Monday Spice Collection (Part 1) - Herb De Provence

As promised in my previous posts, I am now revealing the very first recipe of Wedding Spice Collection, I created for my sister as her wedding present.

Herb de Provence is what I jokingly call an 'artificial' mix. The reason why I say so is because it is not a traditional French herb blend, as one might think, but a commercial ready-made seasoning package. The ingredients are, of course, genuine and represent the traditional way of cooking in southern France, however, the ancient grandmas never heard of it. Back then, they carefully picked and used each of the local herb separately and only combined them prior to cooking, accordingly.
BUT!!! In the world of modern grandmas, who would abandon a nice dried commercial herb mix that, after all, has the same effect on the dish? Busy as we are, too many spice blends are never enough :) The most common ingredients are thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, marjoram, fennel and lavender flowers, but there are several other ones added, depending on the manufacturer or personal taste. Here is a bit of my taste:

HERB DE PROVENCE :

• 1 tbsp marjoram
• 2 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp savory
• 1 bay leaf, crushed
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tbsp lavender flowers
  

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

This is a very simple herb mixture, that is perfect as garnish or flavoring to any kind of dishes, particularly to the of French or Italian cuisine. It is mostly used at the beginning of cooking, since they all need certain amount of heat to release aroma to the dish. I used it:

1. as a seasoning for pasta or pizza
2. into the soups or stews
3. mixed with wine as a marinade
   
4. mixed with butter as herb butter
5. baked together with potato wedges

There are so many ways of utilizing herbs, I am sure you have your own... Wanna share?

Next Monday is a curry powder day... do not go away then :=)