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The definition of seasoning is to enhance flavor with herbs, spice, & citrus
Herb
Herb is the generic name given to hundreds of plants that have fragrant leaves and stems used to season foods. Herbs can be used fresh or they can be dried, but the quantity that is best used in a recipe may vary greatly depending on which type is used. Most dried herbs can be stored for several months, but they quickly lose their flavor if kept too long. There are many different types of herbs, but some commonly available are: basil, bay leaves, chives, and dill. |
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Basil  |
A leafy, green herb, belonging to the mint family, with an intense flavor that is a staple in Mediterranean cooking. Basil can be dried and used during months when it may not be available in some regions, but it is best when used fresh, as it will provide peak flavor. |
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Ripe tomatoes, soft cheese, soups, stews, beef, fish, veal, lamb, poultry, eggs, pizza, vegetables, mixed with vinegars to create dressings, a principal ingredient in pesto, sprinkled over salad or pasta, and mixed with tea. Also added to fresh fruit desserts. |
| Tips: |
Extended exposure to heat diminishes the basils distinct flavor. Dried basil can withstand longer cooking times.
When using fresh basil leaves, rather than dried basil, it is best to add toward the end of cooking.
Mix with mayonnaise to taste. Use as a dressing for burgers and sandwiches. Mixture can also be brushed on chicken or fish before grilling/roasting/broiling.
Blend with softened butter and garlic to taste. Brush onto grilled/broiled French bread or use to sauté your favorite vegetables, seafood, or poultry. Can also be added to mashed potatoes.
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Bay Leaves  |
Aromatic leaves from the evergreen bay laurel tree used for seasoning. The tree is native to Mediterranean regions and the leaves that are harvested are usually dried before being sold. |
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The leaves provide rich flavoring to many meat dishes, soups, and stews with only one or two necessary for many recipes.
Other food complements: fish, meats, vegetables, soups, stews, marinades, sauces, tomato dishes, pickle recipes, custards, Cajun gumbos, and a principal ingredient in bouguet garni. |
| Tips: |
The bay leaves are usually removed before the dish is served.
Blend with orange zest to make an excellent rub for beef.
Blend with lemon zest to make an excellent rub for fish. |
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Chives  |
A type of plant characterized by long green shoots that is used as an herb and has a flavor very similar to an onion. Although dried chives are available, they are best as an ingredient when they are fresh. Regular chives are also considered to be European chives, which provide a mild onion flavor to foods. Another common chive is the Garlic chive, which is also referred to as the Chinese chive. As can be assumed by the name, the Garlic chive provides a noticeable flavor of garlic. |
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Chives provide a mild onion flavoring to dishes including poultry, fish, eggs, potatoes, dips, pasta salads, tomato soup, and lettuce salads. Chives can be added to herbal vinegar to be used as a dressing, or dishes containing soft cheeses. |
| Tips: |
The shoots should be snipped with a scissors right before they will be used so that they retain their flavor and crispness. If cut prior to being prepared, store them in a refrigerator and prepare within a few days.
Add to softened butter or cream cheese as a spread for bagels and breads.
Add to sour cream for a wonderful dip for crackers and chips, or topping for a baked potato.
Use as a tie while steaming/grilling asparagus bundles.
The edible blossoms make beautiful garnishments. |
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Dill  |
An herb belonging to the parsley family with fine, feathery leaves. Like most herbs, dill has the best flavor when used fresh, but dried dill is often used when fresh is not available. |
| Food Complements: |
Dill is used in many dishes, but it works especially well with fish recipes.
Other food complements: cucumbers (pickles), mild cheeses, eggs, vegetables, cream sauces, potatoes, lettuce/pasta salads, cold soups, breads, rice dishes, marinades, and stuffing recipes. |
| Tips: |
Dill can be used as an attractive garnish.
Add to softened cream cheese and chives for a tasty bagel spread.
Soak dill seeds in vinegar 3 to 4 days to create a zippy dressing.
