Seasonings to pair with rosemary?

[jennyema]

I don't use marinades… or add oil to food… and I'm already using garlic. The end to the rosemary story is in an upcoming post!

Its a shame you wont use marinades. They are a fabulous way to make your food taste good.

 

[BurnsWater]

It's done!

My research showed that everyone agrees that parsley is good with rosemary. And everyone is in agreement that parsley and cilantro go well together; I've used them myself to make green goddess dressing. So, by the transitive properties of herbs, I figured that cilantro would also work well with rosemary... and parsley, so that's what I used.

To keep from stinking up my house, I made a cold yogurt sauce. The couple of tastes I had off the end of my finger seemed pretty good… and then I got a funny taste in my mouth. And my lips felt sort of weird. A look into the mirror showed that they were getting a little swollen and red, and fortunately I thought to take an antihistamine before it got much further, although I did get some tingling on them, and on the end of my tongue, and in my fingers and toes, before it settled down. So, after all of this, yes, you read correctly, I'm ALLERGIC to rosemary, lol!

My husband, of course, thought my sauce was delicious, so he slurped it all up. Thank goodness I didn't have to waste it!

Thus ends my rosemary experiment. I'm glad I tried it, and even gladder that the allergic reaction started so quickly, BEFORE I dumped the sauce on my chicken and ate a bunch. As a bonus, I'm sure my friend won't be giving me any more rosemary sprigs, lol! Thanks to all who offered advice!

 

[dragnlaw]

So there you go! taxlady suggested back in post #65 that perhaps your body was trying to tell you something!
Next time your body hints at something like that - I guess you've learned 'tis best to listen to it! LOL thankfully, as you say - was just a finger tip. Had you swallowed a mouthful would have been would have been a very very scary trip to the ER!
If you had such a violent reaction to just a fingertip, perhaps you should speak to your doctor about having allergy tests for other things. No sense finding out about one the hard way.

 

[BurnsWater]

So there you go! taxlady suggested back in post #65 that perhaps your body was trying to tell you something!
Next time your body hints at something like that - I guess you've learned 'tis best to listen to it! LOL thankfully, as you say - was just a finger tip. Had you swallowed a mouthful would have been would have been a very very scary trip to the ER!
If you had such a violent reaction to just a fingertip, perhaps you should speak to your doctor about having allergy tests for other things. No sense finding out about one the hard way.

I've been having fragrance reactions like this to a long list of foods and seasonings for my entire life. If I'd let them dictate my life, I'd still be living on frozen pizza and popcorn like I was in my 20s, lol! What I've learned is, that 99% of the time, these reactions are completely meaningless, and that by ignoring them, I increase the # of healthy foods I can eat, and the # of seasonings I can use.

Rosemary isn't much of a loss, it was kind of like eating a car air freshener, lol... I'm already contemplating the next stomach-turner to try, maybe anise…

 

[dragnlaw]

What about other members of the mint family. Do you have a reaction to them as well?

 

[caseydog]

I've been having fragrance reactions like this to a long list of foods and seasonings for my entire life. If I'd let them dictate my life, I'd still be living on frozen pizza and popcorn like I was in my 20s, lol! What I've learned is, that 99% of the time, these reactions are completely meaningless, and that by ignoring them, I increase the # of healthy foods I can eat, and the # of seasonings I can use.

Rosemary isn't much of a loss, it was kind of like eating a car air freshener, lol... I'm already contemplating the next stomach-turner to try, maybe anise…

According to the all-knowing internets, rosemary is a food high in salicylates. Salicylates have the potential to cause worsening of asthma, swelling, itching and hives as well as food intolerance symptoms in people who are sensitive to salicylates.

The good news is, if your neighbor offers you more rosemary, you can tell her, "Thanks, but it turns out I am allergic to it." You can share your experience of your lips swelling and tingling.

I know that if a neighbor offered me cilantro from their garden, I would tell them the truth, so they don't waste perfectly good cilantro on me.

BTW, I love bananas, but raw bananas do the exact same thing to me. My lips and mouth swell and itch, and later I get a stomach ache.

CD

 

[BurnsWater]

What about other members of the mint family. Do you have a reaction to them as well?

