Create herb heaven on your plate

From rosemary to thyme to parsley, and so many other varieties in between, herbs produce abundantly in the garden and can even grow in containers if you’re pushed for space. After more than 25 years spent experimenting with herbs in the kitchen, I know these botanical beauties are key to infusing the dishes you cook every day with great taste and depth of flavour.

Known as the part of the plant used for its aromatic purposes, herbs are the bushy leaves and shrubbery that can be used fresh or dried. All other parts of the plant, including the buds, bark, root, seeds, berries or fruit, are referred to as spices. Just like spices, not only can herbs elevate your culinary creations to delectably delicious, but I really dig them because, as the cooler months arrive, they are both excellent to add to meals and also a rich source of healing.

Ancient power

Of course, it’s no secret that scientific studies continue to link our diets and lifestyle changes over the past 50 years — along with the exponential growth of processed foods and increasing exposure to environmental toxins — as significant factors in the onset of chronic diseases.

That’s why so many of us are now seeking far more natural solutions by turning the foods we eat into tools that can help us achieve better health. Since ancient times, herbs have proved helpful in maintaining human health and improving quality of life.

Used for centuries for culinary purposes, herbs have also formed the cornerstone of many natural remedies used to manage certain physiological disorders. No wonder, then, that they are the foundation of many traditional medicine practices.

Herbs are so therapeutic because they harbour a wide variety of active phytonutrients, including flavonoids, terpenoids, lignans, sulfides, polyphenols, carotenoids, coumarins, saponins, plant sterols, uramins, and phthalides. Along with important vitamins and minerals, these naturally occurring plant compounds are key to achieving optimal health. Responsible for influencing colour, scent and flavour in so many of the herbs and vegetables we use in the kitchen, phytonutrients are proven to have many disease-preventing, medicinal properties.

What I love most about medicinal herbs (and what Nic is sharing with me through her medicinal herbalism studies) is that each and every one is unique when it comes to its healing properties.

By focusing on getting them into your diet regularly, over time, herbs can work to create better-functioning immune, digestive and respiratory systems, as well as help calm skin conditions and reduce the severity of colds and coughs.

Peppermint

Peppermint is a stand-out herb for me and during the winter months it’s one that my family and I use regularly. Nic likes to steep it in either a hot or cold infusion for the girls and for me it’s a way of keeping any coughs and colds at bay.

The reason peppermint is so good for this is because it acts as both an expectorant and a decongestant. Peppermint’s essential oils can also be used as a chest rub or inhaled to help clear nasal congestion and it’s also well known for helping to relieve tension headaches and easing sore muscles. Peppermint oil capsules have proved a natural alternative for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It can also work to relax the muscles of your intestines, allowing gas to pass and easing abdominal pain.

When I’m using mint in the kitchen, I love scrunching up (the technical term is “bruising”) fresh leaves in my hands because they impart a better flavour. Plus, this is one of my favourite herbs to add to so many of my all-time, favourite Southeast Asian dishes, such as chicken larb salad, which has a divine trio of herbs: mint, Thai basil and coriander. I also love adding mint to soups and other salads.

However, mint’s fresh leaves are equally fantastic mixed through olive oil with garlic, French shallots, apple cider vinegar and a pinch of ground cumin to make a delicious homemade mint sauce. It’s one of our favourite sauces served with lamb cutlets and a side of green vegies. Yum!

Thyme

Another favourite herb of mine that comforts me during the winter months is thyme. Not only do I love the fragrance it imbues any dish with, but it’s also abundant in antioxidants due to the key flavonoids it contains.  These are apigenin, naringenin, luteolin and thymonin, and studies have proven their ability to protect and increase the percentage of healthy fats found in cell membranes.

As reported by the George Mateljan Foundation, “In particular, the amount of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid) in brain, kidney, and heart cell membranes was increased after dietary supplementation with thyme.” Thyme also contains a significant amount of key vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A and C, iron, manganese, copper and dietary fibre.

By using it in your cooking, thyme may also help inhibit glycation and the formation of dangerous advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in your food, making thyme helpful in preventing heart disease and premature ageing.

Since thyme oil has anti-bacterial, anti-spasmodic, anti-rheumatic, expectorant, hypertensive and calming properties, it can help relieve everything from menstrual cramps to respiratory illnesses to skin conditions. Like peppermint, thyme oil can also be used as an effective mouthwash to improve oral health.

I’m a massive fan of chicken roasted with garlic and thyme, which leads me to one of my other favourite herbs that I just can’t get enough of in my food, and that’s rosemary.

Rosemary

I love the scent of the essential oils in rosemary leaves when you pick it from its woody stem, and the smell wafting out of the kitchen when it’s roasting in the oven with a succulent piece of good-quality, organic meat.

We usually do a big roast once a week — often on a Sunday — so we can then use for leftovers throughout the week, and nothing goes together more perfectly, in my opinion, than cold cuts of roast chicken with rosemary, garlic and lemon tossed through a fresh, green Garden salad.

Interestingly, rosemary is related to mint and, as a result, exhibits many of the same healing properties. Known for protecting the immune system and improving digestion, rosemary is particularly anti-inflammatory. Along with potassium, calcium and folate, this herb also contains significant amounts of fat-soluble vitamin A, which is important for creating a healthy, protected immune system.

Parsley

By far the best-known and most popular herb in the world, parsley is also a nutrient-dense superstar. A member of the same family as celery, its bushy green leaves are packed full of vitamins and minerals. It’s also especially high in iron, containing twice as much as spinach, and is detoxifying.

Rich in vitamins C and K, it can be added to almost any dish as either a flavouring or garnish and is a fantastic way to get a boost of antioxidants.

Medicinally, parsley is known to be an excellent digestive aid and the tea made from it is known to be a traditional remedy for indigestion, bloating and gas.

Of course, there are so many more medicinal herbs I would love to dissect in great detail, from lesser known ones such as fenugreek and ginseng through to that summer pesto staple, basil. In fact, there are so many varieties of amazing herbs out there, I encourage you to think about the ways your food can be medicine.

I reckon it’s time to get inventive and explore packing the meals you create with as many medicinal, healing herbs as possible. Here’s a selection of my favourite recipes that let herbs shine as the superstars they are.

Cook with love and laughter,

Pete

Chicken & Liver Larb Salad

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 8 mins

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Bone Marrow with Gremolata

Serves: 4

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Broccoli Soup with Hot Smoked Trout & Rosemary

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins

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Zucchini “Carbonara”

Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

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Baked Eggs with Artichoke, Salami, Tomato, Olives & Mint

Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

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