Fifteen Easy Herbs for Eating. No. 1 Cilantro

Want to grow your own culinary herbs? Want to taste fresh flavors both familiar and exotic? In this series we will explore the easiest, most common herbs that you can grow for your kitchen adventures. We won’t have to agree on pronunciation of the “H” in herb, or the “U” in culinary. Our focus is on flavor, and just as we get pleasure from cooking our own foods, we also get much satisfaction from growing our own herbs, and the best part is: It’s easy! No kidding!
We treat herb gardening as a fun, easy way to grow a few good herbs with maximum success and usefulness. The terms “cultivation” and “usage” are not to be found here. The Barefoot Baker (BB) keeps it simple with “How to grow it” and “How to eat it.”

The growing guide is notable for its omissions: no technical jargon about soil pH, no detailed plant descriptions, nothing on insect prevention or exact fertilizer requirements. That’s an advantage to the easy herbs—the requirements are not ironclad. Herbs are easy to grow, and you don’t need to take lessons, you don’t need circular brick pathways, Tuscan urns and teakwood benches in an herb garden. The BB offers basic instructions regarding starting from plants or seed, sun and water needs, basic organic soil amendments, and harvest tips.

There is nothing here about medicinal herbs or witchcraft; it’s all about culinary herbs. So each herb discussion ends with a favorite easy recipe.

No. 1 Cilantro, aka Coriander
First up is the herb of the moment: cilantro. Americans have recently acquired the taste for the unique flavor that was hard for many to accept when it was first introduced to our palates about 20 years ago. But it has been in use in European and Eastern cultures for thousands of years. It’s still hard to describe the flavor—is it smoky? tangy? bitter? lemon/sage flavor? You either like cilantro or you hate it, but if you like it, you’ll be glad to know that it is easy to grow.

How to grow it:
The plant is called Coriandrum, the fresh green leaves are called cilantro, and the seeds are the spice called coriander. This annual (it grows one season and then dies—seeds have to be replanted every year) is a great cold weather herb. Pick a sunny spot, with fertile soil that won’t get a chance to dry out, but will not remain soggy after a rain, either. Don’t use artificial fertilizers on herbs; the flavors will be best if you rely on compost or well-rotted manure dug into the soil. Plant coriander seeds directly in the ground in early spring when you can scratch the soil surface & push them in, even though it’s still too cold outside to sit in the shade with a glass of iced tea. If you allow the seeds to mature on the plant, when they have turned from green to brown, pull the plant, shake the seeds into the just loosened soil, and grow a second crop for fall. It’s that easy!

How to eat it:
Pinch off the leaves as you need them to top tacos and Asian dishes. The early, large leaves have the strongest flavor. As the flowers begin to bloom, more delicate leaves appear, with milder flavor. But the flowers will ripen into dry brown coriander seeds, which have a totally different flavor, and they will bite back in soups, curry mixes and cakes. Who doesn’t love an herb or spice that bites back?! Cilantro is a key ingredient in Mexican, Indian, Moroccan, and Thai dishes. It makes salsas sing; it causes a stir in stir-fry. (Use the leaves when fresh, because they lose flavor quickly after harvest.)
Next time: Dill, the first herb created.

Singing Salsa
Whether you burst into an operatic aria or “The Mexican Hat Dance,” you’ll be glad you dipped your chip into this spicy salsa!
1 (or 2 if you dare) whole jalapeno chile peppers
2 cups diced tomatoes, with juices
1/2 cup minced sweet onion
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wearing protective gloves, remove the stems from the jalapenos, and mince them finely; don’t bother to remove the seeds. Combine with the remaining ingredients, and blend well. Chill at least one hour before serving with tortilla chips. Makes about 3 cups.

Dukka
Serve this Egyptian snack with drinks. Dip chunks of French bread first into olive oil, then press into the nutty spice mixture. (Kids like to do this, too.)
1/2 cup hazlenut kernels
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons sea salt

Warm a frying pan over medium heat. Toast the nuts until the skins blacken and the peels can be rubbed and blown away. After the nuts cool, chop them coarsely; set aside in a bowl. Reduce heat to low and lightly toast the sesame seeds in the pan, until golden. Add the seeds to the bowl. Warm the coriander and cumin seeds in the frying pan over low heat until they are fragrant. Put the toasted coriander and cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle with the black peppercorns, and crush them coarsely. Add to the bowl of nuts and seeds, along with the sea salt, and mix well. Stored airtight, Dukka will keep for several weeks.