WHB #109: The victor of the stew
When we first purchased our bay leaf plant from a favourite local nursery (now sadly defunct), the lady behind the counter warned that they were very slow growing plants and needed plenty of water. I’m not entirely sure why she felt fit to caution and almost deter us from trying to buy the plant – are there such things as instant gratification herbs? I was prepared in any case – my mom has a beautiful potted bay leaf in her garden, and I wanted one too!
Our scawny little plant did seem to take light years to inch it’s way up. For at least the first six months, I was convinced it was in some sort of hibernation and was so fragile and lacking in leaves that it could keel over at any moment. We’ve had it for more than a year now, and thankfully it’s grown to at least three times it’s original height – and thriving, despite the odds – including a recent dehydrative two and a half weeks while we were away on holiday and accidentally gave the wrong key to the friend who was going to do the watering.
The bay leaf or laurel plant, is a herb that’s definitely worth having growing in your backyard or on the balcony. Unlike some herbs like thyme that don’t lose too much in the translation when dried, the scent of a fresh bay leaf is vastly superior to it’s dried form. My first introduction to bay leaves were in cooking classes at Tafe. We scattered these ancient dried, discoloured and broken leaves into almost everything savoury we cooked – tomato sauces, bechamels, soups, stews, stocks – and I never understood what all the fuss was about. All I knew was that we used it rather robotically, under the watchful eye of the chef. Making a stock? Make sure you add a bouquet garni; a little bundle of flavourings including peppercorns, parsley stalks and the ever present dried bay leaf, all of which was sometimes held together by a strip of leek.
I finally laid my hands on a sprig of fresh (or at least fresher) leaves when I started working at a little cafe that prided itself on using quality ingredients. We had branches of the stuff hanging upside down in the shed out the back. The leaves were a beautiful dark green and when you bent a leaf in half and brought it up to your nose, the most amazing herbal smell greeted you. I love bay leaf in creme brulees and ice cream (bay leaf ice-cream is phenomenal with blueberries).
Out of habit, I also still occasionally use them in stews, like the Tomato, Chorizo and Chickpea Stew I cooked today for dinner. Because it’s a lazy weekend, there really is no need to be scrupulously following recipes or measuring quantities. Instead what you need to do is first peel yourself off the couch, meander into the kitchen and find a decent sized pot. My basic stew usually involves things I have readily around – onions, garlic, carrot are diced and sweated off in a pot, sometimes with some bacon, but in this case sliced chorizo, then a splash of verjuice or wine, a bay leaf or two and some tinned tomatoes (this time, organic). Bring to a boil, then simmer until reduced and slightly thickened. Season to taste and enjoy in the company of others.
Detractors may say that it’s getting a bit warm of weather to be having a hot and hearty dish. To them, I lazily raise my middle finger and help myself to another spoonful of this spicy, fragrant stew…. followed by a decent serve of ice-cream for dessert to cool down! 🙂
This week’s WHB is hosted by Vanessa from What Geeks Eat. If not to check out the roundup for herb inspired recipes, you should at least pop over to her site to gaze and a sigh at her Grilled Chocolate Sandwiches or even the Cream Cheese and Chocolate Cupcakes.
Kalyn said,
November 19, 2007 @ 12:24 pm
That’s just the way I make stew as well. I remember when I first smelled fresh bay leaves how they did smell so great. I don’t know if I could grow them here, they would have to be inside for at least 6 months of the year. Might be worth a try though.
cathy x. said,
November 21, 2007 @ 12:38 am
ooh bay creme brulee sounds interesting! i get to make rosemary and citrus brulees at my new work! i had forgotten how much fun pastry can be 😛
Y said,
November 21, 2007 @ 8:16 pm
Kalyn: Considering how lovely the leaves could potentially smell indoors, it doesn’t sound like all that bad an idea to have them inside for most of the year!
Cathy: Ooh new work! Tell all! 🙂
cathy x. said,
November 21, 2007 @ 11:46 pm
hehe 😛 well the place has only been open for about a month now but it’s doing alright. it’s in kirribilli and it’s called Catalonia and it’s run by tom from victoria rooms and brian from salt yard (did you go there when you were in london?), not forgetting to mention really fun and professional bar and floor staff poached from longrain and bodega (the runners don’t have much experience though) we do ‘modern spanish tapas’ my favourite dishes are the stuffed zucchini flowers with blue cheese and orange honey, waygu meatballs with caramelised peaches, pan-fried scallops with truffle mash & sofrito dressing , grilled watermelon with cured duck & balsamic reduction, and the cava granita with peaches macerated in pernod and lavender ice cream. i don’t think the website is up yet and the last time i checked there was only one review on eatability by someone who must have consumed one too many cocktails on the night because they couldn’t even manage to spell tapas correctly. on the upside, gourmet traveller photographers came by yesterday morning for a shoot and some guy from ‘time out’ (if i remember correctly.. i’ve never even heard of it to be honest) was here this afternoon. anyway here’s a link so some of my photos from the first tasting. the presentation has changed quite a bit, only the pequillo peppers really look the same but you can get a rough idea of the things we do.
http://www0.fotolog.com/all_photos.html?user=freefromnetting&year=2007&month=10&day=1&view=month