Herbs & Spices from the Cloister Kitchen
Prices are “per bag”, which will vary in amounts based on the stuff inside, okay? I’ll get special bags for the project, which will show off the herbs nicely. Jewel and I have been studying hundreds of packaging options, and we think we have a winner with our Clear Bags. When appropriate, a ribbon is wrapped around the things, but that doesn’t happen often, except of course with the honey.
TARAGON LEAF 27.00 — Taragon is a green, leafy herb that is highly aromatic, with a definite but subtle “licorice” flavor. Adds that “spring” taste and adds elegance and wonder to salad dressings and fish and chicken dishes, especially of the French Cuisine variety. Fresh Taragon is available the year round, unless you’re under bombardment.
THYME LEAF 16.40 — Thyme is used throughout the civilized world, and even in Russia. It’s useful in a wide variety of dishes, and has been in popular usage for at least 3,500 years, and was pinned to the cloaks of warriors before going into battle, which does you little good in the kitchen, unless you’re in a civilian area of a large Ukrainian city.
LAVENDER FLOWERS 25.26 — Lavender is a culinary herb that is best known for its clean aroma and minty, floral flavor. It’s generally shunned by most cooks unless they know the secret — it overpowers anything except a Ukrainian cocktail. For experienced chefs only.
NETTLES 12.14 — Nettles are a great ingredient for pasta and soups, and can be used in a wide variety of wonderful ethnic foods. They’re useful for their rich Vitamin C content, calcium, potassium, histamine, serotonin and flavonoids, all important for fighting colds, although if you’re a young Russian male, you should avoid the draft.
CHAMOMILE 17.91 — Chamomile is an herb that flowers. It looks like a teensy weensy little daisy, with a yellow center and white petals. In Ancient Egypt, it was used as a tea, and it still is used that way by many herbal specialists.
ROSE HIPS 9.44 — Rose Hips was the name of a stripper in Vegas, but that’s not important right now. Rose hips are the seed-pods on the bottom of a rose. Prepared properly, they are actually edible, but I propose you discover it as a tea. I offer dried Rose Hips, ready to enjoy right away. Ready now, is what they say in wine country.
STAR ANISE 12.52 — Star Anise is native to Southern China, but is now found in supermarkets everywhere. It looks like a starfish, but it tastes like licorice and anise. It’s a main ingredient in the “Chinese Five Spices” blend of herbs that is used in most Asian cooking. Roast duck, pho and dozens of liqueurs are thoroughly Star-Anise Dependent.
MARSHMALLOW 15.30 — It’s the Marshmallow Plant you want, not the soft, fluffy puffy things that melt on top of hot chocolate, and it’s noted for its mucilage, meaning that it’s considered useful in a variety of circumstances. I leave it up to you to research it yourself, but I just wanted to clarify the issue: it is NOT the stuff of which Ghostbuster Demons are made.
BASIL LEAF 11.02 — It is a known fact that Italian households cannot exist without Basil, although the Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesians use plenty of it themselves. I used to use it in pesto, and it’s great in pasta dishes, but where I use it mostly is in my chicken prep. There are over 75 varieties of Basil, but mine is best.
ROSEMARY 8.93 — An absolute must if you plan to drape the Greek Goddess Aphrodite around the you-know-what when she rises from the ocean, a sort of “Goddess on the Half-Shell”, if you know what I mean. Again, a native to the Mediterranean, but now on every grocer’s shelf between here and the lamppost. It has long been associated with strengthening the something-or-other … memory? Digestion? It can only help when working with oily fish. Get over it. It’s also good with lamb, pork, beef, and game meats like hobbit, although I likes mine raw. It also makes good tea, I’m told by Michele, but what the heck, I’ve never tried it for anything but chicken and soup.
ALLSPICE 15.20 — Made from the dried berries of some plant from God Knows Where, it will go where you keep your cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and peppercorns, of course. It’s not a blend, but a kind of plant. This stuff is great in mulled wine, hot cider, and mushy vanilla ice cream.
BAY LEAF 14.95 — Bay leaves should always be used whole, so you can pull them out when they’re done. You’ll want to add these to anything you put into the slow cooker, such as soups, stews and maybe sauces. This is NOT oregano, nor is it thyme, and you can’t do anything except a bowl of cereal without it.
LEMON GRASS 9.18 — Lemon grass is grass that tastes like a lemon, what can I say?
PROVENCE 15.21 — Herbes de Provence is a mixture of herbs and spices that originated in the central area of French cooking, Julia Child’s kitchen. It’s easy to make your own, but even easier to order them from us.
DILL WEED 19.38 — Feathery green leaves is the look of this herb, and even dried, it does some good to a dish if you want that sort of pickle-like quality to your dish. I use it on my chicken — not the layers, the friers.
HIBISCUS 10.43 — Hibiscus Tea, which came out of Ancient Egypt and North Africa, is the world’s most beloved beverage and is used in every country in the world.
CHINESE BLEND 10.34 — Has all five possible taste sensations — sweet, sour, salty, bitter and that other thing, which I call “quantity X”.
NUTMEG 33.48 — You gotta know what nutmeg is.
ORANGE PEEL 12.63 — Use this to add a subtle lift to other flavors.
PARSLEY LEAF 14.62 — Everybody knows what parsley is and does — except, of course, you. No, you know what parsley is, right?
GOLDEN SEAL 38.41 — Expensive tea, what?
PEPPERMINT 13.35 — Cheaper tea, hey?
OREGANO 11.53 — Use this sparingly, but use it.
SAGE — Chicken wouldn’t be the same without it.
Okay, that’s the list so far. Join us today at 6:30 am for a discussion on this subject.
See You At The Top!!!
gorby