So, Livejournals:

[leahbobet]

What might I do with THIS MUCH fresh organic locavore farmer's market coriander?

Comments

[rosefox]

Puree and freeze?

Send some to me? *)

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Oh, so it would freeze okay? I got the feeling that was not so much on.

(And I would consider it, but the mean TSA men always take my yummies at the border. Sigh.)

[rosefox]

Most herbs freeze pretty well, though cilantro is fairly volatile and really best used fresh. If you want to freeze them whole, I recommend washing the leaves, shaking them dry (no need to be super thorough; you just don't want them too sodden), spreading them on a paper-lined baking sheet (either parchment paper or wax paper), and sticking them in your freezer overnight. The next day, peel them off the paper and stick them in a plastic bag. This works well with berries too.

Another option is to pack ice cube trays full of the whole leaves, cover them with water, and freeze them.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Cool -- thanks! The ice cube thing I have a dim memory of...

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

I thought the freeze suggestion was whole-leaf to be defrosted and used whole-leaf, which would result in icky slimy leaves--ew! Puréed and frozen is a whole nother thing.

[tithenai.livejournal.com]

EVERYTHING. Most involving garlic.

Lentil soup with garlic and coriander.

Breakfast-potatoes with garlic and coriander.

A large variety of stews!

A large variety of salads!

EVERYTHING is better with coriander. Even ice cream. And doorknobs.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

I must admit the last time I licked my doorknob it tasted kind of poorly, and I felt coriander would probably improve it.

[tithenai.livejournal.com]

It's a problem. But no problem is too great for coriander.

The more you know.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

And knowing is half the battle.

(The other half is coriander.)

[wirewalking.livejournal.com]

Coriander = cilantro?

If so? JUICE IT. WITH PINEAPPLE AND GINGER AND PEARS/APPLES. *DIES*

Also if = cilantro? It's HIGHLY detoxifying. So if you have too much of it at once (particularly juiced), you might get a bit of a tipsy/woozy feeling in the head.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

...yo.

I have all of that except the pineapple.

[wirewalking.livejournal.com]

I would recommend the acquisition of the pineapple. Haven't tried without it, though, so I could be totally missing out! Do report back. As I can't teleport you a pineapple. Meh!

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

I will report! Once I find a pineapple.

This will probably be tomorrow.

[wirewalking.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I tend to throw in a bunch of some other greens with it .. actually, this is the best use I've come up with for carrot greens, which I find inedible cooked (way too chewy!). Green juices rock.

[coraa.livejournal.com]

I also freeze it -- I don't puree, I just chop it (not too finely, but finely enough that it can be packed into an ice-cube tray without sticking up too much), pack it into an ice-cube tray, and cover with water to freeze. Freezing immersed in water seems to preserve the flavor (and color) pretty well, though of course it defrosts very soft. But you can basically use the defrosted stuff in any context where a crisp/crunchy texture isn't important -- basically, anything but 'in a salad' or 'as a garnish.'

I also like to make a salad out of mangoes and avocados that's heavy on the cilantro. It's made of a large quantity of sliced avocadoes and mangoes, a smaller quantity of something crisp and neutral-flavored for texture (about a third as much of that as of mangoes and avocadoes -- sprouts work well, as do shredded cabbage or shredded iceburg lettuce), and a big handful of chopped cilantro. Dressed very lightly with a lemon-honey-black-pepper dressing. If you don't like, or have, mangoes or avocadoes, any not-too-hard fruit that you do like would also work (peaches, pineapples, what have you).

I have also replaced part of the parsley in a tabbouleh with cilantro, but then, I really, really like cilantro. :D Mileage may vary.

[cassiphone.livejournal.com]

You can make pesto with coriander instead of basil - and pesto uses up huge amounts of herb!

[clarentine]

This is more or less what I'd recommend, also. If my memory holds, it's used more often in recipes with oil, not with water, so freezing with water means you'd have limp, wet stuff you'd then have to drain. If you use oil - either with processed coriander leaves or whole - you can simply reduce the amount of oil in your recipe and put the whole thawed cube into the pot/bowl/etc.

Works great with basil, too. This one I have experience with. *g* Nothing like fresh-tasting herbs in January!

[chibibluebird.livejournal.com]

Vietnamese sub - mostly coriander, with some shredded carrots, cucumbers, and peppers and cheese.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

...oh hey. They do those on Spadina for a dollar each, and the only catch is that you might bite down into a hot pepper and burn your mouth off for the rest of the day. *g*

[sarcasm-hime.livejournal.com]

I did that....I think they're evil bastards. It was hidden RIGHT in the middle.

[kats-kradle.livejournal.com]

...Burn it?

<---is very allergic

In all seriousness, I hear that people who can taste it paste the soap flavour like it chopped up on fresh tomatoes and a little lime juice squeezed on top.

[seabream.livejournal.com]

I actually like it fried in really hot oil and seasoned with a bit of soya sauce. Not something I do very often, but it is tasty. I find it particularly good with salmon or rainbow trout. That's a handful or two anyway.

[skwirly.livejournal.com]

Guacamole! Nom nom. Actually I almost always have a bunch of cilantro in my fridge, because my favorite lunch is to chop up whatever leftover meat or roasted/sauteed veggie I've got from dinner previously and toss it in a tortilla (or, uh, four) with any fresh salady type veggies I've got (I've always got tomatoes and avocados around [why isn't avocados avocadoes if tomatoes is tomatoes?]) and top the whole with a bit of sour cream and lots of cilantro.

Alternatively, best sandwich ever: Tomato, avocado, cheddar, cilantro. SO GOOD.

And finally, last night I made this salad (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/vietnamese-chicken-and-mint-salad-recipe/index.html) for dinner and used a whole bunch of cilantro in addition to the mint (it could even replace it) and it was SO GOOD OMG.

[haruhiko.livejournal.com]

1. Guacamole. I like my guacamole simple: minced garlic, sea salt, lime juice, coriander, and NOTHING ELSE.

2. Any basic chicken or veg or fish soup is brightened up with some coriander + lemon juice (or lime).

3. As someone mentioned, banh mi (Vietnamese sub), with sweet, vinegar-pickled carrots/daikon, onion, coriander, sliced meats/cheeses, sliced jalapeno, etc.

3a. Vietnamese spring rolls.

4. Salsa: Tomatoes, red/purple onion, sea salt, jalapeno, lime juice, lots of coriander.

5. Great on top of hummus.

6. In tacos, whether they're fish tacos, vegetarian, pork, chicken, beef, etc.

7. Sprinkle on top of pozole.

8. For storage I would chop it finely and place it in ice cube trays, but I would use oil instead of water to pour over it.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Curry!!

Also, carrot & coriander soup.

Also, more curries.