Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore, Staff Reporter
Herbs and spices are an essential part of our everyday cooking.
It is easy to make your food more creative and tasteful by adding a sprig of herb or a dash of spice to pep up your dishes. This week we
turn the spotlight on the herb, basil and the spice, paprika.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Basil is a herb that grows about 18 inches tall with light-green, fairly broad leaves. The flowers are small, white, and appear in spikes. There are several species of cultivated basil, one having purple leaves. The green leaves of basil should be picked about six weeks following planting. It is best to cut leaves for drying just before flowers open.
Basil has a warm, resinous fragrance. It is most commonly used fresh, and it is generally added at the last few minutes of cooking as heat destroys the flavour quickly.
Basil is frequently used in Mediterranean and Thai cuisine and is used to accompany tomato dishes and make a good sauce for fish. It is used as a garnish for vegetables, chicken, and egg dishes. Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto, an Italian sauce from the city of Genoa. The most commonly used Mediterranean basil cultivars are genovese, purple ruffles, mammoth, cinnamon, lemon, globe, and African blue. Also the Vietnamese and Chinese use fresh or dried basil in soups and other foods.
STORAGE
Keeping basil fresh is a challenge and refrigeration does not do much for it. However, you can place the cut stems in water and keep them on the window sill and they will remain fresh for a week or more. Though keeping basil in the refrigerator is bad, it can be done just store it in a plastic bag. It can only last for a short period. For longer periods, it should be kept in the freezer, after being blanched quickly in boiling water.
Basil does not retain its flavour well when dried. Instead, layer basil between sheets of waxed paper and freeze. The leaves will darken when frozen this way, but you will be pleasantly surprised at how well it will retain aroma and flavour. You can also fill ice cube trays with chopped basil, and then cover with water and freeze. Basil ice cubes are great for soups and stews.
Paprika (Capsicum annuum)
Paprika is a spice that comes from a mild red pepper in the family Solanaeceae. It is cultivated for its fruit, dried (becomes a brilliant red powder) and used as a spice or seasoning or garnish.
The peppers used to make paprika are grown in Hungary, Spain, South America, Zimbabwe and California. Paprika ranges from sweet and mild to hot. American Paprika is the blandest, while Hungarian Paprika has the greatest range of flavour. In Hungary, paprika is used in dishes such as goulash and chicken paprikash. In the United States, it is often used as a garnish on stuffed eggs, fish, and cheese and vegetable casseroles.
In the Spanish and Turkish culture, paprika is used to flavour shell fish, rice, sausage dishes, soups, stews, casseroles and vegetables. And in Morocco, paprika is used in tomato dishes and salads. It is also sprinkled on salads and hors d'ouvres and to spice and colour cheeses and cheese spreads. Marinades and smoked foods can also be enhanced with this spice and it can be incorporated in the flour that is used for dusting chicken and other meats.
Paprika is noted for its high vitamin C content. In fact, vitamin C was first isolated (by Hungarian scientist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi) from Hungarian paprika. The paprika with pointed tips or cherry shaped has a higher vitamin C content and is usually very hot. In addition, it is high in vitamin B1 and B2. The spicy, hot species have a capsaicin content over 1,000 mg per fruit, while others display 250-500 mg.
Sources: www.gardenguides.co/herbs/basil.htm. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, www.culinarycafe.com/Spices_Herbs/Paprika.html
