the water, but release enough of it to keep the air inside humid.
If the basil still has roots, you can put the roots in a small cup of water, cover the leaves with a plastic or ziploc bag, and secure the bag around the cup with a rubber band (or just tuck the bag underneath the cup). This method takes up a little more room in the refrigerator, and we haven't noticed that the roots extend the life of the basil that much.
Reference: How to prep basil (Cookthink)
Recipe: Watermelon Basil Agua Fresca (Coconut & Lime)
Recipe: Prosciutto, Mozzarella And Basil Pita Pizza (Cookthink)
"Caprese" refers to something that comes from or is in the style of Capri, an Italian island off the coast near Naples.
Tourists know the island mostly for its villas, grottos and jutting limestone towers. Culinarily speaking, it's best known for its namesake salad, the insalata caprese -- fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.
The name of the island comes from "capra", the Italian word for "goat". (In English, "caprine" refers to anything having to do with goats.) A real insalata caprese, though, is not made with goat's milk cheese, but with true Mozzarella di Bufala Campana -- buffalo's milk mozzarella made in certain designated areas of Italy -- Naples included.
Recipe: Tomato, Mozzarella And Basil Salad (Cookthink)
Recipe: Tomato, Mozzarella And Basil Relish (Cookthink)
Pesto is the general name for a (usually thick) sauce used to flavor anything from toasted bread to fish to pasta. You can rub or spoon it over grilled meats and vegetables or you can stir it into soups and stews.
Classic Italian pesto is made with fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan and olive oil. You can experiment with the proportions to find your favorite, but here's the general ratio:
2 cups packed basil leaves
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 small clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Purée the first four ingredients together in a food processor and then drizzle in the olive oil while running the machine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and you're done.
Using the proportions above as a starting point, keep in mind the general formula for pesto:
herb + hard cheese + nut + onion/aromatic + oil
Experiment with less classic combinations to make a delicious sauce using whatever you have on hand. Here are a few suggestions:
basil + pecorino + walnuts + olive oil + garlic
parsley + parmesan + pine nuts + olive oil + garlic
cilantro + manchego + almonds + olive oil + garlic
Making and freezing pesto is a great way to use up an abundance of late summer herbs.
Recipe: Mint Pesto (Cookthink)
Recipe: Garlic Scape Pesto (VeganYumYum)
Recipe: Broccoli Pesto (Ann Cooper)
Basil is an aromatic herb originally from India. Common sweet basil is green, with large, soft leaves. It is the star ingredient in Italian pesto, and iconic Italian dishes such as the caprese salad. It is also commonly used in Provençal dishes like soupe au pistou.
Thai basil is an herb that can refer to three different types of basil used in Thai cooking -- Queen of Siam, Holy Basil or Horapa, which is the most commonly used Thai basil in the United States. It has purple stems, small greenish purple leaves, and a licorice taste that is distinct from Italian sweet basil.
Thai basil adds a subtle anise flavor and perfume when plunged into hot soups (including Vietnamese Phở), stir-fried dishes or curries just before serving. Or it can be eaten fresh in salads, wrapped in a lettuce leaf with mint, or fried in spring rolls.
The French term chiffonade means "made of rags." In cooking, chiffonade is a technique for slicing herbs and leafy vegetables into long, thin strips. This method is useful for cooking tougher greens like kale and chard, which can be hard to chew when left in bigger pieces. It's also a nice way to slice up herbs like mint or basil to scatter over a dish or add to a salad.
To chiffonade something, stack and roll a small pile of leaves and then slice (or snip) them into thin ribbons.
The term "Thai basil" can refer to three different types of basil common in Thai cooking -- Queen of Siam basil, Holy Basil or Horapa basil. Horapa is the most commonly used Thai basil in the United States. It has purple stems, small greenish purple leaves, and a licoricey taste that is different from Italian sweet basil.
Thai basil adds a subtle anise flavor and perfume when added to hot soups, stir-fries or curries just before serving. Or it can be eaten fresh in salads, wrapped in a lettuce leaf with mint, or fried in spring rolls.
Recipe: Beef Pho (Cookthink)
Recipe: Thai Carrot-Cucumber Salad (Cookthink)
Reference: What is pho? (Cookthink)
Reference: What is sriracha? (Cookthink)
Pistou is the French answer to pesto.
A Provençal condiment made from basil, garlic and olive oil, it's primarily used to flavor a vegetable, bean and vermicelli soup known as soupe au pistou.
Traditionally, pistou does not include parmesan, but in a borderless Europe, the neighboring cheese sometimes makes it into the mix.
How to make fresh herb vinaigrette
How to make fresh herb vinaigrette
This herb vinaigrette with fresh basil, rosemary, and garlic is brimming with flavor. Watch this short instructional video by Handmade TV to see how easy it is to make.
Storing fresh herbs is a battle against the inevitable, but here are a few tips for keeping them alive in time for you to eat them up:
1 Set a bushy herb like parsley, cilantro, chervil, or mint in a shallow glass of water and keep it on the counter or in the refrigerator for several days, just like a bouquet.
2 Or, rinse it, wrap it loosely in a paper or dish towel while still damp, and place it (with or without a plastic bag covering) in the crisper or at the bottom of the fridge.
3 Sturdy herbs such as rosemary or thyme can be stored in paper or loose plastic (either keep it loose or puncture some air holes to let out moisture). Or you can simply hang them upside down in the kitchen, where they will dry slowly.
4 Do not manhandle delicate herbs like chives, tarragon or basil. Rinse lightly, wrap loosely in paper and place in a plastic bag in the crisper.
5 Fresh herbs should last about a week if stored properly. If you're at the end of your garden's season and you have a tons of herbs left unused, you can most herbs to have later in the year. Kalyn's Kitchen breaks down the best way to freeze basil, rosemary and thyme.
Reference: Marjoram vs. oregano (Cookthink)
Reference: How to make pesto (Cookthink)
