Marjoram – A piquant sauce!

I grow Pot Marjoram as a perennial herb. The other variety, Sweet Marjoram isn’t so hardy though it has the better flavour. I grow this variety afresh every year. Being Mediterranean plants they like full sun (in this country!) and good drainage. Once established in a spot they like they will do very well. However it is a herb that gets forgotten in my garden and I don’t use it as much as I should. Here is a superb recipe for a sauce to serve with sausages, beef burgers or meat loaf. Or mix with cooked spaghetti and serve with a bowl of grated cheese to sprinkle over the spaghetti.

Pizzaiola Sauce

1 tbsp freshly chopped marjoram

2 onions, 2 garlic cloves, 1 green pepper

1 dsp olive oil

2oz mushrooms, 1lb tomatoes

5fl oz stock

Tomato paste, chilli sauce, salt and pepper

Mince the peeled onions and garlic cloves. De-seed the pepper and dice the flesh. Heat the oil in a pan and fry garlic and onions over gently heat for 5minutes. Add diced pepper and cook for further 15 minutes before adding chopped mushrooms and skinned and chopped tomatoes.

Stir in the marjoram and add the stock. Blend thoroughly and cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with tomato paste, chilli sauce and salt and pepper.

_______________________

Marjoram leaves can also be mixed with sugar and used to flavour bread and butter or rice puddings.