Savory, the International Herb Association’s herb of the year, is a cooking herb that’s around year-round.
There are two popular species in its genus Satureja and their combined season extends from early spring into summer and fall and straight through all the snowy months.
At the start of the cycle is summer savory or S. hortensis, a spindly annual herb with dainty lavender-pink flowers. All the while, the perennial winter savory or S. montana grows in the garden as a low, bushy evergreen that sprouts tiny white blossoms in midsummer. Winter savory is almost twice as potent as the summer species. But both provide thyme-like pow with a rosemary underglow and peppery bite, which are reasons enough for savory to be proclaimed the official herb of 2015.
Savory is generally thought of as the bean herb; and Germans come right out with it, naming the plant bohnenkraut. This is not just because savory’s flavor complements all the legumes, fresh and dried: lima beans, navy beans, peas, lentils. It’s also because it helps prevent flatulence, making it nature’s answer to Beano.
“The leaves also ease colic and feelings of fullness,” according to Jekka McVicar, dubbed The Herb Queen by Jamie Oliver.
I can’t say how a colicky baby feels about savory-infused milk, but a cup of savory tea is comforting after overeating supper.
“New tip growth provides the most flavorful leaves for recipes and can be used from early spring until late fall,” writes Queen Jekka in “The Complete Herb Book.” She notes that savory flowers have a strong flavor as well, and can be served with cheese, plums and pears, and in salads. With its peppery flavor and use as a salt substitute, savory becomes an all-in-one condiment.
In addition to beans, savory, particularly winter savory, adds bang to sausages, rich meaty stews and stuffings. It’s used to flavor cooking oil, liqueurs, vinegars and salad dressings, and usually is part of Herbes de Provence mixes. The ancient Romans prized honey from the herb and used savory as an aphrodisiac.
Just remember that, like all its minty cousins, this is a potent herb to be added sparingly.
Nancy Hanst: nhanst@zoominternet.net.
■
WARM SALAD OF SAVORY BEANS
PG tested
4 ounces dry cannellini beans (or any medium-sized light-colored beans)
Salt, divided
8 ounces shelled broad beans (fresh or frozen favas or baby limas)
8 ounces green beans in 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 shallots, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1½ tablespoons fresh savory, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 sprig savory to garnish
In a large saucepan, soak cannellini beans for 2 to 3 hours. Drain them and add fresh cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt, then cook for a further 15 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, cook the other 2 beans in separate saucepans in slightly salted boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes or until just tender, then drain.
Heat oil in a frypan, add shallots and fry golden. Stir in garlic and savory and fry for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Drain cannellini and turn into a warmed serving dish. Stir in other beans, season with pepper, salt if needed. Add shallots and parsley; stir well to mix. Garnish.
-- “The Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices, and Flavourings” by Arabella Boxer, Jocasta Innes, Charlotte Parry-Crooke and Lewis Esson (Crescent Books, 1984)
■
SAVORY POTATO GRATIN
PG tested
2 pounds Yukon gold or russet potatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup coarsely chopped summer savory (or 2 tablespoons chopped winter savory)
1 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese
3/4 cup whole milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel, rinse and thinly slice potatoes (easily done on a mandoline).
Smear butter on the bottom and sides of a 10-inch glass pie plate or baking dish. Arrange ⅓ of potatoes in concentric circles over the bottom of the dish; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, ⅓ of both the shallots and the savory. Repeat this arrangement twice. Pour milk over the top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until deeply browned all over. Serve in wedges from the dish or let the gratin cool and slide it onto a plate.
Serves 6.
-- “The Herbal Kitchen, Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor” by Jerry Traunfeld (Morrow, 2005)
First Published: July 15, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
