Cilantro

Originally a Spanish herb, cilantro is indispensable in Veracruzan cooking. I realize that not everyone has access to fresh epazote, even though it is a common seasonal roadside weed in many parts of the United States. The dried herb is all right for some uses, but it doesn’t work at all in sauces that are essentially purees based on fresh greens. In such cases, I vote to go with “fresh” and “green” rather than “epazote,” and add a large amount of cilantro to supply the necessary body.