You don’t need a garden to grow your favourite herbs. These three indoor plants can give anyone green thumbs and are packed with flavour to spice up any dish.  

Parsley

Whether you like curly leaves or flat leaves, parsley is a great addition to any herb garden. Indoor care is easy. Find a sunny spot close to a window, keep the soil lightly moist and make sure to empty the pot’s saucer after watering to prevent the roots from sitting in water. Parsley, with its slightly peppery flavour, is delicious chopped as a garnish, in soups and in pesto, and you can even make creamy parsley butter.

Recipes to make with parsley:

Tomato soup with anchovy-butter toast 

Walnut parsley and sundried tomato babka

Butternut and goat’s milk cheese pasta

Chives

Your thriving indoor chives will easily leave you feeling chuffed. This grass-like herb with a delicious onion-like flavour is one of the easiest plants to grow. Find a spot that gets about six hours of sunlight a day and water when the topsoil feels dry to the touch. “Harvest leaves by cutting stems near the base, allowing the plant to produce new growth,” says Sally McCabe, associate director of community education for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Chives give a beautiful boost of flavour to scrambled eggs, quiches and pasta dishes.

Recipes to make with chives: 

Chicken, corn and chive mini quiches

Pasta puttanesca

Savoury cheesy muffins with Peppadew, tomato and feta

Mint

Unlike chives and parsley, mint doesn’t like direct sunlight. This refreshing herb with a menthol-like flavour should be planted in its own container due to its invasive nature. Keep the soil moist (not wet) at all times for it to grow at its best. Regularly pinch off leaves or stems to encourage new growth. Mint comes in common varieties like peppermint, spearmint and even chocolate mint, perfect for veggie pastas, dressings, desserts and refreshing drinks.

Recipes to make with mint:

Watermelon mojitos

Pink lemonade and mint sorbet

Steak and pear salad with home-made mint dressing

Image: Shutterstock

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Eating in the great outdoors is being reinvented with the help of Marina Filippelli’s picnic survival guide, Foolproof Picnic. The golden rule? It’s as simple, or as demanding, as you make it. 

Walnut, parsley and sundried tomato babka  

Makes 1 loaf

Babka is a sweet braided bread but with this recipe, it’s been given a more savoury spin. If you’ve never made it before, find a video tutorial online for confidence. Or, shape it into rolls.  

Ingredients 

For the dough

350g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting 
7g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast 
220ml tepid water 
2 tsp runny honey 
1 tsp salt, plus extra to scatter on top 
Olive oil, for greasing and brushing  

For the filling 

40g walnuts, finely chopped
15g fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped 
40g sundried tomatoes, chopped into small pieces 
2 garlic cloves, crushed 
½ tsp fennel seeds 
3 Tbsp olive oil 

Method 

1. Line a 1.2 litre, about 20cm x 10cm, loaf tin (pan) with baking paper. 
2. Combine flour, yeast, water and honey in a large bowl. 
3. Work mixture together with a spatula or your hands to form a so dough with no pockets of flour. Cover with a large plate or dish towel and set aside for 30 minutes. 
4. Sprinkle in salt and use your hands to work it into dough. 
5. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1½ hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
6. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the filling and set aside. 
7. Gently tip dough onto a work surface. Roll it out into a rectangle that’s about 20cm x 30cm in size. 
8. Spread filling over the surface of dough. Starting with a long edge, tightly roll the rectangle to make a long log and lay it seam-side-down on the work surface. 
9. Using a large sharp knife, cut the dough lengthways down the centre, leaving the halves attached at one end by about 3cm. 
10. Lift the length over the right length, then continue to twist the 2 lengths around each other until they are intertwined all the way to the bottom, into a two-pronged plait (braid), showing the filling on top. 
11. Pinch the ends together to seal. Try not to pull at the lengths as you twist them, to prevent lengthening them too much. Gently li the babka into the lined loaf tin and cover with a clean dish towel. Leave to prove for 1 hour. 
12. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan). 
13. Brush the loaves with olive oil, scatter with a little salt and bake for 35–40 minutes until golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack, then wrap in baking paper 6and secure it with string.

Recipe: Marina Filippelli (Foolproof Picnic)

Photography: Supplied

Also read: 6 tips to pack your picnic basket like a pro

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A saucy chicken main is always a winner! This mustardy chicken and chopped parsley pairs deliciously with a side salad or some roast veggies.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 15 min

INGREDIENTS
4 chicken breasts
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, grated
4 tbsp mustard
½ cup water
Handful parsley

METHOD
1. Cut the breasts into long strips. Brush the chicken with half the oil and fry in a griddle pan for 2 min a side.
2. Heat oil in another pan and fry onions until golden.
3. Add the mustard, water and chicken to the onions and cook for 5 minutes, until sauce has thickened.
4. To serve, place on a platter and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

The post This mustardy chicken will be your new favourite main appeared first on MyKitchen.

Still deciding what to serve your guests this holiday season? Galbani fresh mozzarella with gremolata on a fresh baguette is the ultimate appetizer that is sure to go down a treat!

The post Galbani fresh mozzarella with gremolata appeared first on MyKitchen.

Big on flavour and easy to grow at home, say ‘yes!’ to fresh herbs.

Mint
This refreshing herb thrives in summer and loves lots of water, so grow it close to a tap.
USE IN salads, cocktails and desserts

Thyme
These tiny leaves give big flavour. Strip them from the stalks by running them between your fingers.
USE IN chicken dishes, especially stuffing for roasts

Chives
A perennial (it lives for years) that repels insects, it’s handy for controlling garden pests. A mainstay
of French cooking.
USE IN fish and potato dishes

Sage
A multitalented herb with medicinal and culinary uses. Its peppery flavour is particularly popular in British cuisine.
USE IN roast chicken and pasta sauces

Origanum
Whether upright or creeping (it can make an excellent ground cover), the robust leaves impart a deep flavour to sauces. Also known as ‘oregano’.
USE IN Italian-style dishes, especially in pizza sauce

Parsley
This all-purpose herb brings freshness and vibrancy to any dish. The flat-leaf (aka Italian) variety is stronger tasting and easier to clean than the curly type.
USE IN soups, salads, sauces – and garlic butter!

Basil
Sweet basil is a bright, fresh-tasting annual at its best in spring and summer. The hardier perennial basil has smaller leaves with a woodier texture and a less pungent flavour.
USE IN tomato sauces and pesto

Coriander
Also called ‘dhania’ and ‘cilantro’, its broad leaves and soft stems are packed with flavour.
It loses pungency when cooked, so add it towards the end, or as a garnish.
USE IN curries, stir-fries and Mexican dishes

Dill
The feathery leaves lend a delicate flavour to most food, and give pickles their characteristic taste.
USE IN fish dishes and with soft cheeses

Rosemary
A tall, hardy plant that grows well all year. The leaves are full of flavour and the branches make great braai skewers.
USE IN lamb dishes and roast potatoes

The post Basic herbs 101 appeared first on MyKitchen.