Rosemary is a low-growing evergreen shrub of the labiate family. It reaches a height of 2 m, has small, pine-like leaves of a gray-green color, smelling strongly when rubbed, and small, graceful, lavender or bluish flowers, collected in racemose inflorescences. The homeland of rosemary is the Mediterranean. Rosemary is widely used in medicine, the cosmetic industry and of course in cooking.
Instructions
Step 1
Rosemary is a powerful spice. It can overpower the flavor of other seasonings, so use very small amounts of it. But, unlike many other spicy herbs, rosemary does not lose its properties during heat treatment, so it can be added at the beginning of cooking.
Step 2
You can use both fresh and dried rosemary in cooking. Fresh twigs are added to the dish whole, after cooking they are removed so that the rosemary does not start to taste bitter. To dry, the rosemary leaves need to be finely chopped, since, when they dry, they turn into sharp needles.
Step 3
Rosemary is widely used in Mediterranean cuisine. It gives meat and fish dishes a strong spicy-coniferous aroma and a slightly pungent taste. It can also be used in soups, sauces and vegetable salads.
Step 4
In Mediterranean cuisine, rosemary is not only added directly to food, but it is also used to flavor olive oil with it, marinate meat and fish with it - it helps to rid the meat of unpleasant odors, and put it in the dough from which bread is baked.
Step 5
Crushed rosemary leaves can also be used in place of salt.
Step 6
Fresh rosemary goes well with green onions, vegetables, especially tomatoes and zucchini, lentils, mushrooms, cheese and eggs.
Step 7
Also, rosemary can be added when pickling cabbage, pickling vegetables and mushrooms, in canning.
Step 8
Use rosemary to flavor the smoke of a fire or charcoal barbecue, or wrap it in sprigs of chicken or turkey before roasting or grilling. Rosemary goes well with any meat - grilled, baked, stewed, boiled, as well as with minced meat and goulash.
Step 9
Potatoes go well with rosemary - the herb can be added when stewing, in potato soup, and then even the simplest dish will become an exquisite dish.
Step 10
Rosemary is also used to flavor alcoholic beverages. In Mediterranean cuisine, it is added to the preparation of vermouth, and can also be used for wine punch, grog and liqueurs. If you don't drink alcohol, add rosemary to your tea.
Step 11
In Italian cuisine, rosemary is used in pizzas and pastas, as well as in the preparation of lamb.
Step 12
Rosemary can be used to flavor not only olive oil, but also vinegar - add a few leaves to the bottle, and after a while it will give the vinegar original fresh shades.
Step 13
Rosemary can also be used as a substitute for bay leaves, but should not be combined.
