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Posted on 10:33 AM by Wanto and filed under
By Maryanne Wilson
The commonest method of preserving herbs is by drying, apart from a few exceptions, accompanying the colour plates of the individual species. There is no need to point out that even the most carefully dried herbs cannot compare with fresh herbs and so it is recommended to use fresh herbs whenever possible.
Otherwise the general rule is that the more rapidly herbs are dried and the lower the temperature during the drying process the better their quality. If you wish to dry herbs at home spread them out in thin layers on rust-free, fine-mesh chicken wire or muslin-covered frames placed in a dry, well-ventilated place where the temperature does not rise above 30C (86F). Best-quality dried herbs are obtained by freeze-drying, which requires complex equipment and is a method that is being increasingly used commercially.
The sauce sold well and having luckily found the old recipe, they immediately set about making it on a larger scale. Its popularity spread rapidly, not only in Britain but throughout the world, and to this day'Worcestershire sauce is still made according to the original recipe brought from India. The basic ingredients are vinegar, soy and molasses and an infusion of anchovies, chilli, ginger, shallots, garlic, plus about 20 other tropical fruits and spices. It is not boiled but prepared by maceration and lengthy ripening in large oak barrels as it was in the cellars of the Worcester pharmacy in the last century.
Another herb mixture is the very hot sauce or paste from Mexico called tabasco. It is made by cooking fresh chillis together with salt, vinegar, sugar, garlic and other spices. Similar pastes called chilli sambala ranging from mild to very hot are used in Indian cookery. Fresh chillis are also used to make a very tasty Indian chutney, consisting of a paste made of crushed chillis, coconut and dried coriander leaves plus salt and lemon juice.
Another ground mixture which is a basic ingredient in preparing Chinese and Vietnamese foods is the 'five spices mixture'. This is a very delicate blend of equal parts of Chinese pepper (the fruits of Xanthoxylum piperitum), star anise, Chinese cinnamon, cloves and fennel. In the Far East it is widely used for seasoning pork dishes. Sauces and pastes are also herb mixtures, first and foremost of these being ketchup, which likewise originated in the Far East and was introduced to Europe in the late 17th century. Ketchup (ke-tsiap in Chinese) was originally the name for a salt solution used to pickle fish and for fermented fish extracts, whereas today it is applied to a wide variety of spicy salt extracts. In old cookbooks one will find many long-forgotten recipes for different kinds of ketchup.
Instead of tying the herbs together they may be put in a square of cheesecloth tied with a cotton, which makes it possible to use small herbs as well as sprigs. The bouquet garni is removed from the pot before serving.
Otherwise the general rule is that the more rapidly herbs are dried and the lower the temperature during the drying process the better their quality. If you wish to dry herbs at home spread them out in thin layers on rust-free, fine-mesh chicken wire or muslin-covered frames placed in a dry, well-ventilated place where the temperature does not rise above 30C (86F). Best-quality dried herbs are obtained by freeze-drying, which requires complex equipment and is a method that is being increasingly used commercially.
The sauce sold well and having luckily found the old recipe, they immediately set about making it on a larger scale. Its popularity spread rapidly, not only in Britain but throughout the world, and to this day'Worcestershire sauce is still made according to the original recipe brought from India. The basic ingredients are vinegar, soy and molasses and an infusion of anchovies, chilli, ginger, shallots, garlic, plus about 20 other tropical fruits and spices. It is not boiled but prepared by maceration and lengthy ripening in large oak barrels as it was in the cellars of the Worcester pharmacy in the last century.
Another herb mixture is the very hot sauce or paste from Mexico called tabasco. It is made by cooking fresh chillis together with salt, vinegar, sugar, garlic and other spices. Similar pastes called chilli sambala ranging from mild to very hot are used in Indian cookery. Fresh chillis are also used to make a very tasty Indian chutney, consisting of a paste made of crushed chillis, coconut and dried coriander leaves plus salt and lemon juice.
Another ground mixture which is a basic ingredient in preparing Chinese and Vietnamese foods is the 'five spices mixture'. This is a very delicate blend of equal parts of Chinese pepper (the fruits of Xanthoxylum piperitum), star anise, Chinese cinnamon, cloves and fennel. In the Far East it is widely used for seasoning pork dishes. Sauces and pastes are also herb mixtures, first and foremost of these being ketchup, which likewise originated in the Far East and was introduced to Europe in the late 17th century. Ketchup (ke-tsiap in Chinese) was originally the name for a salt solution used to pickle fish and for fermented fish extracts, whereas today it is applied to a wide variety of spicy salt extracts. In old cookbooks one will find many long-forgotten recipes for different kinds of ketchup.
Instead of tying the herbs together they may be put in a square of cheesecloth tied with a cotton, which makes it possible to use small herbs as well as sprigs. The bouquet garni is removed from the pot before serving.
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Creepers, like ivy, and climbers, such as clematis, wisteria and a vine, have been introduced against the walls.
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