Cilantro

[ray goud]

Harold McGee recently wrote an article in the NYT about cilantro and people who cannot stand it; one can search their archives, or go to his website to read it. Years ago Sara Moulton mentioned it on one of her cooking shows. Yes, there is a sizable minority of people who literally hate the stuff, myself included. The thing is, we can't help it; it's a chemical incompatibility. In my case, our whole family (parents, siblings) hate it and we probably inherited that revulsion. We don't have anything against people who like it, unless they try to force it on us.

Ray

[pastrygirl]

Feeling impulsive at Cash & Carry, I grabbed a pound of cilantro. 

 

I don't think I'll be able to eat it all fresh, what would be a good way to freeze or otherwise preserve it?  Does pureeing with olive oil make sense?   I think my mom used to do that with basil ... Any favorite cilantro chutney or pesto recipes I should know about? 

[Okanagancook]

I second pureeing with a bit of oil.

East Indian cuisine has cilantro chutney...I don’t have a recipe at hand but a quick google should spring some results.

[lemniscate]

1 hour ago, pastrygirl said:

what would be a good way to freeze or otherwise preserve it?

 

I shove a bunch of it in the bottle of an inexpensive silver tequila (Kirkland) and let it steep.  Then I make cilantro margaritas with it.

[heidih]

I agree with pesto or  treat it as the green in a stir fry or soup. the pugenny goes way, It is just a green veg. Same with basil or parsley. 

[Duvel]

Make Thai green curry paste and freeze in ice cube moulds ...

[pastrygirl]

9 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Make Thai green curry paste and freeze in ice cube moulds ...

 

Funny you say that, I have some green curry simmering on the stove right now.   I'm too lazy to make curry paste so I used some jarred Thai Kitchen product.  It does not list cilantro on the ingredients, but I will be adding a generous amount to my bowl.

 

 

[Duvel]

11 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

 

Funny you say that, I have some green curry simmering on the stove right now.   I'm too lazy to make curry paste so I used some jarred Thai Kitchen product.  It does not list cilantro on the ingredients, but I will be adding a generous amount to my bowl.

 

 

Green curry paste uses the roots, mostly. But I found leaves & stems do work as a pretty good substitute in a 3:1 ration (L&S:R) ...

[TicTac]

I would eat it as a lettuce - I love cilantro, though.

 

Cilantro+shredded coconut+chili pepper

 

Cilantro chutney (sugar/vinegar/spices)

 

Pickle the stems.

 

 

[pastrygirl]

OK, mission accomplished - I spent some quality time with my food processor and now have a tub of cilantro chutney with ginger, jalapeno, and lime in the freezer for future South Asian inspiration and a bowl of cilantro hummus in the fridge for lunch & snacks.  Yum!  I tend towards terribly lazy when it comes to cooking for myself but a little effort usually is worth it