Hoja de laurel

I dropped two of these into a pot of rice last night and the whole kitchen smelled like my grandma's Sunday cooking. The leaves are whole and sturdy, not the crushed bits I've gotten before, so they actually hold up through a long simmer.

These bay leaves came in a bigger bag than I expected for the price, and they're whole, not cracked or dusty like some I've bought. I've been dropping one or two into rice and stews and the aroma actually comes through.

Tossed a couple of these into my lentil soup and the whole kitchen smelled like a proper Sunday dinner. The leaves held up fine through an hour of simmering instead of turning to mush.