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Fresh cilantro flavor unmatched

BY NORMAN WINTER

BY NORMAN WINTER

McClatchy Newspapers

Cilantro is to Mexican food what fuel is to a race car -- an absolutely essential item. It in fact has become my grading factor in determining whether or not I like certain Mexican food restaurants and woe to the grocery store that fails to stock fresh cilantro for my home cooked fajitas and Pico de Gallo.

Cilantro is grown for the aromatic foliage not only popular in Mexican dishes but used also in Middle East and Asian cuisine. As a further testimony to the zest cilantro provides, it is also known as Chinese parsley. The mildly narcotic seed known as coriander is popular in pickles, liqueurs, curries and dishes like ratatouille. The root is added to curries and the stems to beans and soups. Lastly it was even considered an Egyptian aphrodisiac.

Because of the popularity of Mexican food, the English word coriander is now being over-shadowed by the Spanish word cilantro. Would you believe that Americans now consume more salsa annually than they do ketchup?

The good news for you the gardeners is that cilantro is easily grown from seeds in well-prepared gardens, so you don't have to search every grocery store in five counties. Believe me when I say there is no substitute for its flavor and on the plus side it grows quickly to a usable stage. In fact it grows so fast you may want to sow multiple or succession crops to keep it around all season.

It is also good as a pot or container plant. Last year I saw a wonderful tub filled with cilantro, tomatoes and peppers. Everything you needed for a tasty salsa in one pot.

In the garden sow seeds 1/2 inch deep in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. The plants will reach 18 to 24 inches tall. You can have plants where you cut the leaves for fresh cilantro or harvest the whole plant when seeds are ripe, as the fruits begin to turn gray brown.

Harvest fresh tender leaves from the top and cut several inches down to bring on rapid new growth. You can prune the central stalk as it develops, which will help delay flower formation a little.

At my house, I like to smoke eight to 10 chicken leg quarters for about three hours or until just barely done. Then I will cut the meat off the bone and into small pieces placing in a foil roasting pan. I include 1 1/2 large bell peppers, one large chopped onion, chopped jalapenos, the amount depending on how wimpy the guests are, and 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro.

I then cook it directly over the coals until the vegetables become cooked. Placed on flour tortillas with refried beans, guacamole, cheese and homemade salsa and you have mouth-watering fajitas.