Is seasoning a crutch?

For most of my life I had a love affair with salt. Regardless of
vegetable or meat I immediately salted and salted heavily. Until of
recent years I have 'come off' the salt addiction.

Which got me thinking about how much seasoning is acceptable and doesn't
take away from the flavor of the meat I'm Q'n.

Are we overloading our Q to the point of losing out on the natural
flavor of the meat?

Is the current trend of blazing hot additions so hot that you couldn't
tell what it was you were eating?

Is the mega seasoning trend to do with the fact that most of the meat is
now soaked in water and or frozen which breaks the cells down and water
loss occurs, compared to a freshly butchered meat?

I'm on a mission to try to find a meat source for my Q where the meat is
never frozen nor soaked in so called broth or water. I have a theory
that fresh meat if cooked well, will end up with a natural concentration
of salt from the water evaporation.

Don't get me wrong, I do like and think there is a place for seasoning
of meat, such as garlic, onion, rosemary, etc.. but it seems we
culturally have a gross affinity for salt and pepper.

What do you think or have you tried already to reduce the amount of
seasonings?

I have heard suggestions here in the past of minimal seasoning for Q and
I'm going to try a few cuts of meat without any seasonings at all so I
can 'remember' what pure meat tastes like and build from there.

Regards,
Mike

--
piedmont, The Practical BBQ'r

http://sites.google.com/site/thepracticalbbqr/

piedmont wrote:
> What do you think or have you tried already to reduce the amount of
> seasonings?

I don't really consider a lot of seasonings a crutch, but I do feel that too
many seasonings, especially on pork, overwhelm the natural flavor of the
meat. I still put on a small amount of rub sometimes (salt, pepper, paprika,
garlic powder, onion powder), but mostly I just use a little kosher salt and
fresh ground pepper these days... Then again, I've only been doing this now
for a couple of years. :-)

OT: Yesterday I tried some BBQ at a local place that I'd seen, but not been
to. Their sides were pretty good, but my BBQ is *way* better than theirs:

http://www.reveriebbq.com/

I'll give them a try on a different day and a different time, maybe I just
hit them on a bad day...It wasn't bad, just more that it was "ho hum",
almost like it was designed to be a vehicle for their sauce.

--Brett

piedmont wrote:
>
> Is seasoning a crutch?
>
> For most of my life I had a love affair with salt. Regardless of
> vegetable or meat I immediately salted and salted heavily. Until of
> recent years I have 'come off' the salt addiction.
>
> Which got me thinking about how much seasoning is acceptable and doesn't
> take away from the flavor of the meat I'm Q'n.
>
> Are we overloading our Q to the point of losing out on the natural
> flavor of the meat?
>
> Is the current trend of blazing hot additions so hot that you couldn't
> tell what it was you were eating?
>
> Is the mega seasoning trend to do with the fact that most of the meat is
> now soaked in water and or frozen which breaks the cells down and water
> loss occurs, compared to a freshly butchered meat?
>
> I'm on a mission to try to find a meat source for my Q where the meat is
> never frozen nor soaked in so called broth or water. I have a theory
> that fresh meat if cooked well, will end up with a natural concentration
> of salt from the water evaporation.
>
> Don't get me wrong, I do like and think there is a place for seasoning
> of meat, such as garlic, onion, rosemary, etc.. but it seems we
> culturally have a gross affinity for salt and pepper.
>
> What do you think or have you tried already to reduce the amount of
> seasonings?
>
> I have heard suggestions here in the past of minimal seasoning for Q and
> I'm going to try a few cuts of meat without any seasonings at all so I
> can 'remember' what pure meat tastes like and build from there.

I use very little salt in my regular cooking which routinely gets rave
reviews. I'm sure some of the folks on food network such as mr hell's
kitchen would give me crap about the fact that my cooking tastes like
the food I cooked, not a salt lick, but I'd give him hell right back.
For my BBQ I do use kosher salt in my dry rub, but it is less than 25%
of the content of the rub.

"piedmont" > wrote in message
...
> Is seasoning a crutch?
>
> For most of my life I had a love affair with salt. Regardless of
> vegetable or meat I immediately salted and salted heavily. Until
> of recent years I have 'come off' the salt addiction.
>
> Which got me thinking about how much seasoning is acceptable and
> doesn't take away from the flavor of the meat I'm Q'n.
>
> Are we overloading our Q to the point of losing out on the
> natural flavor of the meat?

