The Transitive Property of Marjoram

[swan_tower]

I’ve been cooking a lot more since moving into a house with a kitchen big enough to be pleasant to work in, but I’m still not much of a chef. This is, in part, because I don’t yet have a good handle on whether things I like separately will combine well — especially when it comes to herbs and spices. Their flavor profiles, and how they meld with the different foods they might be used to flavor, are still terra fairly incognita for me.

But the other day I tried out a new recipe for a side dish of onions and bell peppers with marjoram, and had some left over. When I went to put it in the fridge, I saw I also had some leftover kielbasa. And I know that one of the recipes I’ve made several times, a kielbasa stew, includes marjoram.

So, by the transitive property of marjoram: I can combine these things, right?

And lo, I have Invented a Dish. Fried the kielbasa for a couple of minutes, tossed the onions and bell peppers in to warm them up, dumped the result over rice, hey presto, it worked. In the future I can make this on purpose, as its own thing, rather than just as a way to use up leftovers (though it can be that, too). I’m still not knowledgeable enough to go tossing marjoram into things without precedent to guide me . . . but I can pay attention to which recipes use which flavorings, and start absorbing the underlying principles there.

Baby steps, yo.

Comments

[diapasoun]

At some point I started smelling all the spices I was interested in using. I'd one-by-one put them into a shallow little bowl; would smell the bowl with whatever was in it, smell the new spice, put it in or not, and repeat ad nauseam, until I felt like I had a good mix and then tossed it into the pan. I still do it a lot, years later, because my nose is such a better guide for me than almost anything else.

[swan_tower]

I should probably try that, because I have a very good sense of smell.

[diapasoun]

Then definitely try! There's nothing quite so good as tossing stuff into a spice mix and sniffing and knowing that you've got it. It's so gratifying.

[radiantfracture]

by the transitive property of marjoram

That's a lovely phrase, and somehow makes me think of "By the power of Greyskull!" only, you know, with spices.

It sounds very tasty.

[swan_tower]

That phrase is pretty much why I made the post. <g> I was pleased with my own cleverness, and decided to justify sharing it with others!

[twistedchick]

Re marjoram: it's easy to grow in a pot indoors; the flavor is just a bit different but recognizable. If you have bought it dried, do sniff it before using it -- and if the color changes and it smells ... less, don't use it. Toss it and get new. Marjoram is not as strong as thyme and oregano, but when it goes off it tastes like old straw. But it has a wonderful way of melding flavors. Keep cooking!