Use of Wines and Herbs in Food Production

Herbs:

Herbs are green leafy part of the plant which is used in food and beverage
production mainly for aroma, garnishing. It can be used either fresh or dry form.

Uses of herbs in food production:

Flavouring  It can be used in chopped, minced, torn forms

 It can be used for marinating
 Herbs can be used during cooking for imparting flavor.
 Herbs are widely used as topping for food or beverages
both for garnishing and incorporating flavor.
 Herbs can be mixed with different ingredients and used for
stuffing meat, poultry, fish and vegetables.
 It is very popular in making flavoured cheese also.
 In bakery herbs are used frequently for bread, cake,
cookie or dessert making.

Garnishing  Freshly chopped and

 Fresh and green sprig dipped in ice water can be used as
garnish for almost any type of savoury food
 Lightly deep fried herbs used as garnish also adds nice
flavor to food

Seasoning  Herbal salt – powdered or rock salt is mixed with dried

herbs. In this process the herb is dried in the presence of
salt and then powdered. Celery salt is a very popular
example
 Salt less seasoning made by herbs are being used to
solve different health hazards related to sodium. It is a
mixture of assorted dried herbs with onion, garlic, sesame,
dry lemon peel and paprika powder

Herb These flavoured and sometime colorful oils are excellent for
infused oil
 Flavouring
 Plating
 Garnishing
 Dressing salads

There are three methods of making them

1. Heat oil to 800 C and infuse herbs for 7-10 days

 2. Add fresh herbs to cold oil and allow this to get infused
over months
3. Steep herbs in warm oil, and then puree it with the oil.

Herbal  These fresh herbs infused vinegars commonly used in

vinegars cooking, making sauces and as dressing

Herb  Fresh chopped herbs are creamed with softened butter,

butter then can either be piped or rolled and frozen
 Used as spread
 Popular as cold butter sauce

Used in  Used as liqueur flavouring agent

beverages  Used for cocktails and mocktails
 Very popular with tea
 Herb infused water is also very refreshing

Sauces  Chopped Herbs can be added with any sauce to enhance

the flavour
 Fresh herbs can be made into paste as well for making
sauces

Pastes  Finely chopped herbs can be used to cover piece of meat,

and crusts poultry or fish before grilling/baking/roasting/pan frying to
give a unique texture and flavor

When to Add Herbs During Food Preparation

Unlike dried herbs, fresh herbs are usually added toward the end in cooked dishes to
preserve their flavor. Add the more delicate herbs -- basil, chives, cilantro, dill leaves,
parsley, marjoram and mint -- a minute or two before the end of cooking or sprinkle
them on the food before it's served. The less delicate herbs, such as dill seeds,
oregano, rosemary, tarragon and thyme, can be added about the last 20 minutes of
cooking. Obviously, for some foods, such as breads, batters, etc., you'll need to add
herbs at the beginning of the cooking process.

Fresh herbs can be added to refrigerated cold foods several hours before serving.
Allowing time (at least a couple of hours, if possible) for cold foods with herbs to chill
helps the flavors to blend.

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Freezing Herbs

Several books and articles on herbs recommend freezing as an easy way to preserve
herbs.

Recommendations vary on the best way to freeze herbs, how long frozen herbs will
maintain a satisfactory flavor and which herbs will freeze well. Be aware that when
herbs are frozen, they become limp, lose their color and are best used in cooked foods.
The most conservative guidelines for how long herbs will maintain their quality frozen
range from two to six months. Here are three possible ways to freeze herbs:

1. The easiest method and one recommended on the National Center for Home
Food Preservation s. Wrap a few sprigs or leaves in freezer wrap and place in a
freezer bag. Seal and freeze. These can be chopped and used in cooked dishes.
These usually are not suitable for garnish, as the frozen product becomes limp
when it thaws.”
2. Another method recommends washing herbs, cutting them into tiny pieces and
then filling the sections of an ice cube tray about half full with herbs. Cover herbs
with cold water and freeze until solid. Transfer frozen cubes to a freezer bag and
squish out as much air as possible. Drop them into soups, stews and sauces as
needed. Be aware herbs may stain plastic ice cube trays.
3. To save time chopping herbs into tiny pieces, you might try making a “slurry.”
Simply puree your washed herbs in a blender with a small amount of water. Pour
into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and add to
foods, as desired.

Herb/Food Combinations

Here are some ideas of combining fresh herbs with foods.

 BASIL – a natural snipped in with tomatoes; terrific in fresh pesto; other

possibilities include pasta sauce, peas, zucchini
 CHIVES – dips, potatoes, tomatoes
 CILANTRO – Mexican, Asian and Caribbean cooking; salsas, tomatoes
 DILL – carrots, cottage cheese, fish, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes
 MINT – carrots, fruit salads, parsley, peas, tabouli, tea
 OREGANO – peppers, tomatoes
 PARSLEY – The curly leaf is the most common, but the flat-leaf or Italian
parsley is more strongly flavored and often preferred for cooking. Naturals for
parsley include potato salad, tabouli
 ROSEMARY – chicken, fish, lamb, pork, roasted potatoes, soups, stews,
tomatoes
 SAGE – poultry seasoning, stuffings
 TARRAGON – chicken, eggs, fish
  THYME – eggs, lima beans, potatoes, poultry, summer squash, tomatoes
 WINTER SAVORY – dried bean dishes, stews.

