Fresh Oregano

[tommy]

oregano is the only thing doing well in my garden. a big freakin bush already. basil is limping along, mint is growing out of the lawn (i mean, how much mint does a guy really need), rosemary is doing ok, but i know i could rip through the whole bush in a weekend.

so i got to thinkin: what am i going to do with fresh oregano? every application i can think of calls for dried oregano. short of drying it, what can i do with this bush?

[awbrig]

Infuse some Olive Oil...

[SWoodyWhite]

Fresh oregano can be used the same as dried, but you need to use more, I think at a ratio of three parts fresh for every part dried. It also works better when added later into the dish, as opposed to at the start of the dish with dry herbs. Personally, I like the flavor of the fresh better

It can also be used in salads, but do that with a light hand, since like any herb in a salad the flavor can be overpowering.

As for making infused oils, be sure to strain the oil after the infusion period. The unstrained herbs can collect mold if left in the oil, which besides being nasty to the flavor can be just plain nasty to those you serve the oil to.

(All of which reminds me to snip some from my own garden, to blend with the garlic and butter I'm using to dress tonight's pasta.)

[awbrig]

Smoke it.

[polly]

You could...

Marinate fetta in oil, oregano, garlic and chilli

stuff it inside a rolled leg of lamb

sprinkle it through a greekish salad

Make a pesto with it and drizzle over grilled sardines

toss it through spaghetti with squished cherry tomatoes, evoo and a little grana

Take a ribbon-tied bunch to every friend you visit

[awbrig]

or smoke it...

actually Polly ideas are great! Ill look forward to my ribbon tied bunch of oregano when you visit...

Edited May 30, 2003 by awbrig (log)

[davidscooking]

Make your own dried oregano. Cut a bunch of stems (seriously prune back your plants) and spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. When dry, store in plastic bags.

Later in the summer, your plant will bloom. Oregano blossoms make a beautiful and pungent garnish.

[Fat Guy]

Do you know what kind of oregano you're growing?

If it's the Greek kind, you'll find that a very high percentage of Greek recipes will work very well with the stuff. One of the great late-summer dishes is broiled tomatoes with feta and fresh oregano.

If it's the American kind, which has a sharper taste, I don't know of much you'd want to do with it.

[bushey]

An easy way to dry fresh oregano for easy crumbling is to wash lightly, lay on a paper towel (the oregano, I mean, not yourself) and nuke for a couple of minutes, or until it smells like oregano in your kitchen. I like to mix it with feta cheese in an omelette and add it to marinades for shish kebab and grilled veggies.

Still haven't planted my herbs yet this year, and the only perennials which actually come back for me are mint and chives. The constant rain here in New England up until yesterday has made it easy to follow the "never plant until Memorial Day" rule.

[MatthewB]

When the summer squash starts showing up, make a summer veggie soup w/ a good dose of fresh oregano. (There's recipe that I like here. Play around with it.)

Omelettes.

Salads.

Make your own infused vodka.

[Craig Camp]

Nothing like the fresh sprinkled on your home made pizza. The 3 fresh to 1 dry ratio is about right for sauces, but too much for the pizza.

[Suzanne F]

I always add Mexican or Dominican oregano to my salsa verde (tomatillos, chiles, onion, garlic, cilantro). If yours is that kind, add it to chili and other Latino dishes.

[Jim Dixon]

I have some in my garden, too, and the thing I make most with the oregano is a simple potato salad. I like to use a waxy fingerling spud called le ratte I can get at the farmers market, but any waxy type works (yellow flesh better).

Steam the spuds until tender. When just cool enough to handle, peel with fingers and slice about 1/4 inch. Toss immediately with a little wine vinegar or lemon juice (sometimes I skip the acid, but I think the salad is better with it). The warm spuds will really soak it up, so taste as you go.

