The Complete Idiot's Guide to Juicing - Ellen Brown [17]
Oregano. This herb, popular in Mediterranean cooking, is a member of the mint family but is also related to both thyme and marjoram. It adds a pungent aroma and almost spicy flavor to juices.
Parsley. Long before any other herbs began appearing in produce sections, cooks could always find a bunch of fresh-tasting parsley. In addition to using it in cooking, parsley’s probably the most ubiquitous garnish in the country if not on the planet.
Rosemary. Rosemary is another mint family cousin, and its long, bright green needles convey the aroma of pine with a slight flavor of lemon. It’s native to the Mediterranean region and is used in many European cuisines.
Juicy Jive
While there are more than 30 types of parsley, he most common ones are curly and Italian flat-leaf. Most cooks prefer the latter because it is more strongly flavored, but either can be used. Until a few years ago flat-leaf parsley was harder to find, but all supermarkets now carry both.
Tarragon. Tarragon is one of the stalwarts of classic French cooking. It has a pungent anise aroma and flavor that blends very well with grassy vegetables like celery and asparagus.
Great Garnishes
You might think it’s crazy to garnish a juice. After all, you’ve already got a glass of a food with a delicious taste and (most of the time) a vivid color.
But occasionally you might have a few extra minutes and want to make the juice more special. Or maybe it’s a special occasion and you want to elicit a “Wow!” when you serve the frosty glasses. Whatever your reason, garnish away! I’ve annotated each recipe with a suggested garnish, but you can ignore those suggestions and add any of these:
Fruit kebabs. Kebabs are the no-brainer of garnishes. Reserve some of the fruit used in the juice and thread bite-size pieces onto a toothpick or a little plastic sword that doubles as a toothpick. For a fancier look, use a few different types of fruit.
Strawberry “fans.” Reserve the large strawberries from your box for the garnish before you purée the rest. Rinse the berries, but do not remove the green cap. Using a sharp paring knife, make five or six cuts through the berry, starting at the cap. Transfer the strawberry to a plate, and gently push apart the slices to form a fan.
Wrong Spin!
Herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme are not appropriate for garnishes because the stems are too woody. Pull the leaves off the stems of all these herbs before using.
Herb sprigs. Any delicate herb, such as parsley, cilantro, mint, or dill, makes a pretty and edible garnish. Rinse the sprig, and tuck it on the side of the glass.
Culinary Creations
It’s always nice to know that a piece of kitchen equipment can do double duty, and that’s the case with juicers and blenders. While intended for drinks to quaff immediately, they can be useful in other ways.
You’ll find criteria for selecting and using both juicers and blenders in Chapter 1 of this book. This section is intended to give you reasons to keep them on the counter.
Smooth Sailing
The basic difference between a juice and a smoothie is the texture. Smoothies are always thick because some of the ingredients are frozen.
It’s easy to turn a juice into a smoothie by taking some of the juice and freezing it in ice cube trays. The proportion should be about half and half frozen and chilled. Then place the juice in a blender and turn it on high. In about 30 seconds you’ll have a thick, frosty juice drink. But don’t use ice cubes made from water or it will dilute the juice too much.
Freezing does lessen some of the nutrients culled from the juice ingredients, but most of them are preserved.
Great Granitas
To make a smoothie, freeze only half of the juice, but if you take the process further, the juice can become a granita. Serve these ices in myriad ways. Place a dollop on top of a chilled summer soup, serve it as a palate cleanser