I got permission to take the shoulder brace off when seated, so
I'm back to half-arsed posting again. This is a great subject
and I hope it gets a lot of discussion. Now, I get to wear a
30-day heart monitor instead. <Grin>

salt- well, anything can be overdone, but salt sure is the
most historical of the seasonings and one for which we even have
taste buds, so I think it's pretty important. Sure, you can run
your BP over the limit or turn something into brine with too much,
but too little sure takes away from the enjoyment of most foods.
That's also why salt shakers are on the tables, though.


>
> Is the current trend of blazing hot additions so hot that you
> couldn't tell what it was you were eating?

Nothing in the stuff I make is that hot, and it won't be, either.
I like my foods spicy, but if they burn the tongue then it's
overdone.

>
> Is the mega seasoning trend to do with the fact that most of the
> meat is now soaked in water and or frozen which breaks the cells
> down and water loss occurs, compared to a freshly butchered
> meat?

I look forward to hearing from the experts here.

>
> I'm on a mission to try to find a meat source for my Q where the
> meat is never frozen nor soaked in so called broth or water. I
> have a theory that fresh meat if cooked well, will end up with a
> natural concentration of salt from the water evaporation.
>
> Don't get me wrong, I do like and think there is a place for
> seasoning of meat, such as garlic, onion, rosemary, etc.. but it
> seems we culturally have a gross affinity for salt and pepper.
>
> What do you think or have you tried already to reduce the amount
> of seasonings?
>
> I have heard suggestions here in the past of minimal seasoning
> for Q and I'm going to try a few cuts of meat without any
> seasonings at all so I can 'remember' what pure meat tastes like
> and build from there.

Something to consider is that Americans are getting older. Just
as our eyes don't see blues as well, our taste buds are diminished
in what they can sense. More seasoning might be a reaction to
reduced senses on the tongue and in the nose?


--
Nonny

ELOQUIDIOT (n) A highly educated, sophisticated,
and articulate person who has absolutely no clue
concerning what they are talking about.
The person is typically a media commentator or politician.

On Feb 5, 10:16*am, "Nonny" > wrote:
> "piedmont" > wrote in message
>

>
> > Is the mega seasoning trend to do with the fact that most of the
> > meat is now soaked in water and or frozen which breaks the cells
> > down and water loss occurs, compared to a freshly butchered
> > meat?
>
> I look forward to hearing from the experts here.
> --

Am sure as hell no expert, but I'd think modern industrial techniques
to raise our food has more to do with it than the packaging. Cows and
pigs used to live longer before being butchered and because of that
had more flavor. When's the last time any of us saw a deep pink color
to our ham steak? Modern pork is pretty flavorless. Beef has gone way
downhill from the 50's and 60's.

So yeah, seasonings are probably being used to make up the slack.

On 2/5/2010 1:16 PM, Nonny wrote:
>
> "piedmont" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Is seasoning a crutch?
>>
SNIP
Dang! Heart monitor!
Snip
> Something to consider is that Americans are getting older. Just as our
> eyes don't see blues as well, our taste buds are diminished in what they
> can sense. More seasoning might be a reaction to reduced senses on the
> tongue and in the nose?
>
>
Yes, your right about aging and, I'm getting up there in my 5th decade.
I really got into this when I bought a new brand of pepperoni and it was
too salty for my S.O., so I cut back on the salt in the sauce by half
and I was amazed at how some of the other flavors came out, so I felt
that getting just the minimum salt is critical to balance so all the
flavors will come through.

