What are some good ways to use cilantro in cookling? I have a ton of it I grew and am out of ideas of how to?

Question

use it. I don't think I can dry it and use it. It does not last too long, so any ideas?

Answer 1

Cilantro is great in sauces such as salsa! You can also add it to rice. Mmm!

Answer 2

You can substitute cilantro for basil pesto. You can also make cilantro-lime rice like Chipotle. Or make your own salad dressing featuring cilantro. I throw a huge bunch into homemade marinara.

I also like to throw a bit into some corn, chopped red pepper, butter and cumin to make a mexican type corn (I cook the first 4 ingredients together until done, and stir in the cilantro afterward).

if you don't want to use it all at once now, you can chop finely or mince it all, place 1 Tablespoon in each section of an ice cube tray, fill with a little water, and freeze. When frozen, pop out and store in a freezer bag or container and take out a block or two at a time to throw directly into your sauces, cooking, etc. according to how many Tablespoons you need.

Answer 3

All of the above answers, or mix it with boiled potatoes, butter and some cooked veggies. Here is the most wonderful recipe I have to make an exquisite dipping sauce out of cilantro. It works really well in a mini-food processor:

Aniko's Cilantro Chutney:
2C firmly packed cilantro leaves
1/4 C mint leaves
1 jalapeno pepper (take out seeds and stem)
1/2 tart green apple
3 small shallots
2 slices fresh ginger
1 T lime juice
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sugar (or splenda)
Freshly ground black pepper
5-6 oz plain yogurt

Process all but yogurt in the food processor.
Add yogurt and chill for a few hours.

Answer 4

My husband makes an excellent cilantro ranch salad dressing...it's good with salad topped with grilled steak. You could add some chopped cilantro to prepared ranch dressing and let it mingle for a while in the fridge, or make your own dressing. The recipe we use is actually an Atkins recipe.
http://www.atkins.com/recipes/g/garlic-ranch-dressing-385/?searchterm=ranch
You can also mix it into any cold salad, such as a pasta, rice, or couscous salad. Great chopped on top of sliced fresh tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and sherry vinegar. Also great in chicken or tuna salad.

Answer 5

Hello! I use cilantro in almost every thing I cook. But my favorite is to add it to chicken dishes. I make chicken cutlets and the seasoning blend I put together is Cilantro, salt and pepper oregano, and basil. I mix this in a little flour or if you choose not to use flour it can be added to bread crumbs. I dip chicken in flour then egg then bread crumbs, but have also done it with out flour, I brown on both sides a golden color and cooked thoroughly.
Note, I split my boneless chicken breasts before cooking, if you do not, then you must put in oven for 20 to 25 minutes additional time.

Answer 6

Hello, do you like salads. I am a avid salad eater and I use to grow cilantro and peppers, I would make my salads and then chop up the cilantro really fine and add it to my lettuce ( for a side kicker I did the same with my peppers, it was very good
try it .....

Answer 7

You can liqueify and place in bottle in fridge - this way it can last a very very long time. Also cilantro is very good for seasoning all type os meat before cooking.

Answer 8

Do a search on food network or another for cilantro. It should give you ideas.

Answer 9

you can also put the cilantro into a food mill or grinder and grind it up and then place it in an air tight container and that way you will have some for later when needed

Answer 10

Try making a base for everthing you cook to giv it more flavor, like ........


Sofrito


There is no other recipe I could have chosen to open with. This is the one indispensable, universal, un-live-withoutable recipe. Having said that, it is incredibly easy to make with ingredients you can find at the supermarket. And if you can't find all the ingredients I list below see the note that follows for a very simple fix. What sofrito does is add freshness, herbal notes and zing to dishes -- you can do that with the onion, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro and tomato alone.

In my house, sofrito makes its way into everything from yellow rice, black bean soup, sauce for spaghetti and meatballs to braised chicken and sautéed shrimp. Not only that, it freezes beautifully, so in about In 10 minutes you can make enough sofrito to flavor a dozen dishes. I'm telling you, this stuff does everything but make the beds. Try out your first batch of sofrtio in the recipes you'll find throughout this site, or add sofrito to some of your own favorite dishes that could use a little boost. You will change the way you cook. I guarantee it.

Makes about 4 cups.
If you can't find ajices dulces or culantro, don't sweat. Up the amount of cilantro to 1 ½ bunches.

2 medium Spanish onions, cut into large chunks
3 to 4 Italian frying peppers or cubanelle peppers
16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large bunch cilantro, washed
7 to 10 ajices dulces (see note below), optional
4 leaves of culantro (see note below), or another handful cilantro
3 to 4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks


Chop the onion and cubanelle or Italian peppers in the work bowl of a food processor until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients one at a time and process until smooth. The sofrito will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It also freezes beautifully. Freeze sofrito in ½ cup batches in sealable plastic bags. They come in extremely handy in a pinch. You can even add sofrito straight from the freezer to the pan in any recipe that calls for it in this book.
Pantry Notes: Ajices Dulces, also known as cachucha or ajicitos are tiny sweet peppers with a hint of heat. They range in color from light to medium green and yellow to red and orange. They add freshness and an herby note to the sofrito and anything you cook. Do not mistake them for Scotch bonnet or Habanero chilies (which they look like)--those two pack a wallop when it comes to heat. If you can find ajicitos in your market, add them to sofrito. If not, up the cilantro and add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Culantro is not cilantro. It has long leaves with tapered tips and serrated edges. When it comes to flavor, culantro is like cilantro times ten. It is a nice, not essential addition to sofrito. (See Sources for both the above.)