A reader recently wrote to ask why I didn't have a recipe for fresh Italian seasonings, mixed herbs and spices of the sort one can find dried in American supermarkets.
It simply hadn't occurred to me, because I live in Italy, where things are so regional that almost everyone would find fault with something labeled "Italian Seasonings" -- It would either lack an ingredient they consider absolutely essential, for example finocchietto, wild fennel fronds or origano, or contain something they don't use at all, for example aneto, dill in English.
If you've got a preferred Italian Seasonings mix (from scratch) you'd like to share, I'll be happy to collect them and put them up, together with suggestions about what they go best with.
For example, when I'm grilling spare ribs or chicken, I prepare a rub by chopping the needles of an 8-inch sprig of rosemary, 5-6 fresh sage leaves, and 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, add a scant half teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, and mix everything into a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. I then rub the mix into the meat and let it marinate for a couple of hours before grilling it over the coals, salting while the meat cooks. I sometimes also add finely chopped lemon zest, or a few salted capers, again finely chopped, to the mix.
What do you do?
Drop me a line or post on the forum.
It simply hadn't occurred to me, because I live in Italy, where things are so regional that almost everyone would find fault with something labeled "Italian Seasonings" -- It would either lack an ingredient they consider absolutely essential, for example finocchietto, wild fennel fronds or origano, or contain something they don't use at all, for example aneto, dill in English.
If you've got a preferred Italian Seasonings mix (from scratch) you'd like to share, I'll be happy to collect them and put them up, together with suggestions about what they go best with.
For example, when I'm grilling spare ribs or chicken, I prepare a rub by chopping the needles of an 8-inch sprig of rosemary, 5-6 fresh sage leaves, and 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, add a scant half teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, and mix everything into a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. I then rub the mix into the meat and let it marinate for a couple of hours before grilling it over the coals, salting while the meat cooks. I sometimes also add finely chopped lemon zest, or a few salted capers, again finely chopped, to the mix.
What do you do?
Drop me a line or post on the forum.
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