Cooking with Lovage.

- LovageThe Epicentre:
Cooking with Lovage
Ancient Greeks and Romans commonly used the seeds, leaves, and roots in their cooking.
Today, lovage is a favorite flavoring in Britain and southeastern Europe.
It is eaten cooked or raw.

The leaves are used in soups, stocks, flavored vinegars, pickles, stews, and salads.
In Italy, lovage is used with oregano and garlic for tomato sauces.

The seeds are sprinkled over salads and mashed potatoes and are crushed for breads, pastries, biscuits, and cheeses.

The stems and stalks are chopped for use in sauces and stews, while the crystallized leaves and stems are used for decorating cakes.

The roots are peeled to remove the bitter skin and are then used as a vegetable or are pickled.
Add the chopped leaves to casseroles for an really interesting flavor.

The anise, celery flavor of the lovage works really well.
Lovage is great when cooking lentils- sweat a few leaves with onions , then let the lentils cook slowly with the lovage.
Pesto is traditionally made with basil, but can be made with most herbs.
Try it using sorrel and lovage.
Lovage can be used on a pizza topping or add a handful of chopped lovage on pasta.
Lovage is excellent with fish, such as salmon.
Chop the leaves in a fresh leaf and herb salad- dress with your favorite dressing.
Lovage soup is delicious.
Leek and lovage soup really work well together.

- Lovage recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian

Lovage Syrup.

2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
1 cup (packed) lovage leaves
Combine the sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Add the lovage leaves and stir to combine. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 2-3 hours. Strain syrup into a glass jar (pressing on leaves to extract all of the syrup) and store in the refrigerator. The syrup will keep well for at least a couple of months.
Lovage: A big plant with an even bigger flavor

Wild Garlic, Lemon & Lovage Soup.

Herbs on Saturday and a Bowl of Wild Garlic, Lemon & Lovage Soup:
Medicinally, lovage is used for stimulation of digestion and as a remedy for an upset stomach.
Lovage can also help get rid of flatulence.
It can also be used to reduce water retention and can also be used as a deodorant.
Lovage seeds, leaves and stems have a similar flavour to celery and can be used in soups, salads and rice dishes.
The leaf stalks and stem bases can be blanched and eaten as you would celery.
Lovage tea can be made from the dried leaves creating a very agreeable aroma.
The fruit and root are used as flavouring in liqueurs

Caution: Lovage should not be taken during pregnancy or if suffering from kidney disease.
Always consult a qualified medical herbalist before using it for medicinal purposes.

Wild Garlic, Lemon & Lovage Soup.
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bunch wild garlic, finely chopped (Or, chives finely chopped)
1/2 head celery, finely copped
2 stems fresh lovage, finely chopped (Or, 1/2 teaspoon dried lovage)
1 lemon, grated zest and juice
200g rice
1l vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to season
a little butter or vegetable oil for sweating the vegetables

- Add the chopped onion, wild garlic and celery to a large saucepan with a little butter or oil and sweat over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the rice and stir before adding the vegetable stock, chopped lovage, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt and pepper to season.
Cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and vegetables are soft.
- Check the seasoning before serving in warm soup bowls with crusty bread and/or croutons.
'via Blog this'

Lovage, lettuce, pea and cucumber soup.

Lovage recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian:
Lovage, lettuce, pea and cucumber soup
A refreshing and pretty summer soup.
Serves four.

20g butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A few young lovage stalks, chopped
700ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 little gem lettuces, finely shredded
100g peas
½ cucumber, cut into 5mm dice
1 small handful lovage leaves, shredded
A few tablespoons of crème fraîche or thick yoghurt, to finish

Warm the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat.
Add the onion, thyme and a pinch of salt, and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the lovage stalks and sauté for a couple of minutes.
Pour in the stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the rest of the veg (keep back some lovage leaves to garnish) and simmer for five minutes.
Season and serve with dollops of crème fraîche and a scattering of lovage leaves.
'via Blog this'

Lovage Simple Syrup

Makes about 1 cup
2 cups chopped lovage leaves and stalks (or other herbs)
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar

Place chopped lovage in a heat-proof glass bowl or 4-cup measuring cup. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water and sugar to a boil then lower the heat to low and and stir constantly until the mixture is clear and sugar is completely dissolved, about 4 minutes.

Pour the mixture over the lovage and stir. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then strain out the lovage and pour into a glass jar or bottle with a tight seal. Store in the refrigerator. For a stronger syrup, let the lovage infuse overnight in the refrigerator then strain and bottle the syrup.

The syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

If the flavor doesn't interest you, try this method with other herbs, like basil or mint. Some flavors wouldn't work with wine — mint, for example — but will pair nicely with sparkling water for a non-alcoholic soda cocktail, they're also delicious toppings for ice cream and summer fruits, and whisked into iced tea.

Lovage and potato soup

2 tsp unsalted butter
1 cup thinly sliced leeks, or two onions, chopped
100g potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 cup loosely packed lovage leaves, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a soup pot.
Add the leeks or onion and saute at a fairly low heat until very soft and beginning to brown, which could take up to twenty minutes, probably less for leeks.

Add the potato slices and stock.
Simmer the soup, uncovered, until the potatoes are very soft, 20 to 30 minutes.
With a wire whisk, gently whisk the potatoes to break them up (how much is up to you).
Now add the chopped lovage leaves and simmer until they are tender.
Smaller, younger leaves take less time than larger, older leaves, so how long this will take is variable.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.