Cooking with Fresh Herbs:

While using fresh herbs in cold dishes, they should be Chef tips: Dried herbs are
at room temperature. When preparing a dish that more concentrated than
requires a lengthy cooking period, you can use a fresh, and powdered herbs
small, tied bunch of fresh herb sprigs. This bundle is are more concentrated than
generally known as a bouquet-garni and customarily crumbled. Each herb is
contains parsley, bay leaf, and thyme. Herbal slightly different but a
combinations can also be minced and added to a starting formula is: 1/4
meal immediately upon completion of cooking, and as teaspoon powdered herbs is
a garnish before serving. This French practice is equaled to 3/4 to 1 teaspoon
referred to as fines herbs. It contains chopped fresh crumbled or the equivalent
chervil, parsley, tarragon, and chives. This blend is of 2 to 4 teaspoons fresh.
good on mild flavored cuisine like salads, scrambled
eggs, and dishes containing poultry and fish.

There are no hard and fast rules when cooking with fresh herbs. Start to experiment
using small amounts to see what you like. Here are a few ideas that will help you get
started:

 Try not to mix two very strong herbs together. Try mixing one strong and one or
more with milder flavors to complement both the stronger herb and the food.
 Usually, the weaker the flavor of the food (like eggs), the less added herbs are
required to get a nice balance of flavor.
 If chopping fresh herbs, chop the leaves very fine because the more of the oils
and flavor will be released.
 Start sparingly with the amount of an herb used until you become familiar with it.
The aromatic oils can be less than appetizing if too much is used.
 Usually extended cooking times reduces the flavoring of herbs, so add fresh
herbs to soups or stews about 45 minutes before completing the cooking time. For
refrigerated foods such as dips, cheese, vegetables and dressings, fresh herbs
should be added several hours or overnight before using. Note: Fresh Basil is an
exception. If you add it to salad dressing overnight or longer, it becomes bitter.
 For salsa, hot sauces and picante, add finely chopped fresh or dried herbs
directly to the mixture.
 WINE
Wine has three main uses in the kitchen - as a marinade ingredient, as a cooking
liquid, and as a flavoring in a finished dish. The function of wine in cooking is to
intensify, enhance and accent the flavor and aroma of food - not to mask the
flavor of what you are cooking but rather to fortify it.

Main uses of wine:

 used as a marinade is best exemplified by Sauerbraten. Here the alcohol and

acid in the wine serve to tenderize the meat before cooking. Both act on the
tough fibers in meat, effectively "softening" them, The resulting liquid, which
contains flavors from the meat and vegetables in the marinade, is used to make
the sauce.

 Another common use of wine is in deglazing a sauté pan and using that as a
base for a sauce.

 Finally, wines are used at the very end of the

cooking process. Marsala is a good example. This
fortified wine is not added when the pan is
deglazed after sautéing veal, it is added to "finish"
the sauce. That way the sweetness is not
overpowering, but the subtle aromas are
heightened by the heat of the dish. For the same
reason, sherry is added to a cream soup right at
the very end. This is usually the procedure for
fortified wines, so those subtle notes from the
prolonged aging come out in the aroma.
Storage of Leftover Wine -
Leftover table wine can be
refrigerated and used for
cooking if held for only one or
two weeks. If you have at least
a half bottle on wine left over,
pour it off into a clean half
bottle, cork it, and store in the
refrigerator. without air space at
the top, the rebottled wine will
be good for months

 Flambe is another popular way to use wine. The alcohol in the wine evaporates
while the food is cooking, and only the flavor remains.

 Wines can be used in making desserts, baking cakes etc

 It is a very good salad dressing as well

  Wine Reduction for Pan Sauces: For ultimate flavor, wine should be reduced
slowly over low heat. This method takes more time and effort, but will achieve a
superior sauce because the flavor compounds present in the wine are better
preserved.

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Traditional formula for pairing wine with cooking:

Young, full bodied red wine Red meat, red meat dishes
Young, full bodied, robust red wine Red sauces
Earthy red, full bodied red wine Soups with root vegetables and/or beef
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Dry white wine or dry fortified wine Fish/shellfish/seafood, poultry, pork, veal
Dry white wine or dry fortified wine Light/cream sauces
Crisp, dry white wine Seafood soups, bouillabaisse
Sweet white wine or sweet fortified wine Sweet desserts
Dry, fortified wine (i.e.: sherry) Consommé, poultry, vegetable soups
Regional cuisine Regional wine

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