Have you discovered thyme yet? This carefree and versatile herb is a hero in stews, casseroles, root vegetables, and meat dishes. It also holds up well to heat. Thyme is at its best when fresh, but fortunately it's also available dried. This fragrant and aromatic herb works wonderfully as a crowning touch for both vegetarian dishes and meat, and its lovely flavor deserves to be highlighted with a carefully chosen red wine.
A Beautiful and Bold Herb
Thyme should have a strong flavor, and it's used especially with meat dishes and in soups. At Robbe's Little Garden, all thyme is grown in vertical cultivation. Precisely calibrated conditions bring out the best qualities of thyme. The selected light spectrum ensures that the plant's oil content is high. High oil content in the plant gives it that characteristic strong flavor. Robbe's thyme really packs a punch!
Sensitive-rooted thyme is a demanding herb. Overwatering isn't good for the plant, as the root system ends up in an oxygen-deprived state and rots. Thyme thrives best in light, slightly sandy soil. It's worth transplanting into a larger pot in spring. This way the plant produces additional shoots, and you can enjoy it longer. Thyme can also be planted in a vegetable bed in spring and summer, or you can create your own little herb garden from large pots. What a lovely spring project for both experienced and beginner gardeners!
Wine and Thyme on a Flavor Journey
Thyme's wide circle of friends includes, for example, the lively and popular Lopez de Haro Organic Tempranillo, which happily pairs with thyme's old friends like stews, meats, and aged cheeses. This full-bodied and robust "meat wine" comes from Spain's Rioja Alta wine region and is made from the flavorful Tempranillo grape.
This food wine gives a meal its finishing touch, and flavors come through even better with it. Thyme as a spice is naturally full of flavor, so its wine companion doesn't need to be shy either. This equal duo complements each other beautifully! Lopez de Haro Organic Tempranillo is also vegan, so you can absolutely serve vegan delicacies with it.
As a versatile spice, thyme makes a good companion for dish after dish. In addition to meat, it's perfect for root vegetables and potatoes, and it's worth keeping in the kitchen either fresh, dried, or even both. Thyme seasons food nicely throughout the cooking process when added to the ingredients early on. It's in its element in marinades. You can also use thyme to season, for example, traditional mustard into something really tasty. Give it a try!
Thyme Mustard (this recipe makes about 1 dl of finished mustard)
0.75 dl mustard powder (Colman's)
0.5 tsp salt
1 dl muscovado or raw cane sugar
1.5 dl cream (or oat cream)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 bunch of thyme, leaves picked
Here's how:
Put the mustard powder, salt, sugar, and cream in a heavy-bottomed pot. Stir. Place the pot on the stove and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stirring the ingredients in the pot ensures the mustard doesn't burn on the bottom. The mixture is ready when it becomes thicker and starts to bubble slightly. Pick the leaves from the thyme. Add the white wine vinegar and thyme leaves to the mixture and stir well. Finally, pour the finished mustard into a glass jar and let it develop flavor for at least overnight. And then just enjoy!
