Thyme is an extremely fragrant herb with thin, woody stems and small, pungent leaves. Available in both fresh or dried, this herb is easily found in most supermarkets year-round. It has been a staple in southern European and Mediterranean cuisines for centuries. Thyme pairs well with meat, tomatoes, and beans. It is the main ingredient in the classic French herb combinations Boquet Garni and Herbes de Province. These herb blends are frequently used to flavor meat, stews, and soups. In Mediterranean cuisine, thyme is a popular seasoning for lamb dishes as the slightly floral flavor of thyme lightens the sometimes gamy taste of lamb.
Za'atar, a popular herb blend in Mediterranean cuisine, features thyme as the main ingredient. Thyme is also used to flavor cheeses, lentils, and even tea. Since thyme pairs so well with eggs, tomatoes, and cheese, it makes an excellent addition to omelets and egg strata. This herb is also an ideal seasoning for poultry; it can be found in a poultry seasoning blends as well as recipes for stuffing. Whether you are using fresh or dried thyme will determine the amount used as dried herbs are much more potent than fresh.
Fresh thyme can be added to a recipe whole with the stem, or the leaves can be removed from the stem and then sprinkled into a dish. If a recipe calls for a "sprig" of thyme, the leaves and stem should be kept intact. When adding a whole sprig of thyme to soups, stews, or other recipes, the leaves usually fall off during cooking and the woody stem can be removed prior to serving. If a recipe calls for "fresh thyme," the leaves need to be pulled off of the stem.
To remove the leaves from a sprig of fresh thyme, simply hold the sprig at the top with one hand, pinch the sprig at the top with the other hand, and then slide those fingers down the stem, which will pull off the leaves as you go. The leaves will detach easily. Fresh thyme leaves are so small that they usually require no chopping. But if you show them the love they deserve, the payoff can be huge. You paid for the whole bunch, right? You might as well get your money's worth.
Any green, herby sauce makes a good home for those leftover herb stems. They can help to fill out a blended sauce like pesto —it's kind of all the same when you buzz it up like that—and when chopped finely they add flavor and a bit of crunch to looser sauces, like a simple salsa verde.
Get 'em in there! Boost the flavor in your bean broth with some parsley stems. When building a quick broth, you need as much help as you can get in the flavor-building category. Parmesan rinds, miso, and alliums like garlic and onions are all great, but herb stems belong in that pot too. But no one on staff seemed to know what a pasta measurer was, because, frankly, they're a single-use tool you really don't need.
Even worse, there is actually a tool made and sold for this specific purpose: the ZipStrip Herb Zipper. Luckily, there's a much more useful kitchen tool that you can turn to solve your woody herb problems: a fine-mesh strainer. Simply push the end of the thyme stem through a hole and carefully but forcefully pull the stem through.
The leaves will be collected in the strainer, ready to use whole or be chopped.
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