Aromatic herbs, a precious help in the kitchen to make our dishes even tastier. But do you know what are the best combinations to enhance the natural taste of food?   Aromatic herbs, such as spices, should always be present in our home: in the pantry in the dry variant, in the garden or balcony in the form of seedlings of different varieties so as to guarantee us at all times and in the right season of fresh leaves. Plants like basil, rosemary, parsley, mint, etc. besides being good they offer us a not indifferent advantage, that of aromatizing the dishes in a completely natural way. In this way, we could even manage to avoid excessive use of salt, a much less healthy condiment. Let’s find out the 3 best aromatic herbs and the right way to combine them with food and vegetables.

Basil

In Mediterranean cuisine, basil is one of the most loved and appreciated herbs, the undisputed star of the summer. Everyone knows that goes perfectly with the tomato, both to prepare sauces and pasta in salads. The basil is actually suitable for flavoring practically all summer vegetables: aubergines, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini but also other vegetables such as fennels and potatoes. Also excellent on tofu, you can, in fact, prepare this food at home by inserting minced basil leaves inside. You can add fresh and chopped but also dry soups and velvety. It is impossible not to mention pesto and therefore the combination of basil with pasta, rice, lasagnas, bread, canapés, etc.   This aromatic herb begins to be increasingly used also for flavoring fruit. If you want to try this original combination, you can put a few basil leaves on a salad of strawberries, raspberries or other berries.

Parsley

Parsley is probably the most versatile aromatic herb in the kitchen. It is not by chance that it is said to be “like parsley”, that is to say, to be everywhere. In fact, this herb can be used on vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, fish, meat, etc. It is also suitable for flavoring legumes, especially chickpeas. It is not by chance that this herb is used in the hummus recipe to give more flavor together with garlic.

It goes very well with various vegetables and tubers including cauliflower, cucumber, potatoes, peppers, and zucchini. Also, you can use it in extracts or centrifuges of fruit and vegetables, we suggest for example to try it in combination with apple and carrot.

You can then use it together with the basil to prepare an original homemade pesto. The parsley is finally perfect to give that extra touch to rice salads and cold pasta.

Mint

The characteristic fresh taste of mint makes it an aromatic herb perfect to be included in savory recipes, desserts but also to prepare drinks. As for vegetables, mint goes well with the sweetest ones: carrots, squash, and potatoes, but it can also be added to a nice salad composed for example of lettuce, rocket, tomatoes, basil and cucumber. Excellent also with legumes, such as chickpeas and beans to be seasoned only with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and some mint leaves. It also goes very well with fruit, try for example to add some mint leaves to your summer fruit salads. Classic mint and chocolate, you can try for example hot chocolate flavored with mint, mint and chocolate ice cream or mint chocolates.