The spices’ warm flavors balance the cool freshness of the herbs. Karadsheh’s carefully curated spice rack is as essential to her culinary toolbox as parsley. She keeps her basil “bouquets” at room temperature on the countertop, because the delicate leaves tend to wilt and darken quickly in cold temperatures.Īs for smaller quantities of hardy herbs such as rosemary and thyme, she wraps the washed and dried sprigs in damp paper towels and stores them in plastic bags in the fridge. Other soft herbs, such as mint, dill and oregano, can also be cared for this way. This keeps the herbs in plain view so they’re less likely to get smushed and forgotten in the bottom of the crisper, and readily accessible for snipping and incorporating into rice dishes, salads, eggs or anything else that could use a boost of fresh flavor. Kept in the fridge this way, herbs can last a couple weeks, Karadsheh said, so long as you change the water every few days. To extend the longevity of the herbs, she trims the ends after washing and drying them, places them in a cup or jar with a little water as she would a flower bouquet, and covers the leaves with a recycled bag. She uses the tender parts of the stems as well as the leaves, which both hold flavor and nutrients. In classic dishes such as tabouli salad and zhoug (spicy cilantro pesto), they’re the stars of the show. Parsley and cilantro are the herbs she uses practically daily and in greatest quantity. Caitlin Bensel/The Mediterranean Dish Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, 2022) This grain salad from Suzy Karadsheh's "The Mediterranean Dish Cookbook" features nutty-flavored farro along with corn, cherry tomatoes and a basil vinaigrette. In fact, she buys fresh herbs in bulk. “A lot of people think they won’t be able to go through them before they turn bad, but trust me, you’ll be using them all if you cook the Mediterranean way.” We think in terms of cups and handfuls, not sprinkles.” “That’s not how we use herbs in Mediterranean cooking.
“A lot of people use fresh herbs just as a garnish, for a pop of color right before serving,” Karadsheh said. And with a bowl of cut-up lemons and a bottle of antioxidant-rich olive oil on the table, you may find yourself bypassing the salt shaker and butter dish without even thinking. Once you make them part of your everyday cooking habit, you can assemble a delicious, healthy meal with less sodium and saturated fat, and with whatever protein, grain or vegetable you have on hand. But it’s the “flavor makers,” as Karadsheh calls them, that bring those wholesome ingredients to life.
Not only are the bold, bright flavors easy to love by anyone who’s open to garlic and olive oil, but Mediterranean cooking is also flexible, economical and easily adaptable to just about any situation.įresh produce, legumes, whole grains and lean proteins form the basis of the Mediterranean diet. Those are just a few of the dinner options I’ve added to my repertoire since I began collaborating with Suzy Karadsheh as a writer and recipe tester on her 2022 bestselling cookbook, “The Mediterranean Dish: 120 Bold and Healthy Recipes You’ll Make on Repeat.” Karadsheh, who grew up in Egypt, is the creator of the popular website by the same name.Įach recipe I cooked through reinforced my understanding of why - aside from the evidence supporting its health benefits - enthusiasm for the Mediterranean way of eating never seems to wane.
Mediterranean diet linked with reduced risk of developing dementia Raw uncooked seabass fish with vegetables, grains, herbs and spices on chopping board over rustic wooden background, top view Adobe Stock
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