Bay leaves - a wonderful addition to the soup, the sauce or stew stew

Bay leaves are a wonderful addition to any soup, sauce, stew or casserole. I met some recipes that require fresh bay leaves and keep the old dried bay leaves are a shadow of their cousins freshly dried. But some say that the fresh leaves are very soft and not develop their full flavor until several weeks after harvest and drying.

Bay leaves are a cornerstone of good cooking and used for long slow cooking. They are used alone or as part of a bouquet garni with the thyme and parsley to flavor stocks and soups, sauces, soups, stews and pickling salt lakes. Because the paper is tough stems are usually removed before eating. If eaten whole, bay leaves are pointed and have a sharp, bitter taste. Like many spices and flavorings that are the smell of the leaf more sensitive than the taste of cooked foods. Once dried, the fragrance is light and flowers like oregano and thyme.

Tear or crushed bay leaves to release volatile oils before adding your kitchen. Several family members of the laurel are toxic to humans. Their visual similarity with bay leaves led to the conviction that bay leaves should be removed from food after cooking because they are toxic. It is not true - Bay leaves safe to eat.

Widely used in Italy to flavor meat dishes, fried chicken, broth, stews, soups, fish, etc., these leaves are also perfect for spaghetti sauce. Break a leaf and adding your favorite recipes for the marinade. In fact, they are very versatile, ranging from meat and fish to pasta and soups.

Heres one of my favorite recipes where laurel leaves combine with lemon for a perfect complement Wolf.

Spigola al forno con Limone e foglie di Alloro (baked sea bass with lemon and bay leaves)

Ingredients
100 ml (4 oz) olive oil
2 large Spanish onions, sliced
450 grams (sixteen ounces) tomato baby grated ripe plums
3 bay leaves, coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 bars, each 450g about (1 pound), cleaned, and cleaned the scale. (Get your fishmonger to do
2) lemons, cut into small pieces
1 small bunch parsley, stems trimmed and reserved 200ml (8 oz) white wine

Directions

Preheat the oven first at
200 ° C / 390 ° F / Sixth second gas Heat olive oil 3 tablespoons in a skillet, add onion and fry until golden and soft.

3. Pour cooked onions into a large baking tray and scatter over the tomatoes and leaves of laurel. Season with pepper and sea.

4. With a sharp knife, cut 3 slashes diagonally on each side of the bars. Stuff each fish with rods of lemon and parsley in the cavity of fish. Place the fish over the onions and tomatoes.

5. Sprinkle fish with remaining olive oil and white wine and season well with salt.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, basting frequently. Seven. Serve in baking dish, dotted with leaves of flat leaf parsley. This dish goes well with cooked potatoes and garlic mayonnaise.