--
piedmont, The Practical BBQ'r

http://sites.google.com/site/thepracticalbbqr/

On 2/5/2010 1:48 PM, tutall wrote:
> On Feb 5, 10:16 am, > wrote:
>> > wrote in message
>>> Is the mega seasoning trend to do with the fact that most of the
>>> meat is now soaked in water and or frozen which breaks the cells
>>> down and water loss occurs, compared to a freshly butchered
>>> meat?
>>
>> I look forward to hearing from the experts here.
>> --
>
> Am sure as hell no expert, but I'd think modern industrial techniques
> to raise our food has more to do with it than the packaging. Cows and
> pigs used to live longer before being butchered and because of that
> had more flavor. When's the last time any of us saw a deep pink color
> to our ham steak? Modern pork is pretty flavorless. Beef has gone way
> downhill from the 50's and 60's.
>
> So yeah, seasonings are probably being used to make up the slack.
>
If you eat meat, your an expert!, i fear that there is a generation that
has no idea what so ever how a fresh tomato, peach or pear taste coming
out of a garden, and freshly butchered meat! I have been extremely lucky
to have had real food from long ago plus several meals of butchered the
same day meat at Bob and Gingers, which makes it soo much harder to
continue to purchase the crap at the local stores. We do have a Compare
Grocery in our area which caters to the Hispanic market and they have
some meat that is really good, they have chicken wings that are 2-3
times meatier and 'cleaner' looking than usual garbage where the chicken
looks look it was in a traffic wreck all bruised up!

--
piedmont, The Practical BBQ'r

http://sites.google.com/site/thepracticalbbqr/

On Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:50:38 -0500, piedmont > wrote:

>Is seasoning a crutch?
>
<SNIP>

>I'm going to try a few cuts of meat without any seasonings at all so I
>can 'remember' what pure meat tastes like and build from there.
>
>Regards,
>Mike

Now you're talking.

That's the way I was taught and the way I like it. I think you'll find
that a little simple seasoning is the way to go. To me, a seasoning is
used to subtly enhance the flavor of the meat, not change, mask, or
overwhelm it.

I'm not sure I'd call seasonings a crutch but it does seem that to
many the meat has simply became a vehicle to carry their rubs, mops,
brines, and sauces to the eater's mouth.


Jerry O.

"piedmont" > wrote in message
...
> On 2/5/2010 1:16 PM, Nonny wrote:
>>
>> "piedmont" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Is seasoning a crutch?
>>>
> SNIP
> Dang! Heart monitor!
> Snip
>> Something to consider is that Americans are getting older. Just
>> as our
>> eyes don't see blues as well, our taste buds are diminished in
>> what they
>> can sense. More seasoning might be a reaction to reduced senses
>> on the
>> tongue and in the nose?
>>
>>
> Yes, your right about aging and, I'm getting up there in my 5th
> decade. I really got into this when I bought a new brand of
> pepperoni and it was too salty for my S.O., so I cut back on the
> salt in the sauce by half and I was amazed at how some of the
> other flavors came out, so I felt that getting just the minimum
> salt is critical to balance so all the flavors will come
> through.

I grew up with country ham being the seasoning of choice for about
any food, and probably including Mom's ice cream. <grin> She'd
just chip it up and toss it in beans etc., and we'd have ham
steaks on occasion. I never even noticed the saltiness.

Then, about a year ago, I had to go to MO for a cousin's funeral
and the good ladies at our Baptist church had country ham steaks,
along with fried chicken, to serve at the dinner. It was a
flash-back to my days as a kid, but I had trouble even eating the
ham because it was so salty. Since the church ladies were about
half relatives, I asked and they assured me they soaked the ham
steaks overnight in cold water to take the salt out, and that the
salt level was the same as it had always been, in their opinion.
It was probably my own taste that had changed.

IMHO, I wonder if we're presently already wiping the salt out of
our home cooked foods because of blood pressure problems and the
"talk" that salt's bad for you.


--
Nonny

ELOQUIDIOT (n) A highly educated, sophisticated,
and articulate person who has absolutely no clue
concerning what they are talking about.
The person is typically a media commentator or politician.

Nonny wrote:
>
> IMHO, I wonder if we're presently already wiping the salt out of
> our home cooked foods because of blood pressure problems and the
> "talk" that salt's bad for you.

I don't know about you, but I've cooked with minimal salt since long
before anyone was whining about it being bad for you. I've always been
much more apt to use a lot of pepper, garlic, etc. than salt.

piedmont wrote:

> Is seasoning a crutch?
......snip of good questions and commentary.....

> Don't get me wrong, I do like and think there is a place for seasoning
> of meat, such as garlic, onion, rosemary, etc.. but it seems we
> culturally have a gross affinity for salt and pepper.
>
> What do you think or have you tried already to reduce the amount of
> seasonings?

This is a good subject, Mike. I have been fortunate to not have to deal with
frozen product. I can buy cases of brisket or pork which have packing dates
which are close to the date that I pick up the meat from the supplier. When
I had the restaurant, this was something that I specified as part of my
requirements. It just so happens that the supplier has kept up the practice
for a bbq place nearby which opened up after I did.

