Q&A for How to Use Oregano in Cooking

Oregano goes well with lamb, chicken, seafood, tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes. It is a great addition to soups, stews and casseroles. Egg dishes can be enhanced by the addition of oregano. Oregano is a good addition whenever lemon is used in a savory dish. Finally, it's a useful and flavor enhancing addition to stuffing.

Both fresh and dried oregano play a useful role in cooking. Fresh oregano is a good choice when you have access to it readily but dried oregano keeps longer and can be used during all seasons. Dried oregano also tends to have a more potent flavor, so less is needed. Finally, some cooks prefer one over the other, so it's helpful to try each to make up your own mind. If you like dried oregano a lot, try drying your own at home, so it's fresh and of good quality.

An easy and long-used recipe for adding oregano potatoes is this simple one: Wash the potatoes; peeling is not necessary unless you want them peeled. Then toss the potatoes in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and fresh or dried oregano. Place in a baking dish and bake for an hour or so at around 350ºF/180ºC until baked. Remove and serve immediately; add a few sprigs of fresh oregano to the plate if wished.

Oregano can be used in many Indian dishes. You can add a small amount of fresh or dried oregano to any dish that features potatoes or cauliflower, since these veggies pair well with this herb. You can also try replacing cumin in any recipe with oregano, since they both have very bold and robust flavors. For a specific recipe, try making aloo methi, which is potatoes with fenugreek, and replace the fenugreek with oregano.

It depends on what you're cooking. And unless you're a very proficient cook, never eyeball the measurement of oregano, as there's a very thin line between just enough and too much.

Yes.

Yes, you can add it directly to the pasta sauce to give it more flavor.

Yes, you can.

Try using a bit of thyme and pepper.

Yes, you can use oregano in dried black eyed peas.