By Kathryn van
Marjoram is one of the most versatile herbs in the spice rack. Its tangy-sweet leaves go well with any kind of meat, poultry or fish. It also goes well with most vegetables, is tasty with egg dishes and adds depth to many sweet dishes, allowing it to carry over from breakfast to lunch to dinner to dessert without breaking a sweat.
There are two main types of marjoram: Sweet marjoram and wild marjoram, which is commonly called oregano. Both have a pleasant tangy scent when fresh and a deeper spicy scent when dried. Sweet marjoram is – of course – sweeter and has a more delicate flavor. The fresh leaves can be tossed in a salad or chopped and stirred into melted butter to be served with fish or artichokes. It is also found in the traditional recipes for Christmas goose, wild pigeon and duck. Oregano has a stronger taste that pairs well with tomatoes holds its own against garlic, making it perfect for tomato sauces and pizzas. It is great with stronger meats like venison, mutton or rabbit and is perfect with just about any kind of cheese. Both varieties add life to a pot roast or chicken dish when added in the last 10 minutes or so of cooking.
Like most herbs, marjoram loves alkali soil and doesn’t mind if you forget to water it every once and a while, making it a perfect addition a Southwest garden. Unlike most other herbs, however, it actually has a stronger flavor when grown in rich soil instead of poor so you will need to mix in some compost to keep it happy. You will be rewarded with lovely white, purple or pink flowers and a multitude of tender green leaves that smell heavenly when warmed by the sun. Pick the leaves and flowers as you need them for recipes or harvest the top two-thirds of the plant just before the flowers open and dry or freeze the leaves for later.
Potted Pigeons
This is a traditional recipe – meaning who knows where it originally came from and who wrote it. It is found in a multitude of old cookbooks, including one found in my grandma’s attic.
Pick, soak and boil the birds with the same care as for roasting. Make a crust as for chicken pie; lay the birds in whole, and season with pepper, salt, bits of butter, and a little sweet marjoram; flour them thickly; then strain the water in which they were boiled, and fill up the vessel two-thirds full with it; cover with the crust; cut hole in the center. Bake one hour and a half.
My translation:
First, I don’t usually have pigeons on hand so I use Cornish hens. Also, this recipe uses pie crust to seal in the moisture while the birds are cooking. I omit the crust and instead use a ceramic covered baking dish.
Clean the birds and pat them dry. Dredge the birds in flour and lay them in an unglazed ceramic baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, top with several pats of butter and sprinkle with crushed sweet marjoram. Pour chicken broth over the top until the dish is two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours or until the juices run clear from the thickest part of the thigh.
Oregano Tomatoes
This side dish is easy and delicious. What could be better?
4 large tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
1 clove of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Cut the tomatoes in half and place in a shallow baking dish cut-side up. Beat the butter with the oregano, garlic, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Spread some of the mixture on the cut side of each tomato. Broil the tomatoes for about 5 minutes or until the topping is just turning golden brown. Serves 4.
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