In the Nick of Thyme

Although all herbs taste freshest when added at or near the end of cooking, thyme is fairly hardy and can withstand extended cooking. Sometimes the leaves are chopped and added while other times the cook will add whole sprigs of thyme and retrieve the stems before serving.

Although fresh is always best, thyme is one of the few herbs that is palatable in dried form. Like all dried herbs and spices, store in a cool dark place for no more than six months.

Thyme is one of the ingredients in the classic "bouquet garni," a tied batch of thyme, parsley, and bay leaves. The bundle is then used to flavor stocks, soups, stews, etc. Thyme is also one of the "herbes de Provence," an assortment of herbs indigenous to the Provence region of France.

Thyme can be used to make an herb infused oil. Take a bottle of olive oil and stick sprigs of thyme and other herbs if you wish, through the top. Allow it to rest for a week and it will have a wonderful herb scent. Use it in salad dressings or to coat or sauté other herb flavored foods.

Try this for homemade croutons. Cut up a loaf of French or Italian bread into cubes. Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a preheated skillet. Add garlic and a batch of untrimmed thyme.

Sauté for a few minutes until the oil becomes fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic. Remove the thyme and garlic; add the croutons, salt and pepper, and sauté until crisp, periodically stirring to evenly coat the croutons in the oil.

For a tasty variation on marinara sauce, sauté garlic and a batch of thyme in olive oil just like for the croutons. Add a pinch of hot pepper flakes if you like.

Remove the thyme and garlic, add red wine, bring to a boil and then simmer until the wine is reduced by at least half. Then add your tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer to the desired consistency.

Thyme works well with all meats but I particularly like it with red meat. I almost always coat any type of roast I make with either fresh or dried thyme.

I wouldn't think of making roast beef, pot roast, beef stew, or osso buco without thyme. I also use it on steaks and chops as in the below recipe for lamb, which in my opinion, has the best affinity for thyme.

LAMB CHOPS WITH THYME & RED WINE

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