BlogHer - Cooking with Fresh Herbs: Lovage - Comments

Me neither!

Kalyn Denny — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:17:26 -0500

From what I found it did sound like it's pretty common in Europe though. I like the sound of it a lot.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Lovage

MyKitchenInHalfCups — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:04:31 -0500

You really came up with fascinating facts about it. I haven't ever seen it or eaten it that I know of.

You could try growing your own herbs

Kalyn Denny — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:53:30 -0500

Don't know if you're into gardening, but most of the herbs I've written about are pretty easy to grow (except cilantro, I've never had luck with that.)

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

If only I had a decent place to shop:(

Cowboytf — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:42:53 -0500

Fresh veges and herbs are hard to find in our small town. I hate it to because many of the recipes I make call for fresh! Arrrgggh...Those look delightful:) *******************

My Wooden Spoon ~ Where it's perfectly legal to use a little pot!

A Cowboy's Wife ~ Ranch photography and tall tales from Son up to S

You're welcome

Kalyn Denny — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:33:29 -0500

I don't think the plant is very similar to sorrel even though it may be used on a similar way. I haven't grown sorrel, but when I get it at the farmer's market, it's a green like spinach. This is a tall plant (four feet tall) which can be invasive if you don't watch for the spreading from dropping seeds.

I am anxious to try it too though!

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

This is great!

Mata H — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:26:14 -0500

Thanks so much for doing this!! Lovage sounds a bit like sorrel -- I grew up in a family that made sorrel soup or "Schav" as we call it. Now that I know how to use it, I'll plant it, too! Thanks again.

--Mata

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool

You're welcome!

Kalyn Denny — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:55:49 -0500

And I think I have picked out a place in my yard for it, by a fence where it can get nice and tall!

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Yum!

msjen — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:54:45 -0500

Kalyn,

Thanks for this post on lovage. I have also always wondered about it. The stuffed lovage with sausage photo looks delish.

I started a smal container garden on the steps up to my apartment, but maybe I can convince my brother to put in some lovage in his backyard, which is good sized.

;o)

Black Phoebe :: Ms. Jen
Barflies.net
Around Ireland
The Happy Tastebud

Cooking with Fresh Herbs: Lovage

Kalyn Denny — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:17:08 -0500

We still have some common herbs coming in the series about Cooking with Fresh Herbs, but I do take requests and the lovely Mata wants to know more about lovage. It's an herb I've never used, so I'm excited to learn about something new.

When Mata left the comment asking me to write about lovage, I reported back that when I searched, there were a lot of recipes for it . However, now that I'm looking deeper into the search results to find recipes using lovage, I see that I'm finding the same links over and over, plus a few recipes where lovage is suggested as a substitute for another herb. Obviously this is a relatively little-used herb compared to many others.

Wikipedia tells us that lovage is related to celery, and all parts of the plant have a flavor similar to celery. Lovage is used in Southern European cooking, especially as a flavoring for soup. The plant produces seeds, which are sometimes sold as celery seed, and leaves. The leaves are an ingredient in Maggi soup seasoning, which gives the plant the name Maggikraut or Maggiplant in some parts of Europe. The roots and rhizome of the plant also have medicinal uses.

The lovage plant is a perennial, and lovage is relatively easy to grow with sun and occasional watering. The lovage plant also attracts beneficial insects to the garden, but it is a rather large plant which self-seeds, so it needs a roomy location.

More About Lovage:
Mermaid Treasure ~ Lovage Part 1
Kitchenmage ~ In Love with Lovage (plus a recipe for Halibut with Apple, Leek, and Lovage Ragout)
Sidewalk Shoes ~ More Info about lovage and a great photo of the herb (added 7-12-08)

Lovage Used in Soup:
Becks and Posh ~ Lettuce and Lovage Soup
You Are What You Eat ~ Lovage and Potato Soup

Lovage with Vegetables or Grains:
Mental Masala ~ Roman Style Carrots
Book the Cook ~ British Herb Fritters

Lovage with Meat, Poultry, or Fish:
Kitchenmage ~ Sausage Stuffed Lovage
Becks and Posh ~ Roasted Chicken and Bread Salad with Watercress, Spring Onions, and Lovage

If any BlogHer readers have more ideas for using lovage, please leave your link or a recipe in the comments.

(So far in the series Cooking with Fresh Herbs we've covered Cilantro, Tarragon, Parsley, Mint, Dill, and Lovage. You can see all the posts by clicking the tag Cooking With Fresh Herbs.)

Kalyn Denny writes about food and at BlogHer.com and shares her passion for cooking at Kalyn's Kitchen. She has never cooked with lovage, but is thinking it's a good candidate for her herb garden.