For thousands of years herbs have been grown and gathered for their medicinal and food enhancing properties. Here's how to bring that magic into your home.
Enliven simple dishes with almost magical herb and oil blends. Take your foods to the next level of gourmet flavor. Herb-infused oils have long been the secret of gourmet chefs. Now you can have the joy of enhancing almost each and every salad, entrée or side dish by simply adding fresh herbs in this way. Make homemade seasoned oil blends of your favorites.
Use the Oil that Works
Use good quality oils. Mild oils like sunflower or canola work well with delicate foods like fish, shrimp, crab, lobster and light vegetables like asparagus, where you don’t want to overpower the delicate flavor of the food itself. Extra virgin olive oil, which is the first pressing, works well with most foods if you just want to stick to a one-oil version.
How to Make Homemade Herb-Oil Blends
Bruise herbs by placing the herbs on a cutting board and lightly rolling over them with a rolling pin or pressing them with your hands. This will release the encapsulated pungent properties of the herb itself. Use a ration of about 1 part bruised herbs to 8 parts oil. Heat the oil until warm but not hot and place oil and herbs in a glass bottle. A decorative bottle is great, but a wine bottle is also suitable. Use more herbs for a more pungent infusion. Anna Kruger suggests in An Illustrated Guide To Herbs, Their Medicine and Magic "to stand the bottle in a warm place and turn every day or so for 2 weeks." Check the flavor profile after a week and if a more intense flavor is desired, add more herbs to the mixture. Herb-oil blends will last for at least 2 months.
To Make Vinegar-Infused Dressings
Heat the vinegar first and add 1/3 cup oil for every ¼ cup vinegar. Wine may also be added in a ratio of 3 tablespoons for every ¼ cup vinegar. Double the ratio of herbs (2 parts herbs to 8 parts liquid). For instance, if you are making 1 cup dressing, add 2 tablespoons dried herbs or 4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs.These are only basic estimates. Additional herbs may be added to accommodate desired tastes. Basil, marjoram, thyme, garlic and rosemary work well for salad dressings, stir-fry dressings and marinades. Turn as above and check flavor profile in a week. Add more herbs if needed. When serving dressing, add sweetener and/or salt and pepper to taste. The dressing stores well at room temperature for 2 months.
Make Delicious Pesto Sauces
To make pesto sauce, place in a blender 2 ounces (50 grams) each of fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, and grated parmesan cheese. Add 3 crushed garlic cloves and ¼ cup (100ml) olive oil. Blend until mixture becomes a thick puree. Serve over pasta, as an appetizer with bread toasts, or add to sauces and salads to enhance their flavor profiles. Keep refrigerated to extend shelf life. Bring to room temperature to serve, or add to cooking ingredients.
Herb Honey Blends and Herb Vinegars
Flavor warmed honey for salads and breads by adding bruised fresh sage leaves, rose petals, thyme sprigs or lemon balm. Place in a warm place and turn daily for a week. Simply strain and use. For flavorful herb-infused vinegars, use a 500ml (17.5fl oz) bottle of white wine or apple cider vinegar and follow the directions for making the homemade herb-oil blends. Place 4 large sprigs of tarragon, basil, rosemary thyme, fennel or dill into the vinegar. Infused vinegar blends are great for sauces, stocks marinades and salad dressings. The vinegar blends will keep for up to 12 months.
The Joy of Storing Herbs in Oils
To enjoy the pleasure of adding fresh herbs to your homemade
dishes all year round, simply take zip-lock plastic freezer bags and add oil and your choice of herbs like basil and garlic. Lay the bag completely flat in your freezer shelf; like on top of a frozen pizza carton. For freezing purposes, place ¾ cup oil and ¾ cup coarsely chopped herbs in sandwich-size bags. Be sure the oil is not thicker than a quarter inch or so. It is easy to just open the bag and break off the right amount of frozen pieces to add to your soups, casseroles and pasta dishes all winter. Have gourmet flavors all year by freezing your most often used herbs. Enjoy.
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