Basil used to provoke my WORST reaction, which is really saying something, I could just about vomit just from the smell of it… But now I can use it! I use a light hand, but I put it on a bunch of things now, even my instant pineapple sorbet! The other members of the mint family were much milder by comparison, other than mint itself, although I can do a little bit of mint if there's chocolate with it, go figure, lol.

 

[BurnsWater]

According to the all-knowing internets, rosemary is a food high in salicylates. Salicylates have the potential to cause worsening of asthma, swelling, itching and hives as well as food intolerance symptoms in people who are sensitive to salicylates.

The good news is, if your neighbor offers you more rosemary, you can tell her, "Thanks, but it turns out I am allergic to it." You can share your experience of your lips swelling and tingling.

I know that if a neighbor offered me cilantro from their garden, I would tell them the truth, so they don't waste perfectly good cilantro on me.

BTW, I love bananas, but raw bananas do the exact same thing to me. My lips and mouth swell and itch, and later I get a stomach ache.

CD

I hadn't known that about the salicylates, that's really interesting, thank you for sharing that! I've eaten some rosemary in the past, in Italian food, for example, and never had ANY reaction to it, so, I'm wondering if this might be an issue of raw vs cooked, like it sounds like you have with banana. (If banana is FROZEN, does that alter it enough that you can safely consume it? It's a nice treat in warm weather.) There could also be an issue of dried rosemary vs fresh, since fresh has way more oil, or the acid in tomato sauce might be a factor.

I've told my friend the whole rosemary story. She has to throw a lot of rosemary away, because it has to be cut back faster than she can cook with it or give it to people, but besides that, I'm pretty sure she doesn't consider food that my husband ate and loved as having "wasted" her rosemary. She's a gourmet cook, and she was really impressed that I was able to come up with such a strong seasoning concept, so that was nice!

 

[BurnsWater]

It's done!

My research showed that everyone agrees that parsley is good with rosemary. And everyone is in agreement that parsley and cilantro go well together; I've used them myself to make green goddess dressing. So, by the transitive properties of herbs, I figured that cilantro would also work well with rosemary... and parsley, so that's what I used.

To keep from stinking up my house, I made a cold yogurt sauce. The couple of tastes I had off the end of my finger seemed pretty good… and then I got a funny taste in my mouth. And my lips felt sort of weird. A look into the mirror showed that they were getting a little swollen and red, and fortunately I thought to take an antihistamine before it got much further, although I did get some tingling on them, and on the end of my tongue, and in my fingers and toes, before it settled down. So, after all of this, yes, you read correctly, I'm ALLERGIC to rosemary, lol!

My husband, of course, thought my sauce was delicious, so he slurped it all up. Thank goodness I didn't have to waste it!

Thus ends my rosemary experiment. I'm glad I tried it, and even gladder that the allergic reaction started so quickly, BEFORE I dumped the sauce on my chicken and ate a bunch. As a bonus, I'm sure my friend won't be giving me any more rosemary sprigs, lol! Thanks to all who offered advice!

The happy epilogue to this story: My husband loved my sauce so much that, after he had scraped as much as he could out of the container, he rinsed the container and used that water to make instant mashed potatoes with, so he wouldn't waste ANY of my sauce! I'm probably the least experienced cook on this entire website… but I know people who have been spectacular cooks for decades who have never had anyone go THAT far to savor their flavors!

 

[jennyema]

She has to throw a lot of rosemary away, because it has to be cut back faster than she can cook with it or give it to people,

The prolific rosemary plant is something I’m sure many of us have experienced. Plus they are perennials.

You might want to suggest that she dry hers instead of throwing it away. Dry rosemary has a different, milder taste. I like it a lot better.

If she still has too much, she can buy some bottles and give it away as cute Xmas gifts.

 

[BurnsWater]

The prolific rosemary plant is something I’m sure many of us have experienced. Plus they are perennials.

You might want to suggest that she dry hers instead of throwing it away. Dry rosemary has a different, milder taste. I like it a lot better.

If she still has too much, she can buy some bottles and give it away as cute Xmas gifts.

I dunno, that kind of sounds like the same situation as people going around the neighborhood with baskets of zucchini, and all the neighbors closing their curtains and turning off their TVs so they can pretend they aren't home so they don't have to take any more zucchini, lol!

 

[GotGarlic]

I hadn't known that about the salicylates, that's really interesting, thank you for sharing that!

Aspirin also contains salicylic acid, so if that's the issue, be careful about taking aspirin.

