Seasonal pantry: Herbs taste best in season

While shopping a few days ago, I saw something that troubled me: basil. Sad, limp basil with thick stems and enormous leaves that had already begun to wilt and blacken. Because it was packed in sealed hard plastic containers, it was impossible to catch its aroma, though I suspect it would not have been particularly pleasant.

Basil, grown out of season and nearing the end of its brief life, has an unpleasant stench evocative of decay. The same is often true of basil that has been cooked.

More than any other herb, basil is a creature of summer. As a colleague likes to say, it should not be planted until it is warm enough to lie on the ground outside, naked. I like to add that it should be retired in the fall when it is no longer warm enough for such an activity.

When basil is grown in a hot house, it loses its pristine texture and its flavors are out of balance. The same is true of many other foods, especially if they are grown hydroponically (in water, not soil.) Watercress and butter lettuce, along with basil, are particularly vulnerable.

My advice is to wait for local basil grown outdoors in good soil. Not only will it taste better; it will also satisfy in ways foods in their rightful season do.

In mid-spring, there are better options. Cilantro, which bolts in hot weather, is at a peak right now. Chervil is fading though there is still a bit of time to enjoy it, and tarragon, which become tough and slightly woody in hot weather, is nearing the end of its season, too.

“Oh really?” you say. Then why do we see all herbs year round in most stores?

The simple answer is because people buy them. We have been losing our sense of seasonal foods for quite some time, and most people, busy with work and taking care of their families and dealing with all the other challenges of modern life, don’t focus on what is in season when.

Tomatoes, watermelon, apricots, and, yes, basil are in stores year round or nearly so. Why not buy them?

The best answer is because they taste better and are more satisfying when grown in their own time, close to home, and offered in such a way that they thrive instead of wilt on a supermarket shelf.

My advice is to enjoy what is thriving in your herb garden now or what you find at our farmers markets. Basil will start appearing soon enough, probably by the end of May, and that will be the best time to begin eating your fill of pesto.

A word of caution is in order before we get to the recipe: A segment of the population finds cilantro deeply unpleasant, a reaction accounted for by chemicals that are strongest in the herb’s aroma. When the leaves are chopped or crushed, most the chemicals dissipate, though some people still find cilantro unpleasant.

That said, people who don’t have this reaction tend to love cilantro, often more than any other herb. When asked if there is a substitute, I always say “no.” You can use Italian parsley instead but it will produce entirely different results. That said, you can make an excellent sauce with fresh French sorrel and Italian parsley that is quite delicious.

Italian parsley is added to cilantro sauces and other sauces of fresh herbs to preserve the bright green color and prevent a sauce from turning a sickly greenish grey.

This is a basic sauce, one that can be enjoyed neat or used as a building block for other sauces. I find this particularly delicious drizzled over potato soup, potato-cheddar soup, and simple shell beans cooked until tender.

My Favorite Cilantro Sauce

3-4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

- Kosher salt

1 large bunch cilantro, leaves and small stems only, chopped

- Handful of Italian parsley leaves, chopped

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Put the garlic into a suribachi, sprinkle with salt and use a wooden pestle to crush and grind the garlic into a paste. Add the cilantro and parsley and pound it into the paste. Taste, correct for salt and mix in the olive oil.

Suggestion Uses & Variations:

Spoon over grilled eggplant and top with a dollop of whole milk yogurt.

Spoon over Spanish rice or paella. It may not be traditional but it is delicious.

Put 2 ripe (but not mushy) avocados, peeled and pitted, and 1 serrano, stemmed and chopped, into a food processor, season with salt and add about 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Pulse into quite smooth. If the mixture seems too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water. Fold the mixture into the cilantro sauce, correct for salt and acid, and use in tacos, cheese enchiladas and burritos. It is also delicious drizzled over cottage cheese for a quick, delicious lunch.

Add about 6 ounces of crumbled feta cheese to the sauce and toss with small seed-shaped pasta. Top with seared ahi tuna drizzled with the sauce.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date, including “The Good Cook’s Book of Salt & Pepper.” Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com