Oregano

You can find oregano in our Teadrop Herb Garden at Green Olive at Red Hill.

 

Interesting Facts about Oregano

Oregano is a herb of the mint family that is endemic to Eurasia and the Mediterranean. Oregano is related to marjoram and is sometimes even called wild marjoram. It is easy to grow in a sunny spot in your garden and makes a great addition to a variety of cuisines. Oregano plants produce pretty purple flowers but are most often used for its leaves which feature in many Italian dishes. American soldiers who fought during World War II brought oregano back to America when they returned from the war, calling it the “pizza herb”.

 

Culinary Uses for Oregano

Oregano can be used both fresh and dried, but its warm flavour comes out better when it is dried. At Green Olive at Red Hill, we dry our oregano and use it to flavour our herbed lamb meatballs served with farm made tomato relish and lamb sausages served with farm made capsicum relish. It is also used in “Mojo sauce” which is a delicious accompaniment to pulled pork. Here’s our recipe for Mojo sauce:

 

Mojo Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

5 red chillies

3 tsp cumin seeds, toasted

8 bay leaves

1 bunch fresh oregano

200g dark muscovado sugar

3 limes zested and juiced

3 oranges zested and juices

1kg red peppers, diced

1 bunch spring onion

4 tsp tomato paste

 

Method

1. Sauté the oregano with the red peppers, chillies, cumin seeds and bay leaves until the red peppers are soft.

2. Grill the spring onions and add to the red pepper mix. Then add the sugar, lime juice, orange juice and tomato paste to the red pepper mix.

3. Remove the bay leaves and blitz the picture into a paste. Rub the paste into pork shoulder and slow roast until tender.

4. Strain all liquid from the pork and reduce it to a sauce consistency.

5. Leave the sauce in the fridge until the fat has separated, then skim the fat from the top

6. Pull the pork and mix with the sauce.

Banner photo credit: Professor Z

Cover photo credit: The Old Farmer's Almanac