Then add a couple of chopped shallots (or other mild onion family, but not too much), fresh oregano (smaller leaves you can leave whole), and lots of good olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste, eat at room temp. Another option is a couple of tablespoons of capers, whole or chopped, preferably salt-packed (soak them for 20 minutes, changing water a couple of times...if you use capers in brine, rinse them off).

I've made this with just spuds, olive oil, oregano, and salt, too.

Jim

[sparrowgrass]

I have a monster oregano plant too, and I use it a lot early in the spring, but by this time of year, the leaf miners have gotten into it and it is just not very appetizing. The miners are inside the leaves, so you can't wash them off.

And I don't care if oregano leaf miners taste just like oregano, I don't want to eat them.

[afoodnut]

I have some in my garden, too, and the thing I make most with the oregano is a simple potato salad...

I've made this with just spuds, olive oil, oregano, and salt, too.

Instead of boiling the potatoes first and making potato salad, you can also roast cubed (unpeeled) potatoes in a hot oven with EVOO, fresh oregano, salt and pepper.

afn

[girl chow]

My herbs are going nuts right now too. I clipped off a huge bag of oregano (and sage and lemon thyme) and put it by the fax machine at work. Gone in no time. I'm also with the "bring a ribbon tied bunch to everyone you know" theory. In fact, I'll warn the Seattle egulleters now..I'll probably bring a bag of oregano to tomorrow's cocktail party at Nightscotsmans. Look out!

[relatuit]

Whoa...mint...it will take over your whole garden if you let it. Definitely a winner in the survival of the fittest war. You should dig it up and confine it's roots with a buried tub. Smells great when you mow it down though.

I harvest my fresh herbs, whirl them in a food processor a little olive oil , to make a paste, then freeze them in ice cube trays, pop them out, cryovac them, and then I have cubes of "close to fresh" herb blends to use on hand even in the winter. You can do some pretty interesting and complex pestos with an assortment.

[tommy]

i've definitely ignored the whole "pesto" concept. i think, in part, because i know how crappyy my ice cubes start smelling after a while. i'm not sure that zip locks, which is really the only storage device i have, will do much good over months. any thoughts?

[relatuit]

Ziplocs...hmmmm

If you use the small ones and squeeze out all the extra air? I just like the convenience of the little blocks - throw them in the simmering sauce and let it do its "flavoring" thing. No muss, no fuss. Maybe those little ziploc craft bags - like the ones people put dusting powder or illegal substances into to sell?

They'd be a small enough amount, I think!

[torakris]

I used a couple sprigs of fresh oregano (I have Italian and Greeek) along with a handful of basil and a couple fresh bay leaves in my pasta sauce last night.

[fifi]

When I have an abundance of some herb, I whir it up with the olive oil as has been suggested. Then I freeze it in glass jars. I either put the whole mush into a small jar, having bought the smallest jars I can find. It doesn't have to warm up much to dig some out with a spoon. Or I freeze a few cubes and put them in a larger jar. The glass with the metal cap keeps the smell from permeating the whole freezer or other smells and flavors getting to the herbs. (I do the same thing with roasted garlic and caramelized onions.)

Watch out for mint... It is out to get yoooouuuu.... aaaarrrggghhh!!!!

[zilla369]

Watch out for mint... It is out to get yoooouuuu....  aaaarrrggghhh!!!!

Agreed. Mint is the kudzu of the herb world.

When there's more than you can use for recipes and garnishes, the long stalks look and smell great in flower arrangements.

All of which has nothing to to with oregano...apologies.

[torakris]

Watch out for mint... It is out to get yoooouuuu....  aaaarrrggghhh!!!!

Agreed. Mint is the kudzu of the herb world.

speaking of kudzu....

I have a couple of kudzu plants that are trying to take over my house from the field behind us!

Every morning I cut them off my back fence and the next day they come again growing 3 to 4 feet overnight!!!!

[MatthewB]

Fresh oregano = make mojo!

[Corinna]

I recently discovered that my oregano plant survived the long central NY winter, and is now taking over. Any new ideas about applications of fresh oregano?