They sit in a jar on your shelf, getting little love. They may appear in a recipe or two throughout the year, and sometimes you remember to fish them out of whatever you're cooking before serving. Otherwise, it's either you, or your mother-in-law who ends up biting into that leathery, bitter leaf.
But bay leaves are your friend. They can really enhance a dish if you know how to deal with them. They come in two varieties: Turkish and California. The Turkish are more subtle in both color and flavor than their California counterparts which are bright green and fragrant.
Traditionally, bay leaves are used to augment flavors in Mediterranean, French, Moroccan, and Turkish dishes and in spice blends such as bouquet garni and curry blends. Bay leaves are sold in whole or powdered form. The whole leaves are the ones you add to a soup or stew when it is first beginning to cook (and removed at the end.) The powdered form is a nice addition to a spice rub for meat and fish.
I find that my bay leaves, when stored in an airtight container away from the sun last quite a while. Many, such as the companies who sell spices, will tell you to replace your stock after a year, but I think there's a little bit of marketing in statements like that. If they are still aromatic (in a good way), go ahead and use them. Experiment. Makes friends.
SK or anyone know about laurel, the type that is in France?
It's very similar to bay, or perhaps even the same thing.
I was wondering if I could find it here in NYC, and what plant I would actually be looking for . . .
I'm thinking about an actual plant as well as dried leaves.
bay and laurel are the same thing. in this hemisphere i know they grow in tropical areas (i'm pretty sure my folks have one outside their house, and they live in the caribbean). fresh bay smells divine. i haven't tried to cook with it yet, though.
Bay trees have an incredible smell, just a hint of earthy green musk that slightly scents the air.
You can get a big (I mean, *big*) bag of fragrant bay leaves at Patel Bros. on 74th St. in Jackson Heights for $2. Their spice offerings are amazing.
yes yes! fresh bay. I'm in Chicago but a couple years ago I bought a bay\laurel plant at a local nursery. I put it inside in the winter and out on the porch in the summer and cook with it all the time.
Bays are very tough. Here in Portland mine lives outside all year round. guido, you want laurus nobilis. It's a wonderful plant to grow, easy, tough and good looking. And you'll have more bay leaves then you can ever use.
http://www.monrovia.com/PlantInf.nsf/269905a1fb059eb48825683c0080938a/867bb79e78ba69bf8825684d0071bfeb!OpenDocument
regards,
trillium