Bay Leaf/Laurel

Bay leaf is an herb that imparts a good flavor for any cooking especially European cuisine. I use it practically for all my Spanish style recipes like adobo, menudo, afritada and much more.

I want to use it so much I bought a small plant and it is taller now. I actually pruned it already so it would be only 5 ft. tall in accordance with our rules in the community garden. The part I pruned I dried so I have freshly dried leaves ready to use in my cooking.

Bouquet Garni includes bay leaf, thyme and parsley, but sometimes includes sage, rosemary and tarragon. Bouquet garni is a term used using a bundle of herbs either tied or placed in a cheesecloth sachet and used as part of the cooking method and then being removed afterwards.

I did not see a bay leaf tree when I was growing up in the Philippines so I was happy to grow it myself here in Hawaii. I remember just buying the dried bay leaves in the stores and sometimes it includes kanela or cinnamon sticks, cloves or star anise and some peppercorns. We use that combination in our famous recipe “Estofado”, a dish which is mainly prepared during Fiesta and other special occasions.

Similar Posts

  • Flat Leaf Parsley

    Flat Leaf Parsley is more commonly known as Italian Parsley. It is also one of my favorite herb that I use in cooking pasta just like the Sweet Basil. They are very good to use together especially in making pesto and also in almost all pastas and most Italian food recipes. I make sure I…

  • Laurel/ Bay Leaf

    Laurel or Bay Leaf is an important spice I use in my recipes. I have to buy a small seedling from a nursery for this one because obviously it won’t have seeds and I know it would take a long time for me to even try to grow it from cuttings. I just have to…

  • Spearmint

    Spearmint is the most commonly used type in the family of mint. They refer to it as mint in recipes like the Vietnamese summer rolls or in the cocktail drinks like mojito. There are other varieties like peppermint, pineapple mint and chocolate mint. I just like to have them in the garden to use as…

  • |

    Lavender Field

    This is a picture of the lavender field in Maui I took sometime ago when I attended the wedding of my nephew in Lahaina. It was the perfect opportunity for me to be close to my favorite herb of all, the lavender. Lavender is the most popular herb I know. Not only the flowers smell…

  • Fennel

    Fennel is a perennial herb which belongs to the umbelliferae family which includes dill, celery, cilantro and parsley. Umbelliferae refers to how the flowers are formed. Used in ancient times as a treatment for arthritis and nausea, and as a sedative. It is also one of the three main herbs in making the alcoholic drink…

  • Oregano

    Oregano is an herb that is mostly used in Italian cooking like pizza and pasta. I grow up using dried oregano for meat dishes along with other spices like bay leaf and safflower. I have never seen fresh oregano then. When I started gardening, I tried to look for all culinary herbs I can find….