Herbal Alternative

     After posting yesterday's soup recipe for a winter's day I realized that one of the ingredients might have been impracticable given the season of the year.  Unless you had a 4 wheel drive vehicle and some extra cash in your pocket you probably were not going to venture out to get some fresh cilantro.

     It is not feasible nor is it economical to include fresh herbs into dishes when you cannot grow and pick them yourself from your own garden plot or herb pot as I do.  Dried herbs are a worthy substitute but with some caveats.  It is important to realize that herbs change in flavor when dried due to the evaporation of essential oils.  But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Dried herbs are then much stronger than their fresh counterparts.  So in that case, less is more.  The general rule of thumb is to substitute dried herbs for fresh herbs at the rate of 3 to 1.  That is, when a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, you need to add only 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.

     But before you reach into your pantry for that little red and white tin that's been sitting there for the last decade you need to consider shelf life and viability.  Dried herbs do get old and lose their flavor.  So when you open that jar or tin give it a good sniff.  If you can't detect any aroma, then it's time to replace it.  Another method is to crush a small portion of the dried herb in your hand and check to see if there is any smell.  Generally speaking the woody herbs like oregano, thyme and rosemary last longer when dried than do the soft herbs like basil and chives.

     And one final note...if you are going to use dried herbs when cooking, add them early in the process so they can release their flavor and infuse the whole dish.  Adding them too late and they will just taste dusty.  Want to combine fresh and dried herbs together?  Add the dried early for full flavor and then sprinkle the fresh just at the end of the cooking process to brighten your meal with both color and flavor.