Green chervil Healthy anise flavor for the summer kitchen

In the spring kitchen chervil must not be missing. The "French parsley" is a fine accompaniment to asparagus and potatoes. The tender leaves also give fish, poultry and salads an interesting note. For a delicious chervil soup potatoes and onions are cut into small pieces, cooked, pureed and briefly boiled with milk and finely chopped chervil. Especially the French appreciate the subtle aniseed aroma, which is also present in the herbal mixture "Fine Herbes".

Interestingly, chervil highlights the aroma of other herbs such as borage, dill and parsley. Those who cook with spring herbs provide the body with valuable ingredients such as essential oils, vitamins A and C, iron, magnesium and calcium. In the Middle Ages, the plant was in many monastery gardens, as it cleanses the blood, promotes appetite and stimulates circulation and kidney activity.

Healthy chervil goes well with grilled meat. Image: ExQuisine -fotolia

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) belongs to the plant family of Umbelliferae and is closely related to dill and parsley. At first glance, it can easily be mistaken for young, parsley. However, chervil is much daintier and grows only one year old. His home is probably in southern Europe or the Caucasus. Today, the chervil is distributed worldwide and can be found in its wild form "ordinary meadow chervil" in the summer on meadows and on roadsides.

Fresh chervil leaves smell sweet and sweet and have a strong-spicy taste. Just before flowering, the aroma is particularly intense. The leaves and tender stems are best used as fresh as possible. The chopped green is not mitgegart, but added just before serving or simply sprinkled over the finished dish. In this way, the aroma is well preserved.

Chervil is available in a pot or in a bunch. For dried and cleaned goods you have to make the aroma. Chervil can also be easily pulled on the windowsill or in your own herb garden. When regularly cut, new leaves grow again and again, and the harvest can be extended into the summer. Heike Kreutz, bzfe.de