How to Use Bay Leaf in Cooking
Bay leaves come from the laurel trees native to the Mediterranean region. Romans and Greeks used laurel wreaths to honor scholars, poets and victors. However, today the most common use of bay leaf is in cooking. You can learn to use bay leaf in a variety of ways to enhance the flavor of many dishes with these tips. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Prepare a bouquet garni to add more flavor to stews, soups and bean dishes. Use a piece of cheesecloth and add bay leaves and other herbs like thyme and oregano, then gather the cheesecloth and tie it. Place this bundle into soup stock or other dishes and remove when ready to serve your dish.
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2
Create your own spice blend by adding bay leaves. Grind bay leaves and add to other herbs, spices or seasonings of your choice. Store in a glass bottle or jar.
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3
Make shish kabobs with bay leaves and meat, seafood or vegetables. Place a piece of marinated (meat, seafood or vegetables) on a skewer then follow with a bay leaf and continue to alternate between these until the skewer is full. Place the shish kabobs on the grill and cook.
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4
Flavor your favorite rice pilaf dish with bay leaves. Place bay leaves in a saucepan with olive oil and cook until leaves are brown. Then continue to cook the rice pilaf with the ingredients you normally use (see Resources). Discard the bay leaves when you are ready to serve the dish.
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5
Use bay leaves to add flavor to boiling water for crab, shrimp and other seafood.
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6
Add bay leaves to wine poaching liquids for fruits such as pears. Bosc pears are good to use for poaching. Remove the bay leaves when the fruit is ready for serving.
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Marinate meat or seafood by using a combination of bay leaves, lime and lemon juice, mince garlic, salt and pepper. Combine the ingredients and place meat chunks or seafood into the mixture and refrigerate for at least an hour. Then cook or grill the meat or seafood.
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