Rosemary is a popular herb in Mediterranean cooking. It grows wild in Italy and Greece among other countries in the region.
It’s a versatile herb as it can be used in a range of dishes that include everything from poultry, soups, spreads, beverages and cookies. Like these Lavender Rosemary Shortbread Cookies.
Lavender Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
Rosemary is a very remarkable herb. It holds up well under heat when cooking with it and it’s flavor is distinctive. It has woodsy aromatic notes of evergreen, citrus, lavender, pine, sage, pepper, mint, and sage.
It is not a delicate herb like basil, sage or parsley.
Cooking With Rosemary
Fresh Versus Dried
The main difference between fresh and dried rosemary is that the dried form has a much more concentrated flavor than its fresh counterpart.
The standard conversion ratio is one part of dried rosemary for three parts fresh rosemary.
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary = 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary.
If the recipe you are using calls for fresh rosemary sprigs, you would assume that one small or medium sprig is equivalent to about one teaspoon of dried rosemary.
As an example: if your recipe calls for three sprigs of fresh rosemary, that would equal roughly one tablespoon. Therefore, you would use one teaspoon of dried rosemary to replace it.
When using rosemary in dried form keep in mind that it is three times as potent as fresh.
When To Use The Fresh and Dried In Cooking
Fresh rosemary is best used when you want to finish off a dish. It can be added as a garnishment for example. Such as with this Mozzarella Chicken with Rosemary & Marinara Sauce.
Mozzarella Chicken with Rosemary & Marinara Sauce
If you use the fresh sprigs of rosemary at the end of cooking you should gently crush and squeeze the sprigs before adding it to the dish. This will help to release some of the oils and bring out the flavor more.
Use A Sprig Of Rosemary With This German Style Bacon Sage & Yellow Potato Hash
Dried rosemary should be added at the beginning of cooking a dish so it has time to release its flavor and to meld with the other added herbs. Such as with this Instant Pot – How to Pouch Chicken Thighs.
Instant Pot – How to Pouch Chicken Thighs
How to Prepare Fresh Rosemary For Cooking
Typically you can buy half an ounce of fresh rosemary in what is called a clam shell.
When ready to use it, first rinse under cold tap water gently rubbing the rosemary stems to remove any dirt or debris. Pat dry with a paper towel.
To remove the rosemary leaves from the stem, pull the needles in the opposite direction from which they grow and they should easily slide off the stalk.
The needle like leaves are easy to gather in a bunch and mince, by rocking your knife back and forth over the pile until it’s minced to the size you desire.
Rosemary can be used with the prepared minced leaves or use as whole sprigs, to infuse flavor into a larger dish like a roast, whole roasted chicken, stew or soup. Like with this Pasta Fagioli.
Pasta Fagioli
Rosemary offers a pop of flavor when used in cooking. The herb can though, turn a dish bitter if you use too much. It is recommended to only use as much as the recipe calls for.
More Recipes Using Rosemary
- Baked Cheese Tortellini with Bacon Vegetables & A Rosemary Alfredo Sauce
- Herb & Garlic Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
- Roasted Root Vegetables with Brussels sprouts and Bacon
More Articles On Cooking With Herbs
More Deliciously Yummy Recipes
- French Apple Cake
- Two-Hour Turkey
- Milk-Simmered Mashed Potatoes
- Indian-Style Chapati Whole Wheat Flatbread
- Orange Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