Blended with melted butter, dill is the perfect dip for your favorite grilled or broiled fish/seafood. |
Spice
Spice is a plant product, such as the bark, seeds, buds, fruit, stems or roots, generally used in a dried form, which have a definite flavor or aroma and are used to add flavor to foods. |
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Clove  |
A sweet, but very strong spice obtained from the dried flower bud of a tropical tree of the myrtle family. It can be used whole or it can be ground into a powder and added to a variety of sweet and savory dishes. |
| Food Complements: |
Clove is the perfect addition to fruit salads, chicken salads, coffees, jams and marinades.
Other food complements are dishes containing onions, potatoes, tomatoes, lamb, pork, vegetables, beans, barbecue, chili, chocolate, coffee, jams, marinades, and sweet breads. |
| Tips: |
Bring clove, cinnamon, and lemon/orange zest with hot cider to a boil. Let cool for a refreshing summer drink or drink hot to warm up the cool fall nights.
For a fish or meat marinade rub, combine cloves with ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and cumin. To create a marinade, add vinegar.
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Saffron  |
A highly aromatic spice made from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus. This orange colored spice creates a golden tint to a variety of food dishes and a mild, bitter flavor, which adds a very distinctive taste. Since it is the most expensive spice sold in the world, and since only a very small amount is needed to flavor a dish, it can be used sparingly. It is available in threads, which is the dried stigmas, and in powder form. |
| Food Complements: |
Saffron is an important ingredient in the Italian dish, risotto, the Spanish dish, paella, and the French dish, bouillabaisse. It is typically used to color and add flavor to cheese, pastry and seafood. |
| Tips: |
If stored in an opaque container, tightly sealed and kept out of direct sunlight, Saffron will keep for approximately ten years. If stored in a freezer, the threads become brittle, so they are easy to crush with your fingers and can be added easily to the food being prepared.
Stay away from wooden kitchen utensils when mixing/preparing saffron as it tends to absorb the saffron.
Blend saffron, thyme, and garlic with vinegar to create a tasty marinade for fish/shellfish dishes.
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Mace/Ground Mace  |
A spice, native to the Spice Islands, that is used to add a sweet and savory flavor to a variety of foods. It is made from the net-like casing that surrounds the nutmeg seed contained inside the hard pit of the nutmeg fruit. The yellow colored fruit is edible and when split open, exposes a net-like casing that covers the nutmeg pit. When first removed from the nutmeg seed, this mesh casing or membrane (aril) is oval shaped and somewhat brittle. It is flattened, dried and sold as mace blades or ground into powdered mace. Food manufacturers use mace to flavor hot dogs and donuts. |
| Food Complements: |
Mace is most often used with sweet or spicy dishes such as pies, custards, puddings, cookies, cakes, and beverages such as milk or egg-based beverages, mulled wine, and punch. And, it adds a nice flavor to soufflés, vegetables, egg dishes, sausages, lamb, and fish. It may be used for infusions when preparing sauces or flavored milk and is also a nice complement to fish, meat, and other dishes. |
| Tips: |
Mace can be substituted for nutmeg or cinnamon to complement other foods.
Add mace to mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes.
Add mace to a chocolate or tropical punch drink.
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Mustard (Powdered Shown)  |
Mustard is available in several different forms, all originating from the mustard plant. There are whole mustard seeds and powdered or dry mustard, which is ground from the seeds of the mustard plant. Another form is prepared mustard, which is made from powdered or coarsely ground mustard, along with the addition of other ingredients, such as vinegar, turmeric, white wine and sugar. There are different types of prepared mustards available, such as Honey, Dijon and the traditional yellow mustard referred to as ballpark mustard. Prepared mustards are used as condiments or seasonings with flavors that vary in intensity and sweetness, depending on the type of mustard seeds and other ingredients used to produce them. Some mustards are very spicy, with a sharp or hot flavor, while others such as honey mustard have a mildly sharp and mildly sweet taste. |
| Food Complements: |
Mustards can be used to spread over meats, as an ingredient to flavor foods, or as a dip for pretzels and other snack foods.
Other food complements: eggs, beef, salad greens, pasta, potatoes, poultry, crab, fish, shellfish, lamb, pork, cabbage, cucumbers, vegetables, beans, cheese, marinades, and relish. |
| Tips: |
Add mustard to your favorite barbecue sauce for more zing.
