Add a fresh herb to it!

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Whether you are making a salad, soup, stew, sauce or cake –make sure you use add a fresh herb.
Today fresh herbs are recognised as a vital cookery ingredient and along with spices, are used primarily for adding flavour and aroma to food. They can help transform even the simplest weeknight meal into an exciting creation. Adding fresh herbs instead of butter to vegetables can reduce the fat content to your dish for example chives to new potatoes, mint to peas. Fresh herbs contain essential oils which can assist digestion. Add fresh mint to hot water makes a refreshing drink after a heavy meal.  Their unique flavour can also reduce the amount of salt you make need too.
The most popular herbs are coriander and basil however there has been a revival for more traditional British style herbs. As a result mint, parsley, sage, thyme and rosemary are growing in popularity.

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Tips for caring for your fresh herbs:
1) Let there be light; fresh living herbs thrive in bright draught free places.
2) Drainage; living herbs don’t like ‘wet feet’! Don’t leave them standing in water for longer than 5 minutes.
3) Beware the fridge; Don’t refrigerate them as they don’t like the cold temperature.
4) Watering; each herb will vary but in general water little and often.
5) Snip tips; Coriander and parsley grow new leaves from the base of the plant, so make sure you cut above these to allow new leaves to grow. Rosemary, mint and thyme can all be snipped in sprigs whereas chives can be snipped with scissors as required.

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Tomato and Aubergine Salad
Preparation Time: 15 minutes  Cooking Time: 30 minutes Serves: 6 people

Ingredients
2 aubergines – diced
1 red onion – peeled and roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves – kept whole
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 red peppers –deseeded and chopped
4 vine tomatoes – chopped
2 tablespoons sun – dried tomatoes – roughly chopped
1 lemon – zest and juice
4 tablespoons fresh mint – roughly chopped
100g black olives – ideally pitted!
Salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste

Method
1) Heat the oven to 220 C/ 425 F / Gas mark 7.
2) Line a tray with non stick baking parchment paper. Toss the aubergines, onion, garlic and peppers with the olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3) Roast for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. ( This can be done a day ahead.)
4) Add the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and juice, then season again.

To serve the stylish way: Garnish with fresh mint and olives. Serve at room temperature

www.jewishcookery.com