Oregano
Used in 5 recipes on RecipeWiki.
Dried oregano is the form this page covers, and in RecipeWiki's recipes it turns up in Mexican dishes, where it brings a warm, peppery, slightly bitter herbal note to braised and marinated meat. Unlike most leafy herbs, oregano keeps much of its character when dried and stands up to long cooking. It seasons the braising liquid of Birria de Res and the pork of Carnitas. Mexican oregano, from a different plant related to verbena, is more citrusy and grassy than the Mediterranean kind; either works, but use the Mexican one if you can find it. Crumble it between your palms as it goes in to wake its aroma, and replace jars that no longer smell strongly.
Most often cooked with
Onion
Garlic
Corn tortilla
Cumin
Tomato
Ancho chilli
Bay leaf
Cider vinegarRecipes with oregano
Birria de Res
Beef braised in a deep red chilli broth until it shreds, served as a stew or folded into tacos dipped in its own fat.
Beef
Mexican
Stews
Carnitas
Pork shoulder simmered in its own fat until it falls apart, then crisped in the same pan so half of it shatters.
Pork
Chilli con Carne
Beef mince simmered for two hours in a paste of toasted, soaked dried chillies, with beans added late and finished with dark chocolate and lime.
American
Dinner
Greek Salad
Ripe tomatoes salted until they release their juice, with cucumber, pepper, onion, stoned olives and a whole slab of feta, dressed with oil and oregano and no lettuce.
30 minutes
Cheese
No-cook
Tacos al Pastor
Chilli-and-pineapple marinated pork, grilled hard and served in small tortillas with onion, coriander and more pineapple.