For a fish or seafood rub, blend mustard with curry powder, dill, paprika, and pepper.
Add mustard to taste with mayo for a pasta dressing or hamburger spread.
Add dry mustard to stir fry.
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Citrus
Citrus Fruit is the fruit of various evergreen, usually spiny shrubs or trees, of the genus Citrus, native to southern and southeast Asia, having leathery, aromatic, unifoliolate compound leaves and cultivated for their juicy edible fruits that have a leathery aromatic rind.
Citrus Fruits are a family of fruits all with different flavors and appearance. Common traits may include: Shiny outer skins, aromatic, with a juicy and acidic flesh such as the grapefruit, lemon, lime, or orange. |
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Grapefruit  |
A tropical citrus fruit that is characterized by its slightly bitter taste. Grapefruit is usually about the size of a softball or larger, has a skin that is usually yellow in color and flesh that ranges in color from yellowish-white to deep ruby red. Like other citrus fruits, grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C. |
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Lemon  |
An oval shaped, yellow citrus fruit. When the lemon's flesh or juice is added to a dish, it adds a mild tart flavor. The fruit most often used in the European cooking, and is also used as a garnish, in the form of a slice or wedge added to the plate. Lemon zest (the yellow part of the peel) is also often used to add flavor when cooking and baking. Lemons are available throughout the year. Lemon zest strips can be made by using a paring knife or vegetable peeler to slice off thin pieces of the yellow peel. When slicing off the pieces, care should be taken to not remove any of the bitter white pith. To grate the lemon zest, rub the lemon against a metal grater, making sure to turn the fruit so that you are taking off the yellow part of the peel and not the white pith. A citrus zester can also be used to remove the zest from the lemon. The zester removes the zest in fine threads, which can be minced as an alternative to grating. A Meyer Lemon is a variety of lemon that is known for having a sweeter flavor, tasting mildly like a tangerine. It is often used as a seasoning for fish, providing a fresh aroma and a sweeter flavor than the standard lemon. |
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Lime  |
A small green citrus fruit whose juice or peel is added to dishes to add tart flavoring. Its flavor is stronger and more tart than a lemon, but it can be substituted in most cases in place of a lemon. Lime zest (the green part of the peel) is also used to add flavor when cooking and baking. Limes are available throughout the year. Lime zest strips can be made by using a paring knife or vegetable peeler to slice off thin pieces of the green peel. When slicing off the pieces, care should be taken to not remove any of the bitter white pith. To grate the lime zest, rub the lime against a metal grater, making sure to turn the fruit so that you are taking off the green part of the peel and not the white pith. A citrus zester can also be used to remove the zest from the lime. The zester removes the zest in fine threads, which can be minced as an alternative to grating. |
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Orange  |
A baseball-sized citrus fruit with a tough orange skin and flesh that is segmented and juicy. It may have a sweet to slightly bitter taste, depending on the variety. They are grown in regions with a subtropical or Mediterranean climate. Some of the common varieties include Ambersweet, Blood, Hamlin, Naval, Red Naval, Pineapple, and Valencia oranges. Oranges are a good source of vitamins, such as vitamin C and four B vitamins and are also a good source of many important minerals. |
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Creating Zest for Seasoning
Zest refers to the outer skin of citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and limes. The colored part of the skin contains natural oils that provide aroma and flavor. Small shavings of the skin are added to various dishes to intensify the required citrus flavors. The white portion of the skin, or pith, which lies just below the zest, should not be used because of its bitterness.
Zest can be made using a zester tool, by cutting with a vegetable peeler, or by slicing strips with a sharp utility knife.
Zester Tool
The zest from the citrus fruit is removed in fine threads which can be used in that form or they can be minced to use as an alternative to grated zest.
Pack zest lightly into measuring spoon to measure. Unless specifically stated in the recipe, do not pack the zest tightly.
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Extracting Juice from Citrus Fruits for Flavoring
A Citrus Trumpet is a tool used to extract the desired amount of juice from citrus fruits. This tool is screwed into the fruit, such as a lemon or lime, and the outer rind is squeezed until the desired amount of juice flows out the spout of the extractor. This type of tool is also known as a juice extractor.
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