As to seasonings, I have always been more of a mediumist. When I put rub or
seasonings on meat, you can still see some meat. Salt is not a heavy part of
the rub, but still makes up a moderate percentage. The thing I always
remember is that, since I put the rub on just prior to the meat going in the
pit, it doesn't permeate much beyond the Mr. brown. Then it gets mixed into
the pulled pork so that any salt or seasoning is noticeable, but does
nothing to interfere with the 'meat' taste.

..
I would also put the issue of the trend towards ever hotter capsican
preparations which seems to permeate all sorts of foods and sauces. To me,
this notion of putting huge amounts of scoville units into a food or sauce
interferes with the sense of taste even more so than salt. A bit of heat can
be nice... BTW, any one interested can look up how physicians use capsican
to treat painful neuropathy to the extremities. :-)

------------
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

On Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:50:38 -0500, piedmont > wrote:

>Is seasoning a crutch?
>
>For most of my life I had a love affair with salt. Regardless of
>vegetable or meat I immediately salted and salted heavily. Until of
>recent years I have 'come off' the salt addiction.
>
>Which got me thinking about how much seasoning is acceptable and doesn't
>take away from the flavor of the meat I'm Q'n.
>
>Are we overloading our Q to the point of losing out on the natural
>flavor of the meat?

I cut back salt use many years ago. It takes about two weeks to shake
the addiction, but then food tastes great with little or no salt
added. Some foods, like potato, are bland and can use a sprinkle, but
most foods need none.

We use a variety of seasonings, but nothing overpowering. Pepper and
garlic are two often used. From there, other seasonings are added to
give the desired enhancement to the food.

Once I started making my own sausage, I found most commercial products
to be too salty. Processors use it because it is cheap and most
people today have a high tolerance and need a large quantity on the
taste buds.

I recall a fellow at work discussing baby back ribs. He said "the
ribs have not taste, the flavor is in the sauce". I had to give him
some of my naked smoked ribs to prove him wrong. People just don't
know.

On 2/5/2010 10:21 PM, Nunya Bidnits wrote:
> piedmont said:
>> they
>> have chicken wings that are 2-3 times meatier and 'cleaner' looking
snip

> or the hispanic market has it for a buck ninety-nine. And

SNIP
> MartyB in KC

Marty,
Same thing here in Charlotte area, you can buy a huge bag of spices at
any of the many India stores for change, but go to any American chain
and 2 oz for $4! I will say that there is a Gordon Food Service that I
can buy huge plastic container for same price as the 2 Oz jar at the
grocery. You just have to shop around and spend your money were you get
treated the best.

Every time you find crappy bag of chicken you have to make an effort to
complain as high up as you can, get on the internet and email corp.

--
piedmont, The Practical BBQ'r

http://sites.google.com/site/thepracticalbbqr/

On 2/5/2010 11:11 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
SNIP
>
> I recall a fellow at work discussing baby back ribs. He said "the
> ribs have no taste, the flavor is in the sauce". I had to give him
> some of my naked smoked ribs to prove him wrong. People just don't
> know.
Ed,

You have a great way to prove your point! I'll take some-O-them naked
ribs! (lol)

I hear commercial cooks use that slogan, the sauce is boss, and that is
BS. I was raised in the sauce is boss culture and do like my sauce but
now it is in a dish on the side.

I was taught to cook chicken on the grill back in the late 60's and the
seasoning was, garlic Salt, onion Salt, black pepper and SALT! I still
love that combo but it is garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper,
cayenne and paprika as a base.

--
piedmont, The Practical BBQ'r

http://sites.google.com/site/thepracticalbbqr/

I like this thread, Mike.

Personally, I don't think seasoning is a crutch for me at all. I have
spent years and a lot of buck learning how to cook with spices in
order to make more authentic (and tastier) dishes.

I grow my own basil (and lots of it!), sage, tarragon, parsley,
rosemary, chives and if I can get it to survive in the south Texas
heat, thyme.

There my friend, is where the difference is in taste. I use some
store bought dried herbs, and dry some of my own, but the difference
in dried and fresh is night and day.

I keep fresh garlic and onions on the ready, which carmelized to be
used as a spice in mashed potatoes, or mixed with olive oil after
carmelizing and used as a seasoning is excellent.

