18. THE WINDOW BOX
Herbs are tasty, vibrant and good for us. Each herb performs a role or two. Basil, for instance, aids sleep. Our medieval ancestors were obsessed with herbs, and turned to them frequently. Remember, disease and illness were common and doctors and physicians might have been a day’s journey away. The subject was covered in a publication, The Grete Herball, in which the author felt compelled through brotherly love to show how man may be ‘helped with green herbs of the garden and weeds of the fields’.
To ensure domestic harmony, mugwort was placed under the front door ‘whereby man nor woman can annoy this house’. To create happiness: ‘Take four leaves and four roots of verbena in wine, then sprinkle the wine all about the house where the eating is and they shall all be merry.’ And wet.
Coriander is an ancient herb that has been in cultivation for at least 3,000 years. The Romans introduced it to Britain but the Romans were nothing compared to Delia Smith who, in the mid-1980s, used it in a few recipes and – hey presto! – every home cook became obsessed with the herb.
Many believe that the manna in the Old Testament is coriander seed: ‘When the children of Israel were returning to their homeland from slavery in Egypt, they ate manna in the wilderness.’ It is still one of the traditional bitter herbs to be eaten at Passover. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) has many common names throughout the world: Chinese parsley, yuen sai, pak chee, fragrant green, dhania pattar, and so on. It is used to treat loss of appetite and is good for the digestive system. In fact, it stimulates the appetite by aiding the secretion of gastric juices.
The leaves are perfect in salads, spicy dishes, salsas and with meat, poultry and fish. The seeds can be heated or toasted – grind and use in curry pastes.
Coriander, cooking with it and the cure for colic by Manpreet Singh Ahuja
By way of introduction, Manpreet Singh Ahuja is head chef at Chor Bizarre, the well-established Indian restaurant in Mayfair. One day we met to discuss life and he veered onto the far more important issue of coriander.
Coriander is not only loved by gourmets: I’d also advise parents of babies to stock up on it. I keep the herb in my fridge, and when my one-year-old son, Sehej, is suffering from colic or indigestion, I add some coriander to boiled water, let it cool and and then give it to him. Ten minutes later my little boy is completely recovered; the crying has ceased.
For centuries coriander has been used as a genuine (rather than alcoholic) digestif, but what of it as an ingredient? I love it because it brings a cooling, refreshing quality to a dish. A lot of people in Europe find its flavour rather repulsive. But once you have become accustomed to coriander you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Coriander is a major ingredient in the cuisines of India, Thailand and Vietnam, and Mexicans love it in guacamole.
When I was a child growing up in India, I used to go with my grandmother to the vegetable market. At each vegetable stall, as the tomatoes, courgettes or okra were being put into her bag, my grandmother would ask the vendor, ‘Can you please pop some coriander into the bag?’ And that’s how she ended up with free herbs.
On our walk home, I would take a few leaves of the coriander and munch away. When I started cooking, I found to my delight it was an ingredient that can be used in almost anything and everything. It does not take away – by which I mean it does not mask the flavours of other herbs – but only adds to a dish.
Coriander is part of the carrot family and is available in two forms. One is the seed of the flower. The other is the leaf. Both are very different in flavour. Seeds cannot substitute leaves and vice versa.
As far as seeds are concerned, when they are crushed they have an undertone of orange peel and lemon. Like most of the spices used in Indian cuisine, it is a slightly bitter undertone, which is lost during the cooking process. Crushed seeds will also thicken a sauce.
As far as the leaves are concerned, they are bitter and fragrant. If they are added at the beginning of cooking, the sharp flavour subsides.
Here is a very simple but delicious soup. Place chopped fresh tomatoes and coriander (including the root) in a saucepan, season with salt and pepper, cover with cold water and bring to the boil before simmering slowly. The result is a thin broth which is highly aromatic. If you want it slightly spicy then add a teaspoon of red chilli powder (or chopped green chillies). If you want to make more of a meal of it, then put in some chicken pieces and cook them with the soup.
