What is the most efficient way to prepare (very small) fresh oregano leaves?
While making my manicotti tonight, I received a painful reminder that the stuffing isn't actually the most tedious part of the process - it's pulling all the tiny leaves off the oregano stems. It seems as though the oregano I'm able to buy here is not fully grown; it's been like this for as long as I can remember.
Obviously the stems are stiff, and bitter, and generally no good to throw in the mix, at least not with any of the recipes I use. So I really need to get the leaves off the stems, and with this oregano, it's a painful process.
I've tried obvious routes, like "stripping" the leaves off the stems with my hands or a knife, but it doesn't really work. The stems are too hardy, and if I strip them hard enough to get the leaves off then I usually end up stripping the stem with it. And laying the stems flat on a cutting board and trying to chop the leaves off directly is almost impossible; the leaves are so tiny and irregularly distributed that it ends up taking longer than just pulling the things apart with my hands.
Am I missing something obvious? Is there a way to prepare these oregano leaves that's more fun than watching paint dry?
Best Answer
If you're using it in something long-simmering, like soup or spaghetti sauce, you can tie a bundle together (with cooking twine or unflavored dental floss) stems and all and toss it into the pot. As it cooks, most of the oregano leaves will fall off into the food and even those that don't will impart a lot of flavor into the dish. At the end, just pull out the bundle like you would bay leaves. I've never had trouble with the stems leaching bitter flavor when using this method.
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Answer 2
Are you sure you're talking about oregano? Oregano doesn't have tiny leaves, and it's quite simple to use the pinch and strip technique to take all the leaves off in one fell swoop. The hardy central stem is actually a benefit here because it's less likely to break when you do the pinch.
I found a video on youtube, jump to the one minute mark.
Answer 3
I agree with just sitting and picking the leaves off. It's no harder than shelling beans. Kind of therapeutic! Personally, I prefer the large fleshy Cuban oregano leaf. It's easy to work with and hard to kill when growing.
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