Salt though, is something that I use very little of since it
diminishes the flavors of the other herbs and spices I use. I do use
it, and have two different kinds of sea salt, and then of course
regular table salt for the pasta water. But the Mediterranean sea
salt box I have is about three years old, and has about another two to
go before i use it all.

I can't grow all the spices I use, and some of them are pretty
expensive. I won't cover up the flavor of my expensive smoked paprika
with a lot of salt. Otherwise I would just use the crap they sell at
the grocery store.

It took me a long time to learn which spices lose themselves in
cooking, which ones become lost when mixed with other spices, and
which ones stay about the same even in long cooks. With that in mind,
even with good spices, you still need a little salt in most dishes.

If the title of this post had been "is SALT a crutch?", I would whole
heartedly agree. When I cook most people are surprised at how little
salt I use, and the lack of butter. Both of those.... crutches! Even
though I love salt, I have weaned myself away from it, and when I cook
a production meal for guests, I always tell them to tasted the meal
first before seasoning. RARELY do they add salt.

Sweet Hungarian paprika, authentic Mexican oregano from the market
(not actually oregano at all, but a member of the sage family!), fresh
cilantro, and all the plants have carefully grown for kitchen use.....

nope, not a crutch.

Your point is well made and taken, though. As are the follow up
posts.

Robert

On 2/6/2010 12:20 PM, wrote:
> I like this thread, Mike.
>
> Personally, I don't think seasoning is a crutch for me at all. I have
> spent years and a lot of buck learning how to cook with spices in
> order to make more authentic (and tastier) dishes.
>
> I grow my own basil (and lots of it!), sage, tarragon, parsley,
> rosemary, chives and if I can get it to survive in the south Texas
SNIP
> nope, not a crutch.
>
> Your point is well made and taken, though. As are the follow up
> posts.
>
> Robert
>
>

Robert,
I envy your dedication to growing and having fresh herbs. Do you have
any favorite rubs you would share? Do you have different favs for
different meats, chicken vs beef or pork? You sound like you got it
going on man!
Mike
--
piedmont, The Practical BBQ'r

http://sites.google.com/site/thepracticalbbqr/

(mawil55)

In article >,
Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:50:38 -0500, piedmont > wrote:
>
> >Is seasoning a crutch?
> >
> >For most of my life I had a love affair with salt. Regardless of
> >vegetable or meat I immediately salted and salted heavily. Until of
> >recent years I have 'come off' the salt addiction.
> >
> >Which got me thinking about how much seasoning is acceptable and doesn't
> >take away from the flavor of the meat I'm Q'n.
> >
> >Are we overloading our Q to the point of losing out on the natural
> >flavor of the meat?
>
> I cut back salt use many years ago. It takes about two weeks to shake
> the addiction, but then food tastes great with little or no salt
> added. Some foods, like potato, are bland and can use a sprinkle, but
> most foods need none.
>
> We use a variety of seasonings, but nothing overpowering. Pepper and
> garlic are two often used. From there, other seasonings are added to
> give the desired enhancement to the food.
>
> Once I started making my own sausage, I found most commercial products
> to be too salty. Processors use it because it is cheap and most
> people today have a high tolerance and need a large quantity on the
> taste buds.
>
> I recall a fellow at work discussing baby back ribs. He said "the
> ribs have not taste, the flavor is in the sauce". I had to give him
> some of my naked smoked ribs to prove him wrong. People just don't
> know.

Man. I could have written this post. :-) My experiences are identical.
One major reason I now rarely purchase commercial sausages. I'm
enjoying making my own and use about 1/4 of the sausage called for in
average recipes.

Links to some of my sausage series: (recipes included)

<http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet/SmokedSausage09202009#>

<http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet/SausageMaking10162009#>

<http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet/ChickenSausage103109#>
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

On 2/7/2010 5:15 AM, Omelet wrote:

SNIP
>
> Links to some of my sausage series: (recipes included)
>
> <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet/SmokedSausage09202009#>
>
> <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet/SausageMaking10162009#>
>
> <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet/ChickenSausage103109#>

Om,
Great sausage! Next time i make sausage I'm using as much fresh herbs as
I can to see what happens, dwelling on what type sausage to make,
probably something i make all the time so i can compare tastes better.

