What is laurel leaf?
Laurel leaves are extracted from laurel trees native to the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. They are now produced in France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, China and Mexico, but at present the biggest export comes from Turkey. There are two kinds of laurel leaves on the market, fresh and dried. The former has a sweet aroma similar to licorice, and the latter becomes quite rich after dehydration.
Cooking method of laurel leaf
Laurel leaves are mostly used for making soup, stewing and smoking, mostly stews. They are very suitable for cooking with meat, seafood and vegetables. Cooked for a long time, they will add a refreshing sweetness. For example, laurel leaves will be added to German pig's trotters to help remove the meat flavor.
Although laurel leaf is a western-style spice, it can't be missing in the table gravy. With cinnamon, star anise, licorice and other spices, it is the basis of delicious essence of all kinds of gravy. Brine chicken and other lightly seasoned gravy can also use bay leaves to make the meat more delicious. Do you think Stu seems to be missing? Try cooking another laurel leaf next time, it will make the finished product richer and more delicious!
In addition to stewing directly in the pot, the aroma of cinnamon leaves is also very suitable for preparing materials in advance to remove the fishy smell of meat and organs. Adding rice wine (white wine), ginger and laurel leaves to water and blanching fresh meat can effectively remove odor and improve sweetness.
How to use laurel leaves?
The fragrance of laurel leaves is very heavy. It is recommended to put only 1 ~ 2 tablets at a time to avoid masking the fragrance of other ingredients. When cooking, you can tear the whole leaf slightly from the gap and put it directly into the pot to stew with the ingredients; In addition, stir-fry in a dry pan or bake in an oven, and it will taste better when cooked until the aroma is baked!
Because the fiber of laurel leaves is thick, spicy and bitter, laurel leaves are only used for seasoning and should not be eaten directly. Usually, they will be picked up and discarded after stewing. It is suggested that laurel leaves and stems can be tied together with other herbs, or put in gauze and cooked in a pot. You can pick them up easily after cooking. There are also chopped or ground laurel leaves on the market, which can release fragrance better than leaves, eliminating the step of removal!
Preservation method of laurel leaves
Like other dried spices, dried bay leaves should be packed in sealed containers and kept in a cool and dry place. A better way is to put the laurel leaves in a sealed fresh-keeping bag for freezing preservation, which can not only retain the flavor, but also keep the fresh-keeping period longer! Fresh bay leaves also need to be wrapped tightly in sealed bags and stored in the refrigerator between fruits and vegetables, which can keep fresh for about a week.