Handbook of Herbs and Spices - Volume 3

448 Handbook of herbs and spices

Bloody marys

Ingredients Amount

Tomato juice 1 quart

Lime juice^1 / 2 cup

Prepared horseradish 2 tablespoons

Tabasco sauce 1 tablespoon

Vodka 1 1 / 2 cup

Freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon

Lovage stalks 6–10 inches

Method of preparation

1. Combine all ingredients except lovage in a pitcher and stir well.


2. Pour over ice in six tall glasses.


3. Garnish with the lovage stalks, which should be used as straws.

Cream of lovage soup

Ingredients Amount

Butter 2 tablespoons

Onion (chopped) 2 medium

Potato (peeled and diced) 3–4 medium

Carrot (peeled and diced) 2–3 medium

Fresh lovage leaves (chopped)^1 / 2 cup

Chicken or vegetable stock 3 cups

Milk or light cream 1 cup

Grated nutmeg to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Method of preparation

1. Melt the butter and gently sauté the onions, potatoes, and carrots in a soup for

five minutes.

2. Add the lovage and cook for one minute longer.


3. Add the stock, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently until the potatoes and

carrots are soft, about 15 minutes.

4. Puree in a blender or push through a sieve and return to the pot.


5. Add a grating of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste and reheat.


6. Stir in milk or cream but do not allow boiling. It can be served hot or cold with

chopped lovage as garnish.

26.5 Functional/health benefits..............................................................

Lovage has long been used in traditional medicine, particularly as carminative, digestive,

diuretic, expectorant, antispasmodic and diaphoretic (Holtom and Hylton, 1979). In

Iranian folk medicine, lovage is used for the treatment of several gastrointestinal,

nervous and rheumatic disorders (Zargari, 1990). Its properties are similar to those

angelica but lovage is less known as a herb. The leaves and seeds are often used in

seasoning, and the rhizome and roots are used medicinally. Today lovage is still the

principal ingredient in many diuretic tea mixtures and is used to treat kidney stones,

jaundice, malaria, sore throat, pleurisy, rheumatism, gout, and boils (Bown, 1995).