Bay leaf is part of a classic bouquet garni. Essentially, gather a handful of parsley, thyme, a bay leaf, maybe some scallion or leek leaves, tie into a bouquet with string and toss into a braise or stew or soup or …
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gotta try that thanks !
I’m sure all of you have heard my bay leaf story of walking on the Appian way in Italy. Stepped off spotting a ancient bay tree . Picked some bay leaves. I carried them through customs back to the US in my front pocket. I made the best pot of white beans with them . You could taste the history.
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Bay leaf is one of my most used herbs, it really is the king of the kitchen. I use fresh bay leaf and put it into stock, soups, even braised chicken sometimes instead of rosemary.
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It exists! Below is an example I found (no experience otherwise with this vendor or product). Burning bay leafs is something a few different cultures do so this is probably something you can find even on Amazon or other large vendor store. My only caveat at least via Amazon is that incense quality varies a lot. I try to stick to well known incense brands, but I have not seen bay leaf incense in the brands I’ve used.
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Question: Are there two types of Bay? I have used the leaves from the tree we used to pick from in California for years. The leaves dried are dark green and very aromatic, almost menthol-y and used in my Italian, tomato-y vegetable soup and fish stew dishes. I have recently seen and heard of a Bay that is a rounded, much lighter green/brown that do not have the aroma of the previously mentioned Bay leaves. I recently ran out of my stash of the Bay leaves I had and can’t seem to find any in the stores. So…does anyone know how I can buy the leaves I am used to; I am no longer in California and my stash lasted over 20 years. I really don’t have anyone in California who can rob a tree for me. Thank you!
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Yes, there are many types of Bay.
For cooking, Laural Noblis/ Mediterranean Bay is preferred.
California Bay is not used much for the same reasons you like it. The medicinal, camphory, mentholy, Eucalyptus flavors are not usually desired.
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Thank you for the link! Score two for you!
Do you think that is is an old regional preference?
No. I do not.
I do not see it in Kitchens on either Coast typically.
I imagine there are hyper local or native focused Restaurants that may use it on purpose.
I’ve used powderized bay leaves in some Mediterranean dishes and some sausage recipes. Starting with leaves I’d ground up, I mean, so a bit different than your example of using the mixer afterwards to pulverize with the meat sauces, but should be similar. If you’ve given it a go in the interim, let us know what you thought?
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Will do. I am a fan of Pati Jinich… and as a vitamix fan she has taught me to just throw “everything” into the blender (whole roasted romas/tomatillos/onions/garlic/peppers sans stems, seeds - depending on how spicy I want it, etc), and then pour it into a dash of hot oil to cook for a couple of minutes. Explosive flavor and less prep.
Never would have thought of the oil (I almost always use EVOO as I love the taste), but it makes a huge difference with almost everything.
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I usually get Bay Leaves Laurus Nobilis from this place in California
Bay Leaves Whole Organic – Whole Spice, Inc.
They do not carry “California Bay Leaves”/Laurus australus
Or here
Bay Leaf Whole | Penzeys
There’s are from Turkey.
The ad reads
“Turkish bay leaves are the best in the world. Though not as strong as the California variety, they have a natural depth of flavor that the California bay leaves can’t hope to match. Bay leaves grow wild on the hilly mountains of western Turkey in the area around Izmir (Smyrna). The flavor of bay leaves is perfect for adding to roast pork or chicken, pot roast, turkey or ham, use 2-3 leaves and remove before serving. Bay leaves are also perfect for spaghetti sauce and chicken soup, use 2 per quart. A surprising fact is that bay leaves improve the flavor of salt-free dishes with their rich flavor”
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Who was it on CH who always bragged (this is not quite the correct word, it was not aggressive) about having his own laurel tree and having fresh laurel/bay leaves any time needed?
I’ve thought about his comments from time to time and want to look and see if my agri zone will support trying to grow a laurel tree.
I can’t believe the bay leaves I want and need are less than 5 miles from here and I’ll be visiting their ‘Outpost’ next week. Thank you for all of your recommendations. This is a product I grew up on and used all my life and was in the dumps when I ran out.
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It is worth a try. The trees I picked from were in the East Bay hills, old trees, big, black trunks with wonderful canopies. One branch would supply a lifetime. We were in zone 7 there I think and these trees survived all the types of weather we had (light snow and freeze in '71) the droughts I lived through.
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Quite a few shashlik recipes online rely on bay leaf as the main herb.
The menthol scent makes me think eucalyptus leaves. The trees themselves are fragrant. When I lived in Ecuador, I walked daily through a calipto forest and, after the rain, the smell was captivating.
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