Sage & Tarragon... I have no clue how to use them

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MyNyssa

Assistant Cook
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Dec 10, 2010
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18
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I don't cook as much as I probably should but my husband loves me anyway! I planted my very first garden this year and I am growing some good stuff. One of my problems is I don't know how to use some of it or what to put some of it in... Sage & Tarragon being the two main things throwing me for a loop. I also have tons and tons of Basil (so much I've had to give some of it away). So my question(s) to you are: Sage, Tarragon (maybe Basil) how in the heck do you use it in your meals? What do you use it for? I'm not a real big meat eater (every now and then but not too often). Any suggestions would be highly helpful. Thank you in advance! :rolleyes:
 
Sage is great with all kinds of poultry and makes Thanksgiving turkey stuffing taste like it does. A little goes a long way.

Basil. Basil pesto is a delicious topping for bruscetta or as a sauce for pasta. It's so easy to make. Fresh basil is also great in quick tomato sauces for pasta or as a topping on pizza.

I don't do much with tarragon.
 
Sage is really nice added to dishes when you pan fry the sage. A tomato-moz. panni with pan fried sage on top of the chees is lovely. French Tarragon has a licorice taste. A very nice way to use French Tarragon is to make a zucchini slaw:

Recipe Details
 
Tarragon is good with chicken, turkey, shrimp, salad dressings... Tarragon mayonnaise is good on sandwiches, etc.
Basil is great in pasta dishes, bruschetta, salads, soup...
Sage is good with roast chicken, turkey, pork...
 
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Tarragon is wonderful in any kind of sandwich salad. Tuna, egg, and chicken.

Sage as said before is what makes Thanksgiving stuffing taste right. Like Andy said don't overdo.

I love to make tea with fresh herbs. Basil is particularly delicious.

Did you plant some Thyme? Fresh is delicious in chicken broth. Snip the fronds and put them in whole then fish out the twigs and toss them.

Rosemary in the potato cooking water infuses the potatoes with flavor. Very aromatic.
 
tarragon and sage are also good on fish, especially in a marinade before grilling, or put in a foil pouch with the fish, or just a bit of fresh chopped over sauteed filets.
 
A classic dish prepared with sage is Saltimbocca (Saltimbocca - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). The traditional Saltimbocca is made with veal, but recently I've tried a version prepared with fish. It was also delicious.

Basil is one of my favorites herbs. It goes perfect with tomatoes, whether in a salad or in a sauce.
 
Wow, thank you everybody. Hopefully the hubby's up for some new things!
 
Each of those herbs you listed also go very well with other herbs and spices. For instance, combine basil with oregano, savory, garlic, thyme and rosemary to make tomato based sauce for pasta, or cabbage rolls. Combine those same herbs with ground beef, add in egg, bread crumbs, a little salt and pepper, and you have meat loaf or meat balls.

Combine sage, red pepper, black pepper, and salt to ground pork to make your own breakfast sausage. Or, use those same flavors to enhance gravies for a pork roast.

Put together mayonnaise, a little salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, garlic, and mix with just enough milk to make it creamy and you have home made ranch dressing for salads.

Mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, tarragon, and a touch of lemon juice make a wonderful tartar sauce for fish and seafood.

And just so you know, flavorings made from seeds, such as fennel, pepper, nutmeg, etc., are called spices. Flavorings made from the leaves and flowers of plants are called herbs.

As you play around with herbs and spices, you will begin to find all kinds of uses for them. They enhance everything from egg rolls to ice cream. They are great on veggies, meat, poultry, in savory and sweet sauces, in main courses, and in deserts, beverages, virtually anything you can put in your mouth and swallow.

Use flavorings such as liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, maggi, hot sauce, etc. as you would herbs and spices, to enhance the natural floavors of foods.

Tip: It is sometimes easier to place fresh herbs into a little muslin or cheesecloth bag so that after they have given their flavors to a soup, or sauce, it is easy to remove them. Tea bags are a classic use of this technique.

Tip 2: Go easy on adding herbs and spices (seasonings) to foods. Put a little in and let it cook for ten minutes or so. Taste the food. Add a little more if needed. And always remember, you can always add more, but once it's in the soup (or sauce, or desert cream, or whatever), you can't take it out.

I have destroyed what could have been very good food by adding to much of something. The delicious, but potent herb - cilantro - comes to mind.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
Thanks, GW for the tip about the difference between herbs and spices. I was wondering about that just this morning.
 
Just don't carry large quantities of sage around with you in plastic bags!:ohmy: You just might get arrested for possession.:angel:

Craig
 
Craig, You are too much! And Goodweed, you are much appreciated (as are all of you). I didn't know the difference between herbs and spices, so thank you for clearing that up. I guess I'm going to have to get into a routine of making dinners and other meals so I can actually use the goods growing in my garden!
Keep all of your suggestions coming, I love reading them and jotting them down.
 
Lots of good info. My favorite way to use Tarragon is in tar tar sauce. Goes well with battered fish. I use Sage mostly in sausage making. Its nice with pork in those little breakfast links or patties.
 
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While I grow both, don't use much sage except for the usual Thanksgiving stuffing & stuffing a handful into whole trout before grilling/broiling/pan-frying. As for Tarragon, it's a definite favorite here, & I add it to virtually everything - a handful inside a chicken for roasting, chopped into a sauce for poultry or seafood, & added to garlic mayonnaise to accompany chilled lobster &/or shrimp or added to my "Red, White, & Blue Potato Salad".

Caveat for both? They're both strong-flavored herbs, so start small & taste as you you go.
 
I like to marinade mild ocean fish such as pollock in a little lemon or lime (or both) mixed with water, a little tarragon and some dill weed. It's really good baked or grilled.

I love sage in rice dishes, especial brown and wild rice. It's also good cooked into vegetables such as rutabagas and celery. I also like to heat apple cider with sage and black pepper and use it to brush onto pork chops as they're cooking.
 
Butternut squash ravioli in a brown butter sage sauce.

Craig
 
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