Oregano

Oregano. It’s not an herb I think much of or about. It’s not in my weekly fresh herb purchase alongside parsley, cilantro and dill. And, in its dried form, it doesn’t often make its way into my stews, dips and braises like coriander, fenugreek and mint do. And yet: I currently have three types of oregano in my pantry. Is oregano in herbs de Provence? If so, that means I have FOUR types of dried oregano. Four! For an herb I barely notice, oregano is taking up a lot of kitchen real estate. What’s next? Marjoram? 🤪

I have Mexican oregano for all of my south-of-the-border cooking needs. I have supermarket-branded oregano, for commonplace occasions, most recently a 🔥 tomato concoction from #OTKExtragoodthings that was anything but commonplace. Oh yeah: and the herbs de Provence…which I should just frankly throw away because what is that even for? Perhaps most importantly, I have Sicilian oregano direct from my in-laws’ trip to Catania and Palermo for when it’s 🍕 night chez nous.

I’m a purist when it comes to tomato sauce for pasta. It’s Marcella’s tomato+onion+butter or bust. No basil. No garlic. No herbs. Nope nope nope. But when it comes time for pizza? It’s time for oregano. A generous amount. Some sugar too. And red pepper flakes. I want it herby, I want it seasoned. I want it to taste so badly like the sauce on this pizza— the OG Detroit pie: Buddy’s. The best sauce. The best cheese. The best pizza. 🏆

Anyhoo, I was going to make Momofuku’s spicy rice cakes for Valentine’s Day dinner next week, but now, after this, @thegfw #oregano prompt, I’m thinking it might be pizza time. It’s been a while.