I've eaten some rosemary in the past, in Italian food, for example, and never had ANY reaction to it, so, I'm wondering if this might be an issue of raw vs cooked, like it sounds like you have with banana. (If banana is FROZEN, does that alter it enough that you can safely consume it? It's a nice treat in warm weather.)

Heat/cooking can change the chemical makeup of substances in food; sometimes it destroys things (certain vitamins) and sometimes it makes vitamins or minerals more easy to digest.

Freezing breaks the cell walls of foods, which changes the physical texture (makes it softer), but I'm not aware of chemical changes from freezing.

There could also be an issue of dried rosemary vs fresh, since fresh has way more oil, or the acid in tomato sauce might be a factor.

There are a million chemical reactions that go on when you cook something.

I've told my friend the whole rosemary story. She has to throw a lot of rosemary away, because it has to be cut back faster than she can cook with it or give it to people...

I hope she's throwing it into a compost pile. I've had to do the same thing because it grows so prolifically.

... but besides that, I'm pretty sure she doesn't consider food that my husband ate and loved as having "wasted" her rosemary.

Well, it *wasn't* wasted!

She's a gourmet cook, and she was really impressed that I was able to come up with such a strong seasoning concept, so that was nice!

LOL! You did tell her the *entire* story, right? Because you and all the rest of us who commented in this thread came up with the concept!

 

[jennyema]

I dunno, that kind of sounds like the same situation as people going around the neighborhood with baskets of zucchini, and all the neighbors closing their curtains and turning off their TVs so they can pretend they aren't home so they don't have to take any more zucchini, lol!

Im with you on the zucchini...

But small jars of dried garden herbs make fabulous little gifts.

Basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, mint, sage, etc. Most people pay McCormack $$ for sad, old lesser quality stuff.

Your friend should at least dry some for herself rather than throw it away, IMO.

 

[caseydog]

I hadn't known that about the salicylates, that's really interesting, thank you for sharing that! I've eaten some rosemary in the past, in Italian food, for example, and never had ANY reaction to it, so, I'm wondering if this might be an issue of raw vs cooked, like it sounds like you have with banana. (If banana is FROZEN, does that alter it enough that you can safely consume it? It's a nice treat in warm weather.) There could also be an issue of dried rosemary vs fresh, since fresh has way more oil, or the acid in tomato sauce might be a factor.

Can Salicylates in Foods be Reduced Through Cooking? - Hungry to Heal

Research is starting to show that cooking food could also reduce salicylate values in food, thus widening the variety of healthy foods those with a sensitivity can consume.

hungrytoheal.com

I can eat bananas as long as they are cooked in some way. Banana-nut bread, Banana's Foster, or any other cooked bananas are fine. Freezing bananas doesn't help me. I tried one of those chocolate dipped frozen bananas, and had the same problem.

CD

 

[GotGarlic]

Im with you on the zucchini...

But small jars of dried garden herbs make fabulous little gifts.

Basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, mint, sage, etc. Most people pay McCormack $$ for sad, old lesser quality stuff.

Your friend should at least dry some for herself rather than throw it away, IMO.

I gave a friend a selection of dried herbs from my garden in pretty jars as a wedding shower gift, including a printed page of ideas for how to use them. She loved it.

 

[Jusa]

I dunno, that kind of sounds like the same situation as people going around the neighborhood with baskets of zucchini, and all the neighbors closing their curtains and turning off their TVs so they can pretend they aren't home so they don't have to take any more zucchini, lol!

Food bank?

 

[GinnyPNW]

Ahhh....what you need is a really cute kid with a red wagon to go around the neighborhood with the fruits and veggies to trade! That's what DH did when he was young. He traded all over the block. Of course, it worked much better back then. Nowadays, not so much...LOL.

 

[BurnsWater]

LOL! You did tell her the *entire* story, right? Because you and all the rest of us who commented in this thread came up with the concept!

Actually, there's nothing that anyone said in this thread that had any effect on my seasoning concept. The parsley and cilantro were both MY ideas, I double-checked to be sure; I brought up parsley in my original post, and I brought up cilantro several pages before anyone else suggested it. And, using the parsley and cilantro together was also my idea, based on how I make my green goddess dressing. I greatly appreciate all the attempts to help on this thread, but the rosemary + parsley + cilantro concept was 100% mine!