Giving food new flavour

Gizzi Erskine from Channel 4’s Cook Yourself Thin has teamed up with fresh herbs to compile her top tips for using herbs

Published:

HERBS are a brilliant way to help bring food to life.

Add fresh thyme or basil to marinades to deliver fantastic flavours, or place rosemary on to the barbecue with fish or chicken to transform a quick meal into a gourmet feast.

When you’re buying barbecue ingredients – sausages, burgers and salads – don’t forget to grab a few packs or pots of fresh herbs from the supermarket to add fantastic instant colour and flavour to your alfresco meals.

I can’t think of anything nicer than sitting down and enjoying a tasty meal on a summer’s evening. Adding fresh herbs to food is the perfect way to make your creations really special. Everyone can, and should, use fresh herbs to enhance meals; it’s an easy way to give dishes an instant, aromatic taste of summer.

I always say, throw fresh herbs into your dishes or on to the barbecue; don’t worry too much about how you prepare them. The only thing to remember is that the hardy, more woody herbs are very powerful, so you need less, and that soft-leaf herbs cook quickly so should be added at the end of your preparation.

Gizzi’s fresh herbs barbecue meals:

Serves 4

Handful fresh oregano leaves

Handful fresh Greek basil sprigs

5-6 sprigs of thyme

1 lemon, thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic, peeled

Salt and pepper

1 tblspn paprika

3 tblspn olive oil

½ leg lamb, butterflied to 1½in (4cm) thick

For the salad:

Handful fresh leaves

Handful parsley leaves

½ clove garlic, grated

Juice 1 lemon

Pinch cayenne pepper

3 tblspn olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, finely chopped

3 tomatoes, quartered and seeded, finely chopped

3 spring onions

200g (7oz) feta cheese, crumbled

100g (3½oz) pitted Kalamata olives, drained

Place the oregano, basil, thyme, lemon slices, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika on a chopping board and, with a large cook’s knife, chop everything together for about 3 minutes, or until it begins to resemble a chunky paste. (You can do this in a blender to save time, but it never gets as even as when doing it by hand).

Place the paste in a roasting tray and mix with the olive oil. Season the lamb with salt and pepper then toss in the marinade. For best results, marinade overnight in the fridge, but if you are pushed for time then a good 2 hours out of the fridge will be fine.

Light a barbecue. When the coals are glowing and ash white, with no flames and the heat has lost its fierceness, lay the lamb, skin side down, on the rack. Barbecue for 10 minutes on each side, or until the lamb is nicely charred but remains pink and moist inside. Remove from the heat and cover with foil, then leave to rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the mint, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper in a small food processor and blitz until smooth. Place the cucumber, tomatoes, spring onion, feta and olives in a salad bowl and mix with the salad dressing.

Quickly heat up your flat breads on the barbecue, turning after 1 minute. Slice the lamb width-ways into 8mm (

Serves 4

4 fresh trout, gutted and washed

4 bay leaves

4 sprigs of rosemary

8 sprigs of thyme

4 preserved lemons, sliced

2 tblspn olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 tspn smoked paprika

Lemon wedges to serve

Light a barbecue. When the coals are glowing and ash white, with no flames and the heat is intense, it is ready. Lay the trout on a chopping board and stuff each with 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of rosemary, 2 sprigs of thyme and some slices of preserved lemons. Rub with the olive oil then season with the salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Drizzle with any juice left over from the preserved lemon then place on the barbecue.

Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden and slightly charred on each side and the fish is feeling firm. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Gizzi’s fresh herb tips:

Salsa Verde: A great way to use fresh herbs. Salsa Verde is a delicious sauce that goes really well with everything from fish to chicken and lamb. Place a handful of basil, parsley, tarragon and mint leaves along with 6 anchovy fillets in olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 1 tblspn capers, the juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper and 125ml (4½fl oz) of good extra virgin olive oil in a small food processor and blend until smooth.

Herb butters: Add 2 tblspn of favourite chopped herbs to a 225g (8oz) pack of softened butter and mix thoroughly. Lay out a double-layered 30cm (12in) piece of clingwrap and place the butter in the middle of it. Roll the butter in the clingwrap and make it into the shape of a sausage. Tighten by twisting the ends.

Place in the fridge for a couple of hours to set. Slice a piece off each time you need it. Delicious melted on top of steak or stirred into steamed vegetables. Try adding a clove of garlic for added punch.

Top 10 tips for herb novices

Never chop basil with a knife – it will go black and spoil. Instead, simply tear it with your fingers.

Never put basil in the fridge for the same reason.

Do keep other fresh cut herbs in the fridge.

Keep pots of fresh herbs on a saucer and in natural light, and water sparingly.

It’s easier to cut chives with kitchen scissors than with a knife.

Be generous with your fresh herbs; they are not as overpowering as dried versions.

Adding whole fresh basil leaves to an oven-ready pizza just before serving transforms the look and taste.

Scattering a handful of chopped coriander leaves over a ready-made curry just before serving adds an authentic fresh flavour.

Adding a sprig of thyme to your baked beans as you heat them up gives a wonderful spicy edge to beans on toast.

To add extra flavour to a bagged salad, simply sprinkle over some freshly chopped chives.