We needed some Herbes de Provence for a recipe that’s coming up, but we didn’t have any in the house. Well, we never do, actually, as it isn’t any specific blend of herbs at all; instead, it’s just a mix of common herbs that grow in Provence. To us, that means that we’re free to make up anything we want; well, almost anything, so we came up with this recipe. We guess this should really be called Herbes de Tucson.
Since we just made it up, you can use it as is, or you can change the amounts, or you can make up your own. The last is probably the best choice, as that will make your food uniquely yours, and that’s the idea of scratchin’.
Herbes De Provence
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried lavender buds
Instructions
- In a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle, grind rosemary and fennel seeds. Mix with remaining ingredients and store in an airtight container.
Ingredients in detail:
Strictly speaking, the herbs you use should be of the type grown in Provence, things like rosemary, thyme, savory, sage, etc., but it’s up to you.
Procedure in detail:
Grind tough herbs. We don’t want anyone getting a rosemary leaf stabbed into his or her gum, nor crunching down on a fennel seed, so, whatever herbs you use, we suggest that you grind up those that could make a dining experience something to remember (but not in a good way). We use a little coffee grinder for our spices, but a mortar and pestle will work, too.
Add remaining herbs. You don’t want to grind up all the herbs, just those tough ones, so add the soft friendly herbs now.
Stir and store. Stir everything together and pack into an airtight container and store with the rest of your spices.
Easy as can be, right? Plus, you can make it exactly the way you want it. We guess that everyone who reads this post will give up buying those pre-mixed Herbes de Provence. At least we hope so (secretly we doubt it, though).