Which Herbs Go With Which Foods?

I was browsing through some of my cookbooks when I ran across The Con-
gressional Club Cookbook, copyrighted 1961. The book is from my mother's cookbook collection. The foreword is from Jacqueline Kennedy -- kind of neat, isn't it?

It is fun to read old cookbooks which offer all kinds of advice from cookery terms, to protocols, to herb usage, to recipes for removing stains and for making ink and for making lye soap. One old cookbook -- not the Congressional Club Cookbook, of course -- has a section entitled "Sum Old Cures."

The more we learn about herbs the more we realize their health benefits. I use a few herbs on my own and when listed in recipes but am quite hesitant to branch out without specific directions. It is time to change that. So, here is a chart from the The Congressional Club Cookbook, and even though this is a 1961 edition, the information is still good:

Basil with: tomato, fish and egg dishes, in ground meats, with calves' liver and fricassees of poultry, in salad dressing, spaghetti, eggplant, peas, beans, turnips and onions.

Caraway with: cottage cheese, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, sauerkraut, turnips, in vegetable stock, breads, appetizers with or without cheese.

Chives with: all onion-seasoned recipes, as a substitute. Add just before serving. (I sauteed chives like chopped onions and always wondered why my dish looked so crummy.)

Dill with: shrimp, fish sauces, potato salad, beans or cucumbers with sour cream, pickles. Use either green or seed.

Oregano with: lamb, all fowl, stuffings, lentils, broccoli, spaghetti, and hot Mexican dishes.

Rosemary with: soups, spinach souffle, roast beef, pork, veal and chicken stews, peas.

Sage with: salt fish, pork dishes, stuffings for goose, poultry, or duck, in cream or cottage cheese. Use sparingly in all instances.

Sweet Marjoram with: omelets, eggs and cream cheese, chopped meats and sausages, roast chicken, lamb, pork, spinach, squash, tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, cabbage, slaw, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, green salads.

Tarragon with: fish, chicken, egg and tomato dishes, cream or butter sauces, salad dressings, ham, boiled meats, mushrooms, peas, pot greens, cabbage, celery root, in green salads and aspics.

Thyme with: cheeses, aspics, onions, clam chowders, sparingly with chopped meats, stews, fricassees, stuffings, peas, carrots, and onions.

Make a copy of this chart for quick reference when cooking. Who knows, we might become world-class cooks after a little more experience cooking with herbs . . . hmmm, at least our families might think so. lol

Until next time, God bless.