Rosemary is a popular aromatic herb that is native to the Mediterranean region and is often used in Italian and French cuisine. This herb has a warm and spicy taste, and is often combined with delicious meats such as lamb, with sour lemon, and even with sweet dishes. The secret to using rosemary in cooking is to chop it finely. Otherwise, the needle-like leaves can be a bit tough. Rosemary is a favorite condiment for savory dishes, baked goods, and even added to desserts.
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Part 1 of 3: Washing and Cutting Rosemary
Step 1. Wash the rosemary
Put a bunch of rosemary in a colander and wash it under running water. You can also scrub the rosemary stalks with your hands under running water to help remove any dirt or other debris that has picked up from the garden. Transfer the clean rosemary to a napkin and pat dry.
Step 2. Cut each stalk that is on the twig
Use sharp scissors or a knife to cut each rosemary stalk in a group. Separate each rosemary sprig from the larger stalk. You can also cut and remove the larger stems that have no leaves.
The stems of rosemary have flavor, but they are woody, tough, and unpleasant to eat
Step 3. Leave the rosemary sprigs intact for garnish and seasoning
Whole rosemary sprigs are perfect for finishing touches, garnishing dishes, and adding flavor to certain dishes. You can add rosemary sprigs after cooking for a finishing touch or you can cook roasts, soups, and other dishes with a whole rosemary sprig.
You should remove the rosemary stalks that are cooked with the dish before serving, such as bay leaves
Step 4. Remove the rosemary leaves from the stems
Pinch the end of the stem and use your other hand to grip the stem, just below the tip of the stem. Apply slight pressure and gently pull your fingers down to release the rosemary leaves. Transfer the leaves to a cutting board and remove the stems.
- Instead of removing the stalks, you can hang them to dry and use them as skewers for vegetables and meats for barbecue.
- If you want to use rosemary in a recipe, it's better to use only the leaves rather than the whole stalk.
Step 5. Cut the rosemary leaves
Finely chop the rosemary leaves with a sharp knife. Rosemary leaves can be quite tough, even after cooking, and this step makes eating them easier.
Part 2 of 3: Adding Rosemary when Cooking and Baking
Step 1. Make bread and spiced baked goods
Chopped fresh rosemary is often an option for adding spice and flavor to savory baked goods and bakery products. Here are some delicious recipes that are often combined with rosemary:
- Fresh rosemary bread, especially focaccia
- Salty biscuits with rosemary
- Rosemary and herb scones
- Fresh rosemary pasta or gnocchi
Step 2. Use rosemary to cook fish and meat
Rosemary can be added to any type of meat, such as chicken, lamb, fish, shellfish, turkey, pork, and beef. You can fill the meat with whole rosemary sprigs, roast beef with rosemary sprigs, or use chopped rosemary for added flavor. If you want to make a versatile condiment for grilled, stir-fried, stir-fried, grilled, or broiled meats, mix:
- 1 tablespoon (7 g) ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon (19 g) salt
- 3 tablespoons (9 g) chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon (3 g) dried rosemary
- 8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Step 3. Add rosemary to the cheese dish
Cheese and rosemary make a great combination, and you can use rosemary in a variety of ways to enhance the flavor of a cheese-based dish. Add rosemary to a variety of dishes by sprinkling 1-3 teaspoons (1-3 grams) of freshly chopped rosemary over freshly cooked dishes. The following dishes go well with rosemary:
- Macaroni and cheese
- Homemade grilled cheese sticks
- pizza
- mozzarella sticks
- Cheese sandwich
- Cheese fondue
Step 4. Roast vegetables with rosemary
Roasted vegetables are another excellent way to use whole rosemary sprigs as a condiment. Take a baking sheet and toss the potato wedges, carrots, radishes, and other greens with a little oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Bake at 200 °C for 35-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and golden.
Other vegetables that are also great for grilling include sweet potatoes, root celery, zucchini, bell peppers, asparagus, and eggplant
Step 5. Give your potato chunks a more delicious taste
Perhaps you could say, the food ingredient that is most often combined with rosemary is potatoes. Rosemary can be added to all kinds of potatoes, including baked and mashed potatoes, and can even be sprinkled over sliced oven potatoes. Follow the steps below to prepare potato chips or rosemary fries:
- Wash and rub 3 russet potatoes until clean
- Cut the potatoes into small slices or thick chunks
- Season the potatoes with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of oil, salt and pepper
- Bake the potato wedges at 245°C for 30-45 minutes. Don't forget to flip it twice during the baking process
- Add chopped rosemary, finely chopped garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper
Step 6. Make a lemon and rosemary sorbet
Sorbet is a frozen dessert made from fruit juice and sugar. To make your own sorbet, you can use any juice and add any extra flavor you like. Lemon sorbet is an ideal dessert that can be combined with rosemary because lemon and rosemary are often combined in other dishes.
To turn a regular lemon sorbet into a rosemary lemon sorbet, add 1 teaspoon (1 g) of chopped rosemary to the saucepan as you make the simple syrup
Part 3 of 3: Using Rosemary in Other Ways
Step 1. Make tea
Rosemary tea is a warm and delicious drink that can be made with two simple ingredients, namely water and rosemary. Boil water in a kettle or saucepan on the stove. Put a sprig of fresh rosemary in a teapot and pour boiling water. Let the tea infuse for 3-5 minutes.
- You can also add a lemon wedge to the tea.
- Another option is to pour cooled rosemary tea into an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator to cool down. Discard the rosemary before storing, and drink the tea within a few days of brewing.
Step 2. Soak rosemary in oil
To make rosemary-scented oil, mix 120 ml of olive oil in a saucepan with three sprigs of fresh rosemary. Heat the oil over low heat until it reaches a temperature of 82 °C. Remove the oil from the heat and let it come to room temperature. Once cool, pour the oil into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Oil can last up to 1 month.
You can cook, fry, and make lettuce sauce using rosemary oil instead of regular oil
Step 3. Make rosemary butter
Another fun way to enjoy fresh herbs and spices is to make seasoned butter. You can make your own rosemary butter for a variety of needs. Here are some of the best ways to use rosemary butter:
- Spread on toast
- Used as a sauce for grilled fish or meat
- Used for baked or grilled potatoes
- Melted with rice, pasta or hot vegetables
Step 4. Make rosemary salt
Rosemary salt is a great way to add flavor to any dish. You can make rosemary salt by mixing 75g of coarse salt and 1g of dry rosemary in a food processor. Start the engine and mix the salt and rosemary evenly. Pour the mixture into an airtight container and let it sit for a day.
- Use rosemary salt instead of regular salt to season foods such as soups, stir-fries, lettuce, meats, vegetables, popcorn, and so on.
- You should use salt within a year for best results.
- You can also add lemon, lime, or orange zest to the salt.
Step 5. Add flavor to the lemonade
Lemon and rosemary are such an ideal combination that it's no surprise that you can add rosemary to your favorite lemonade or lemon cocktail. Add 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary to the lemonade pitcher and let the rosemary soak into the lemonade for a few hours before serving.
