Use Your Own Herbs

 I love using herbs, because they give me control of the flavour of my cooking. If I am cooking for children then I need a different taste than for adults. Also, I know what is in the dish rather than buying a jar of sauce which will contain fat and sugar among many other “unwanted” foods.

The herbs used in any dish will also give a hint of the dish that is presented, by its aroma.

Basil is known for Italian dishes and coriander says Indian.

Basil

Basil is a very useful herb and widely used aromatic herb. They are not hardy and do need protection to grow all the year. However, if you grow the plant in pots, you can then move it indoors in the deep mid-winter.   However, one of the most popular uses of Basil is for making the classic Pesto sauce. 

This can be used on pasta dishes, fish or meat, pizza etc. It is an extremely versatile and easy to make sauce.

 A recipe I use for Pesto. 

1 large bunch of fresh basil leaves

125g pine nuts

125g parmesan cheese, cut into small chunks

1 clove garlic, crushed

200ml extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

squeeze of lemon juice

Method

Method

1. First off, toast the pine nuts in a pan and just toss them around until brown.

Put the cheese, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and basil in a food mixer until they all come together. 

Add salt and pepper to taste and a squeeze of lemon juice. 

You can store this in a jar for up to a week in your fridge.

Mint Sauce

Mint sauce is a thin savoury sauce made from chopped mint, vinegar and sugar. It is traditionally served in England as an accompaniment to roast lamb. 

Ingredients:

25g/1oz fresh mint, chopped

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tbsp hot water

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Method

This sauce could not be any easier, but makes all the difference to a lamb dish.

1.Place all the ingredients in a bowl together and leave to steep for 30 minutes to allow the mint flavour to develop. 

For a finer sauce, put all the ingredients in a blender for a few seconds.