Hello Steemit,
I hope everyone is having a nice week so far. I wanted to share some of my cooking advice for bay leaves and how to use them in the kitchen.
Many years ago, while I was staying with my late sister, I was introduced to using bay leaves in cooking. It was not something I had ever really known about before but I have used them ever since. They really do add a wonderful and unique flavor to many dishes, not just stews and curries.
At that time in my life, I wasn't married, and my kitchen journey was still in its very early stages, but many years later I started experimenting with bay leaves in my recipes. If you've never cooked with this leaf, I would suggest that you give it a try. Even if you cannot grow it yourself, you can buy the dry leaves from the store.
I thought I would share some of the bay leaf cooking inspirations which I have "gathered" over the years! I hope you try some of them - and let me know if you have any others!
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Curries - The most common way to use bay leaves is in curries and they add a really nice earthy richness to the flavor of the sauce.
Rice - When cooking rice, toss a couple of bay leaves into the pot. As the rice steams, it absorbs their flavor. You can also add bay leaves into your dry rice container, because they add a lovely aroma to the rice. I can't say that I have noticed if this scent follows through to the cooked rice because I don't think so, but it is still nice to smell when you open the container. Also, another little tip when cooking rice, especially jasmine rice, is to cook it in coconut milk! It is delicious! I know that has nothing to do with bay leaves, but I thought I would just share it anyway :)
Roast Potatoes - Roast potatoes are already a comfort food favorite for most people, but sprinkle them with rosemary and add a handful of bay leaves before popping them in the oven. It adds a really unique flavor to your roasties.
Chicken - If you are roasting a chicken, slip a few bay leaves inside the chicken, under the wings, and by the legs. As the chicken cooks, these leaves release their flavor, giving the meat a delicious flavor.
Roasts - A leg of lamb ALWAYS deserves the royal treatment in my opinion! Garlic cloves piercing the top, bay leaves tucked underneath the roast, a drizzle of olive oil. and a crack of salt and pepper!!! This will give you the most delicious lamb! The meat's juices combined with the bay leaves really changes the rich gravy. This also works really well for beef and pork roasts too.
Bolognese - A pot of bubbling bolognaise sauce isn't complete without bay leaves. They really turn a simple tomato sauce. If you freeze any leftover sauce for future meals—the bay leaf flavor just gets better with time.
Rice Dessert - Remember old-fashioned rice pudding? I love that stuff. Well, you can add a couple of bay leaves to the milk as it simmers and the flavor in the leaves adds a really great flavor to the pudding. Kiind of like how it does when you add it to your cooking rice.
Preserves - Whether it's pickles, chutneys, or fiery chili preserves, bay leaves are great to add. Place a leaf or two into the jar and they will just make your preserves even better!
In my opinion, bay leaves are subtle yet so very transformative for pretty much anything that you cook.
Happy cooking!
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Thanks for reading!
The photo used in this post is mine and I made my header with canva.com
Wow thank you so much for this lovely post, I love bay leaves, I am just so glad I stumbled on this post, because now I know more dishes to include it in. Thanks again
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Hi @yaladeeds, and thanks for the comment. Yes, they are great to use! Do you have your own bay tree or do you buy them?
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