Adding Fresh Herbal Flavors to Your Slow Cooking

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

Fresh herbs are a wonderful way to add flavor to any dish. There is nothing better than growing your own herb garden in the warmer months, so you can add home grown herbs to your cooking at a moment’s notice. And when you consider the prices in the grocery store, the price of one herb plant that will keep giving and giving is comparable to the price of a bunch of basil or a plastic package of thyme that you will only be able to use once. So if, like me, you love to cook with fresh herbs, then it really makes sense to try your hand at planting your own.

Each year in the past I had diligently planted a little container herb garden with basil, thyme, and rosemary and placed it on my back patio. But my postage stamp sized city garden was too shaded to maintain most herbs except for the hardiest mint, so by midsummer my crop had usually failed me.

Now that I have moved and I have my own little sunny patch to grow herbs, I planted six or seven different varieties (parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, basil, lavender and cilantro too), and am hoping to have more success this year. I have been reveling in their fragrance and they are a welcome addition to my cooking.

One of my favorite herbs in the summer is basil. There are so many different varieties from sweet to purple to Thai, and it is a very important herb to the cooking of Italy and Southeast Asia. My crop is doing so well that I may be able to harvest some and save it for later use.

An easy way to do this is to make basil cubes for the freezer. Gather as many leaves as you can, wash and dry them thoroughly, and pulse in the food processor with a little olive oil until coarsely chopped. You can then freeze basil cubes right in the ice cube tray (making one ounce portions) or whatever sized container you would like. The individual basil cubes can be popped out of the tray into a Ziploc bag, and then you will have fresh basil cubes to add to your cooking at a moment's notice. You can repeat this procedure with many of the other leafy fresh herbs, such as mint or oregano.

When it comes to slow cooking, the best time to add fresh herbs is usually at the end of cooking. If you are making something like a big batch of tomato sauce and have a bumper crop of basil and oregano, stir in a few basil cubes or freshly chopped leaves in the last few moments of cooking. You will be thrilled with the fresh flavor that herbs impart to your slow cooking.

Another way I love to use fresh basil or basil cubes is in a bowl of garden fresh minestrone soup. You can simmer this garden fresh mix of vegetables all day in your slow cooker. When you are ready to eat, simply drop a bit of chopped basil mixed with olive oil (or frozen cube) into each bowl of soup, top with fresh grated parmesan cheese, and serve with a loaf of crusty bread for an easy and thoroughly satisfying summer meal.

So add the fresh flavors of summer to your slow cooking today with some hand picked herbs!

Serves/Makes: 8

• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 4 cups diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1 cup diced yellow squash
• 1 cup sliced green beans
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cup uncooked rotini or macaroni pasta

***Garnish***

• basil pesto
• fresh grated Parmesan cheese