In Italian we use the same word to refer to thyme, the beloved herb, and to thymus, the lymphoid organ located behind the sternum. I will devote the rest of the post to timo, the herb.
The genus Thymus, family Labiatae, contains many species. I planted two of them in my little herb garden: Lemon Thyme (photo on the left), and German (Winter) Thyme (photo on the right). I also have some Silver Thyme in a big pot in front of the house: its leaves have a silver rim. I love thyme and I use its tiny fragrant leaves often. They are precious little things, with an enormous power to impart flavor. I don’t recall my mother ever using thyme in her cooking, so this herb is a relatively new discovery for me.
For this post, I decided to invent something. Last Wednesday evening, I was by myself for dinner, a rather unusual occurrence. Besides foglie di timo (thyme leaves), I wanted to eat a beautiful porro (leek) leftover from a recent purchase at the farmers’ market, and here is what I did. I washed the leek, white and light green part, following Lucy’s method, then sliced it. In the meantime, I warmed up a small frying pan generously sprayed with olive oil. I added the leek slices and the leaves of two sprigs of thyme, then cooked, over medium-low heat, until the leek was soft to my liking, stirring every now and then to avoid sticking. I added some vegetable broth to keep the leek moist1.
When the leek was ready, I adjusted the salt and sprinkled a few leaves of maggiorana (marjoram), an herb I like a lot as well, which is conveniently planted next to my lemon thyme. While the leek was cooking, I poached an egg, following the instructions on this page (option: No poacher). Poached egg is uovo in camicia (shirt). A few seconds before the egg was ready, I spooned the leek in a bowl, then gently placed the poached egg over the prepared pale green bed and finished off the dish with a tablespoon of parmigiano, freshly grated. I took a quick photo and then enjoyed my creation, especially the bites that got some of the yolk mixed with the leek. I definitely will make this again. Note that I did not use any salt (besides that in the water for poaching the egg), but you can certainly do it, adding it to the leek when it is cooked.
1 Addendum: I have since made the dish a couple more times and measured a quarter cup of added liquid, 2 tablespoons broth, 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon white wine.
This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, a food blogging event started over two years ago by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen and hosted this week by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook, and a very kind cook, too. Susan has announced that she will give away a copy of Aliza Green’s “Field Guide to Herbs and Spices” to one of the participants. Thanks Susan! Here is the roundup of WHB #129.
Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:
or launch the timo audio file [mp3].
[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]
Interesting indeed, the Greeks call marjoram, “Mantzourana”.
Lovely, Simona. This is just the sort of light supper one dining alone would indulge in. Leeks, thyme and marjoram are an ideal trio enhancing the egg’s delicacy.
Thank you for sharing this recipe for WHB!
Grazie per la cartolina di auguri, grazie grazie grazie 🙂
Wonderful-sounding meal. I didn’t know there were different types of thyme — like lemon and German thyme. Cool. How long does it take to grow?
Paz
Hi Simona, I too am a fairly new lover of thyme, I can’t remember it being used a lot when I was growing up. It’s one of my favorite herbs, besides basil of course (my first love). Your leeks with the poached egg sounds simple and so flavorful!
I used to plant thyme between the stones in my garden path. When you step on it, it releases a gorgeous scent. I like the lemon but the chocolate thyme was very unique 🙂
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Leeks with thyme and egg sounds just wonderful. I love thyme, just planted some today!
Oh, Simona, I love both thyme and marjoram! This is a beautiful, gentle dish for one.
And is ‘poached egg’ really ‘egg in shirt’? It’s such a lyrical language.
Lovely.
I am embarrassed to say that I only came across your excellent blog by chance today. Really impressive and a great read.
Complimenti!
Buon lavoro, Jeremy
I’ve never heard about the connection between thyme and the thymus. Is there a common origin? Or they happen to have the same name in Italian?
Thanks Peter for the note: a very similar word, indeed.
You are welcome, Susan. It was certainly a delicious indulgence.
Prego, Baol.
Hi Paz. The lemon thyme is probably 9 months old and the German thyme 6 or so. In both cases I bought a small plant. When the plant is small, I harvest only small quantities. The lemon thyme is at a point where I could harvest some every day.
Thanks Marie. Basil is a little bit in a category of its own. But I like to add as many herbs as possible to my dishes: the results are always interesting.
Chocolate thyme, Maryann: that’s a concept. I will look for it: it sounds like something I would love.
You have such a beautiful garden, Kalyn. I will follow its progress during the good season.
Hi Lucy. It sounds rather lyrical, I agree. Another example of a simple, yet so satisfying, dish.
Hi Jeremy and welcome to briciole. Thanks for your kind words. I am glad you found my blog and I am glad you like it.
Hi Ranyee. Good question. I found what looks to me like conflicting information regarding the origin of the words and decided not to venture an opinion. I will keep an eye open for a satisfactory explanation.
That sounds amazing! I’m adding leeks to my shopping list!
Le erbe aromatiche sono fondamentali in cucina, per dare carattere alle varie preparazioni.
Bacioni
Right up my alley. I’ll take a perfectly poached egg atop any vegetable!
Great Georgetta, I am sure you won’t regret it.
Sono d’accordo, cara Lenny.
Agree, Lori Lynn. A perfect treat.
I like your invention! And your way of describing how you made it. And the photo!
I don’t use marjoram enough. I must explore that.
Thanks, Lisa. I like marjoram a lot. I am not sure how easy it is to find fresh marjoram in the stores.