Coriander.

This is a Herb which is not liked by everyone. For some reasons which are due to genetic, some people find Coriander also called Cilantro to have a soapy taste. The Herb does look like flat Parsley, this is because it is related to Parsley but also Celery and Carrots.

 Celery Soup with Celery Leaves as decoration where you can see that they have a similar appearance as the ones of Coriander and of Parsley.

Coriander is used mainly with Asian dishes and American dishes, especially from Mexico to South America. If we go all Tutti Quanti and use fully Coriander as an ingredient, there are a lots of things which you can do with this Herb to give more flavour to many dishes.

  Coriander compliments a lot of dishes.

Let us give you a little idea of the scope that Herb has: I will start with Breakfast. Can you imagine a Muffin in the Morning full of Zing? Lime Juice, Lime Zest, chopped Stem Ginger and chopped Coriander Muffin will make you start your day. Prepare the Muffins on a Sunday for another Manic Monday... (Follow the link below for a taste of the Eighties)

Manic Monday from the Bangles.

You can have a very healthy Brunch with a Salad made of Coriander, Avocadoes, Sweetcorn, Cherry Tomatoes and chopped Chillies with a light dressing made of Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar. You can add more green leaves like Spinach.

 Scoop the Avocadoes into chunks or quarter them to have a neat finish.

Coriander can be used also to enhance dips and sauces. You can make a Pesto with it which can be used upon grilled or barbecued Sweetcorn Cobs. As my BBQ suffered in a storm and I can't use it any longer I do my Sweetcorn Cobs 'en Papillote' in the oven, but I never forget to put salted Butter, a sprinkle of Paprika, but also some chopped Coriander in that little parcel of goodness.  

Cobs and Coriander Pesto.

One more thing is that Coriander can easily be grown upon a window sill in a pot, in a balcony herb pot or in the Garden. It is less fussy than Parsley to keep and grow. 

Coriander Seeds are also to be considered as much as the Herb. For they bring the next generation of the Herb...