--
piedmont, The Practical BBQ'r

http://sites.google.com/site/thepracticalbbqr/

(mawil55)

In article >,
piedmont > wrote:

> On 2/7/2010 5:15 AM, Omelet wrote:
>
> SNIP
> >
> > Links to some of my sausage series: (recipes included)
> >
> > <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet/SmokedSausage09202009#>
> >
> > <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet/SausageMaking10162009#>
> >
> > <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet/ChickenSausage103109#>
>
> Om,
> Great sausage!

Thanks. :-)

> Next time i make sausage I'm using as much fresh herbs as
> I can to see what happens, dwelling on what type sausage to make,
> probably something i make all the time so i can compare tastes better.

Stick with what you know for your first experiment. I'm re-doing my
herb garden this spring. I still have dittany, mexican oregano and
rosemary live, and I have a few pots of basil wintering over (along with
a thyme plant) in my bedroom window.

Do I recommend fresh herbs for sausage?

YES! :-)
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

On Feb 6, 11:33 am, piedmont > wrote:

> Robert,
> I envy your dedication to growing and having fresh herbs.

Mike, it's really easy to grow most herbs. I don't know where you
live, but moderate weather and sunshine with regular watering will
grow just about anything.

I like to tell my buddies that after all, if we didn't eat them they
would just be weeds, right?

Seriously, most aren't hard to grow, and many will co-exist with one
another quite well. The only herb I have had a lot of trouble growing
here in South Texas is chives. It will do pretty well in the winter/
spring/first of summer, but if we have our long S. Texas boiler of a
summer, it dies.

> Do you have
> any favorite rubs you would share? Do you have different favs for
> different meats, chicken vs beef or pork?

I actually tend to use store bought herbs to make rubs. And unlike a
lot of rubs, I don't use a lot of ingredients. Since I cook mostly
beef over oak with a stick of mesquite thrown in every once in a
while, I have found the only herbs that stand the 12+ hour smokes are
pepper, paprika, cayenne and cumin. So my rubs tend to be store
bought ingredients mixed with some table salt.

If I am baking, that is different. Baked fish, baked chicken, pork
loin, etc., will get a dose of fresh herbs in an olive oil
suspension. I like to take the skin off a chicken to bake it. I take
a good bit of quality smoked paprika, some oregano, some black pepper,
a little salt and a little fresh minced garlic and heat it gently in a
small pan with some olive oil to warm it.

I like it to be a paste, so I adjust the thickness with more paprika
and pepper until it is as I want it. I put this on chicken, loin
slices, etc., and smoke them cook them in the oven at about 225 until
they are done.

This stuff is even good to reserves a bit and put a small amount on
loin slices after it has cooked. After smoking or grilling a piece of
salmon, it is wonderful on that as well.

I use almost all my spices for sauces and particularly for Italian
themed sauces. I can whip up a red sauce for noodles that has no
added salt, nor does it have the tablespoons of sugar that the store
bought stuff does. It takes about 15 minutes of cooking, so with the
herbs ready, you have your own ragu in minutes.

Example:

One eight ounce can of tomato sauce
One small can of tomato paste
One tablespoon finely chopped basil (plain Italian, Genovese, or
similar)
One teaspoon finely chopped oregano
Two teaspoons finely chopped garlic
One teaspoon finely chopped onion
Two teaspoons finely chopped parsley
One tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Water as needed to adjust thickness

Put all the ingredients in a pan. Heat until bubbling, then only 15
minutes more on low heat. Longer cooking destroys the fresh herb
taste. This sauce is bright and tasty and since it is made with fresh
ingredients it will taste completely different than the flat, acidy
(or sweet) sauces most folks are familiar with. It is great on all
kinds of things from pasta to chicken breasts.

You can make it in 20 minutes from start to finish, and 15 of it you
can use to make the pasta, cook chicken, or homemade mini meatballs.
It is a favorite around here for flavor first, then due to the low
salt content and NO sugar like the jar stuff.

I also use the herbs I grow for soups, breads (how about a fresh loaf
of rosemary/garlic Italian bread?) and vegetables. Because parsley is
well known to be a good aid to digestion, everything I cook seems to
get a good dose of it, even it if is just chopped and sprinkled over
the top of the finished meal to make it look better.

No magic stuff for rubs, though.

Fresh herbs lose their taste very rapidly when exposed to heat, so
they don't lend themselves to outdoor cooking unless they are used as
a sauce or marinate employed before or after cooking.

Robert