One of the inevitable things about growing your own food is the glut. Tomatoes, courgettes, radish, apples and herbs seem to come at you with a ferocious need to be cooked and preserved. Over the years I have tried and tested many recipes that help me deal with the gluts. This recipe is a real winner, as it not only uses up those fast growing herbs but it also acts as a great motivator to make better salads with all those tomatoes and inspired you to roast those super-fast growing courgettes till golden and blistered in the oven. This oil is like summer in a bottle, it adds a fresh vibe to everything it touches.
Glut
noun1. * an excessively abundant supply of something.
HERB OIL
WHAT YOU NEED:
- Any combination of green herbs. I used basil and parsley here but experiment away!
- Olive Oil (or any oil of your choosing)
RATIO: I use a packed cup of herbs to 200 ml of oil
WHAT YOU DO:
- To keep the glowing green of the herbs you need to quickly blanch them in boiling water. Plunge the herbs into gently simmering water and stir for 5 seconds. Remove the herbs from the hot water and submerge them in iced water. Allow to cool completely for 30 seconds.
- Drain the herbs on kitchen roll.
- Place the herbs in a blender with a little oil and blitz. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.
- Strain the herbs through a fine sieve (keep the blitzed herb's- they are great smeared onto fish or chicken before going to the heat or tossed through piping hot new potatoes!). Place the herb oil in a bottle and top up with the rest of the oil. Swirl to mix.
This oil is best and most fragrant in it's first week.
This oil is perfect for drizzling on beautiful vegetables before they get roasted;
I love summer cooking!
