Make the most of roasts and sauces with thyme - The Best from Greece

Posted on: 10/Jun/2011 The oldest-known therapeutic herb also works miracles in the kitchen

One of the oldest therapeutic herbs, used by humankind since prehistoric times, thyme was first used for its medicinal purposes before being appreciated for its culinary virtues.
It cleans the intestines and prevents gas as well as having antiseptic properties.
As a hot beverage prepared with honey and lemon, it helps fight off colds and is a relaxant when used in bathwater. Its active agent, thymol, is an essential oil.
Fresh thyme leaves can be used instead of basil to make a pesto sauce, while its flowers are good on roasts and salads along with rock salt.
If you have a thyme plant in a pot, collect its flowers in the spring. Otherwise look for them in spice shops – in bunches with the flowers still on them rather than crushed.
Thyme goes well with olives, fish, white meat, legumes and vegetables. Paired with lemon or vinegar and garlic with oil or butter, it can be used in many hearty ways in the kitchen.
With fresh thyme, you can crush the leaves, flowers and tender tips in a blender with butter and rock salt. Wrap the mixture in plastic wrap, shape into a cylinder and freeze. Cut pieces off as needed to flavor roast meat and casseroles. A lighter version can also be made with olive oil.
Dried thyme can be found in supermarkets, spice shops and organic food shops. Pots of fresh thyme are also sold in plant nurseries, at stores on Socratous Street and occasionally in the larger supermarkets.
Buy a pot from a plant nursery and it can last for years on your balcony. Alternatively, take a cutting from a thyme bush in the spring or fall. It needs very little water or fertilizer.

RECIPE

Chicken or pork with garlic, honey and thyme
Ingredients (serves 6)
For the sauce:
1 tsp dried or 2 tsp fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp thyme honey
For the meat:
1 chicken, cut in pieces or
1.5 kg pork, cut in large pieces
1 large onion, cut in rings
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
2 glasses white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
If you are using chicken that is very fatty, boil it first and keep the bones and broth to use for a soup.
Saute the meat in the olive oil, then remove from the frying pan and saute the onions. Put the pan aside to be used later.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
For the sauce, blend the thyme (if dried, soaked in a little water first, which you can also add to the mix), garlic, salt, pepper, honey and oil.
Place the meat on a grill over a baking dish with a little water in it (which you will need to top up) so that the juices don’t burn the pan. Brush the meat with the thyme mixture and grill in the oven for 45 minutes if using chicken or half an hour if using pork. Pour the juice from the pan into the frying pan with the onions, add the wine and season to taste. Continue to grill until all the meat is caramelized and then add the parsley at the end.
Serve with mashed potatoes and grilled tomatoes.

By Alexandros Yiotis

www.ekathimerini.com

 

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