What Do You Season With Rosemary?

Rosemary has a strong, zesty, spicy aroma and can be used fresh or dried in cooking. Dried rosemary tastes a little less smoky, but has a slightly resinous aroma. Rosemary is mainly used for warm, cooked dishes. It is then flavored very intensively because it only develops its full aroma under heat.

Process fresh rosemary by chopping its needles or crushing them with a mortar. Alternatively, you can also cook whole branches and remove them from the dish at the end. The herb should only be used sparingly, especially in dried form, such as rubbed rosemary. Otherwise, the intensive aroma can mask the natural aroma of the food.

• Potatoes: The combination of rosemary with potatoes is particularly well known and widespread in this country. Fried potatoes, for example, get a strong flavor in this way. Potato wedges from the oven can also be spread with a mixture of olive oil and chopped rosemary before baking to give them a spicy aroma. The same applies to other delicacies from the oven such as pizza or focaccia with olives.
• Dishes based on tomatoes: Tomatoes and rosemary harmonize very well in terms of taste. Accordingly, the spice is ideal for refining tomato sauces or soups. For example, the French classic ratatouille is refined with rosemary, among other things. Tomato sauces for pasta or other dishes can also be flavored with rosemary. Onions, garlic, and thyme are also suitable as supplements. Because thyme and rosemary are very dominant, you should give one of the two spices the aromatic priority.
• Meat: The taste of different types of meat can be complemented with rosemary. Steak, for example, can be fried in a pan with a sprig of rosemary added – this way the seasoning is slowly released into the meat during cooking. You can also add a whole sprig to stews with meat, which you remove before serving. In principle, rosemary also complements the taste of all light meats excellently. Poultry, for example, can be marinated with rosemary and other spices and olive oil before baking.
• Oil: Rosemary can also be used to refine the taste of various vegetable oils. For this, you put a rather neutral oil (rapeseed oil or olive oil) together with a few sprigs of rosemary in a glass jar. You can find out more about this in our rosemary oil recipe. The oil can now be used for salad dressings. If you want to use the oil for frying, make sure that it is heat-resistant. Over time, it takes on the aroma of rosemary more and more.