Fresh Rosemary?!


Question: I experimented with baking a lamb dish. It ended up turning out all wrong for a couple of reasons. First I bought a cheap cut that was 95% fat and bone. The other reason, I didn't like the taste or texture of the rosemary.

I got the fresh branches and it smelled great but it tasted bitter and had the texture of soggy pine needles. So my question is, are you supposed to leave the leaves on the branch and throw out the herb when your done? I stripped them off and put them in the meal. Was this wrong?


Answers: I experimented with baking a lamb dish. It ended up turning out all wrong for a couple of reasons. First I bought a cheap cut that was 95% fat and bone. The other reason, I didn't like the taste or texture of the rosemary.

I got the fresh branches and it smelled great but it tasted bitter and had the texture of soggy pine needles. So my question is, are you supposed to leave the leaves on the branch and throw out the herb when your done? I stripped them off and put them in the meal. Was this wrong?

the first guy on here is wrong... dried herbs are more potent than fresh.. so always use less dried.

rosemary is an herb that is to used in small quantities because it can over power a dish.. it has a woodsy and lemony scent and this can sometimes ruin the dish.
if the rosemary was a little burnt or not in a moist area.. such as in the meat or in a marinate.. it can get bitter. next time, put it in a marinate, just a few..off the branch.. or to be safe.. tuck the entire branch under the meat or in case of chicken, in the chicken iteself.. that way, your food will have the aroma of the herb and it wont get burnt and over power the dish.. then discard before serving.

sometimes it best to marinate with rosemary branch and all and then remove from the marinade before cooking.

You are supposed to grind it to powder actually. There's a rule with fresh to dried herbs, it's a three to one rule. I forget which way, I think that fresh herbs are 3x more potent, would make more sense.

rosemary has a tendency to taste soapy if you use to much. you leave the needles off the branch and throw the branch out. you then just cut the pieces of rosemary into smaller pieces. with fresh herbs a little can go a long way.

When i use fresh rosemary i chop it before putting it into dishes. I'm not sure why it got soggy, if you would like i have also put it in a mortal/pestle before adding it.

I usually chop up the leaves and use them that way in a slow cooking method.

I also put it in the blender with lemon and olive oil to make a marinade.

Take the stems and use them for skewers with marinated chicken or shrimp.

Lastly, once you strip the stems, freeze them and add to stock and soups.

Well, one other thought. Since your dish did not turn out to what you expected, you could convert it. Prepare some dry beans, soak and cook for about 90 minutyes. Add your lamb bones and meat and cook a little more, say 30 minutes. Then add some barley and yuo have a good soup.

as far the use of the rosemary you can strip them off or put the stem and all in (the leaflets will fall off during cooking, then just remove stem)....sounds like you just don't care for rosemary....maybe substitute another herb that you do like next time.....................

You have to use rosemary sparringly and lamb tends to be a bit greasy so it is difficult one to cook .

You typically strip them and rub them on the surface of the lamb. Sometimes I'll leave one whole for a garnish. I can't say what you did wrong, unless you just don't like it. I personally wouldn't have lamb without rosemary, garlic and olive oil.

Baking lamb:
take the fresh rosemary and take it off of the branch. You might want to chop the leaves up a bit, but grinding isn't nesecarry. Grinding is for goats. mix it with some olive oil and coat the lamb with it and crushed garlic. then you can slow cook it or bbq it or somethig.

If something is fresh and not processed it is going to be stronger.

you probably used too much. it is a strong herb...I use it sparingly.

I take my finger nails and strip the little needles of the stem, them run a knife through it. But, if I want to take it out later, like you, I have left it all in one piece and removed it before I ate it.

Fresh rosemary is extremely strong (and tough to chew), so unless you plan on removing the sprig at some point in your cooking, it can be disastrous (I've been there too). You can, however, make a simple marinade for chicken using fresh rosemary; this is one way I ended up using a bunch of extra wild rosemary, without having to go through the trouble of drying/storing it for later.

1/3 - 1/2 c. green olive oil
1/3 - 1/2 c. lemon juice (fresh squeezed is preferable)
salt and white pepper
5 - 6 cloves of garlic, finely diced with a little salt
5 - 10 sprigs of rosemary (snip branches to 6")

Marinate chicken in glass bowl/pyrex with above ingredients for at least one hour before cooking over a grill or on the stovetop (place in a nonstick pan with a spoon of the marinade, cover and cook over medium until meat juices run clear). Garnish with sprig of rosemary and lemon slices.

Bon appetit!

Yes, definitely too much. :) But if you were doing a sauce with the lamb, a sachet would be optimal for the rosemary taste without the pine needle-y texture.





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