Notes from my Kitchen 9 - favourite herbs

I love cooking with herbs. I have a large herb garden with a variety of herbs, as well as 4 pots outside my kitchen door for easy picking with oregano, basil, sage and thyme. I do not cook with much salt and pepper, so I use herbs to flavour our food. I have a rosemary bush nearby in my flower beds; I love the blue flowers and often use this herb. Here are some of my favourite combinations:

- for lunch today I enjoyed fresh gnocchi with tomato pasta sauce and a handful of basil leaves on top, which I finished off with a grating of Parmesan cheese
- I always stuff a roast chicken with an onion and about 5 large sprigs of thyme, the herbs seems to infuse into the chicken meat, and adds flavour to gravy made in the same pan.
- I place 3 large rosemary sprigs at the bottom of my tray of roasting vegetables
- when grilling pork chops (i.e. under the grill in the oven), I place some hot water, sage and rosemary at the bottom of the roasting pan, then place the chops on the top level. This way the chops are infused with flavour as they cook, the hot water tenderises the meat, and the fat drips to the bottom of the tray.
- I love to infuse homemade lemonade with lemon grass and lemon balm (melissa).
- I always sneak some rosemary sprigs into the fire of our barbecue to add flavour to the meat.
- adding freshly chopped oregano to a caprese salad adds extra flavour as this herb is also a good match for mozzarella cheese
- flat leaf parsley not only make a good garnish, but when finely chopped adds a vibrant green colour to any salad.  It combines well with rice, pasta and couscous.
- fish cooked in tin foil with white wine, butter and lemon thyme is another favourite of mine
- freshly made mint sauce is a classic accompaniment to roast lamb and can be used as a marinade for lamb chops.
- sage is a good partner to butternut and these can be combined in quiche, risotto and in butternut gnocchi. As with basil, always add sage at the end of the cooking process as it discolours with heat.

As your cooking skills and confidence grow, you will feel more comfortable trying your own combinations. If you have a winning combination of herbs and ingredients, perhaps you would like to share them with me and other followers of this blog. Here's to your own flavoursome cooking!