The summer season brings with it a breath of fresh new air, a promise of delicious seasonal eating, and the anticipation of garden-grown delights. We envision fresh food, seasoned to perfection with homegrown herbs; from garden-fresh salads to herb-rubbed meats on the grill, the possibilities of a new season are endless.

By Jessica Maillet

Traditional regional cuisine’s true essence lies in the herbs. Utilizing herbs in the cooking process is advantageous due to the natural essential oils that give them their characteristic aromas and flavors. Herbs compliment dishes and impart distinct flavors that enhance the dish’s complexity and reduce the need for other flavor enhancers like salt. Herbs are most often paired with foods naturally in season and locally grown herbs reflect the region’s unique culinary character.

Dante de Magistris, chef and owner of dante in Cambridge and Il Casale in Belmont says that his use of herbs depends on the particular flavor and dimension he is seeking for a dish. The versatility of herbs can provide a deep, complex flavor — as in a stock — but can just as well be added during the last stages for a fresh, strong and uncomplicated finish. In the case of basil, consider its role in the popular dish Insalata Caprese from the region of Campania, Italy. Caprese is a salad made of garden-fresh, thick, meaty slices of tomatoes, layered with fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese and delicate basil leaves. This is the quintessential late summer salad, featuring local produce and a peak season herb in its freshest and most potent form.

De Magistris utilizes a variety of herbs in his Amalfi Coast-inspired dishes. While chef de Magistris traveled this region of southern Italy, he discovered a variety of oreganos that infuse the native cuisine, and have inspired his menus back home. “In southern Italy, in an area near Naples, oregano and marjoram grow wild. You can smell it just by walking through. Many people associate marjoram with the French, but it grows wildly all along the Amalfi Coast and is integral to the regional cuisine,” says de Magistris.

This herb impressed de Magistris so much that he uses homegrown and dried Sicilian oregano in the pomodoro bruschetta at Il Casale and dante. Oregano, often recognized by its pleasantly pungent and spicy profile is a wildly popular herb common to Italian cuisine. Italian oregano, also known as origanum xmajoricum is a hybrid, and blends the spiciness of oregano with the smooth sweetness of marjoram. When preparing turkey or leg of lamb, Italian oregano is often combined with shallots, onions and garlic underneath the meat.

Like pairing wine with food, using herbs that complement particular foods is essential to maximizing flavors. Like Italian oregano, sage appears frequently in Italian cuisine and is often paired with grilled meats. An herb rub of grinded sea salt, sage, rosemary, lemon zest and garlic is a popular addition to the seasonally available, charcoal-grilled meats served at de Magistris’ Il Casale.

Intense flavor is not the only reason to infuse herbs during the culinary process. Herbs are often touted as a “friend of the physicians and the praise of the cooks.” Indeed, modern studies have shown that some herbs possess a powerful antioxidant capacity. Antioxidants, in general, are compounds that can protect your body’s cells from free radicals, the substances that are responsible for a host of diseases including cancer and heart disease.

A meeting abstract published in a 2007 science journal showed that popular Italian herbs (i.e. oregano, garlic, Italian seasoning) had the highest antioxidant capacity when compared to other herbs less common to Italian cuisine (i.e. ginger, lemon grass, cilantro). The researchers compared fresh, dried, and paste preparations for each of the herbs; the antioxidant capacity for the herb blend paste was highest compared to the fresh or dry for many of the herbs; however, for oregano, the antioxidant capacity remained just as strong when comparing the fresh preparation to the herb paste. A similar study showed that Italian oregano, while widely known for its strong and unmistakable flavor and aroma it imparts, also has an antioxidant capacity similar to that of vitamin E, a widely-known and extensively used antioxidant.

Another herb popular in Italian cuisine that wields an impressive nutritional profile is flat-leaf parsley, or Italian parsley, also known as prezzemolo. The “cilantro of Italy” not only performs as a garnish, but stars in dishes like penne arrabiata as a refreshing element that contributes a “new dimension of flavor,” says de Magistris. In Italian cuisine, Italian parsley is used over curly parsley, as its culinary attributes of taste, freshness and its crispness are superior. This legendary herb had a reputation in Greek mythology of being “evil” and “a sign of Satan.” Parsley has an exceptionally long germination time, and Greeks imagined that the seeds traveled to hell and back before they sprouted. Today, parsley is heralded as a nutritional powerhouse that is chock full of vitamin K, vitamin A and vitamin C.

While herbs have the potential to improve our health, they are enjoyed because of the flavor and taste that they bring to our cuisine. When using herbs in traditional regional dishes, “nothing should overpower what the true essence of the dish is supposed to be,” says Chef de Magistris.

To improve both your health and your dinner, set up some windowsill pots this summer and watch the flavors grow!