There is also a delicious vegetarian dish, based on the avial, a dish that is much loved in South India and which involves steaming vegetables.
Coriander is also lovely with fish. Combine fresh coriander, coriander seeds and desiccated coconut and use the mixture as a coating for cod. Grill the cod and serve it with the yoghurt sauce that I mentioned above (to complement the fish, you can cook onions and tomatoes in the sauce).
I make a good chutney by mixing coriander with some mint (these two herbs make a fragrant and aromatic combination), green chilli and yoghurt. It is that simple – you don’t have to wait for a pickling process. Spread it on bread, or serve it with tomatoes and cheese.
I should make a couple of important points. Firstly, don’t ever chop coriander before washing it. If you have bought a bunch of coriander, get it home, steep it in cold water to get rid of the dirt, drain well in a colander and then chop it. To store it, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. But ideally, fresh coriander should be used quickly. The seeds should be kept in a dark, cool place and used within six months.
If you are cooking curries, add leaves and roots at the end to retain their fragrance. (The roots, which contain the maximum flavour and are extremely aromatic, should also be used rather than discarded.) And think of coriander as the cooling agent. Chillies, cloves, cinnamon – using too much of these ingredients will have a drastic effect on the dish. But a bit more coriander is not going to harm you. In fact, I have never come across anyone who has an allergy to coriander. What does that tell me? Whatever you do with it, coriander is safe.
Does coriander reduce flatulence?
This is true: coriander is known for sorting out flatulence – while raw onions encourage flatulence. This vulgar subject brings to mind the great wisdom of Charles Elmé Francatelli (not merely a Victorian chef but also chef to Queen Victoria, no less). I am thinking of his recipe entitled ‘A simple remedy against wind on the stomach’. It is simple: ‘A few drops (say four) of essence of peppermint on a lump of sugar.’
On finding snails in your window box
You must eat them. Why not?
If you enjoy snails in posh restaurants then you pay the price – they are imported from France, where they go by the more exotic name of escargots, and are expensive. At the time of writing, diners at La Brasserie in Chelsea can order six escargots in their shells, baked in the oven with garlic and parsley butter, and the treat will cost ten pounds and eighty pence.
There was a time in France when snails were considered a pest and young children were paid by wine producers to scour vineyards and collect the slimy hermaphrodites. Then they shot – at a surprisingly fast speed for snails – to the top of the gourmet’s list. They became fashionable to eat. So much so that the Commerce of Dijon asked that the snails be considered as game – with a close season like gamey game.
In your garden, snails are free, very fresh and probably better than French snails. There’s no waiter to tip.
There are some 1,600 varieties of snail around the world, but they flourish best near lime and chalk: lime forms their shell. The garden snail, Helix aspersa, which came to Britain with the Romans, is the one most cultivated for gourmet food and is known as petit gris. You’ll find it in your garden.
You can’t always eat garden snails immediately. It’s best to ensure that any toxins they may have consumed are first purged from their systems. Here’s what to do:
When it is time to cook them:
Slugs: prepare in the same way as snails.
‘It is what we do at Clos Maggiore with every dish. It’s about giving maximum flavours in our food, seasoning, attention and care, as much as we can. We want the people to taste all the hard work and pleasure we have invested in order to cook their meal. We want them to remember it for the right reasons. It can be a fragrant San Marzano tomato salad with basil, olive oil, capers, aged balsamic vinegar with burrata. Or a slow-cooked beef short rib, which takes many hours of attention and meticulous care for robust and intense flavours. In both cases, love is about respecting the produce, great cooking and seasoning to only one goal: pleasing our guests and making them remember how food should taste. When we achieve this, this is mission accomplished. Food with no love and soul is boring and tasteless.’
—Marcellin Marc, Clos Maggiore (voted London’s Most Romantic Restaurant, Harden’s Guide 2014)