Seasoned Oils and Vinegars

I’ve posted in the past two days recipes using seasoned oils and vinegars. You can buy these in most grocery stores or specialty gift stores, but they’re usually expensive. So, if you can wait, why not make your own? I try to have a couple different flavours in stock and generally prefer my own stuff over bought varieties.

The beauty of making your own is that you’re only limited by your imagination and what you have on hand. I’ve used lemon balm, chillies, tarragon, and rosemary before, but I find I like the basil and oregano ones the best.

Therefore, I bring you a few of my current favourites. For a quick and tasty salad dressing, sparingly drizzle a bit of both over your salad, season with salt & pepper to taste and toss.

Oregano Olive Oil

• 1 bottle olive oil
• 5 sprigs fresh oregano (or 3 tbs dried)
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, peeled.

Pour approx. ¼ cup olive oil and set aside (to make room for spices). Add oregano and garlic. Top up bottle with reserved oil. Let season for 1 month before use.

Garlic Vinegar

• 3 cloves garlic
• 500 ml vinegar

Place garlic and vinegar in sealable jar and let season for 1 month before use. The garlic may change colour (mine turned blue). Don’t worry, it’s normal

Ok, so neither of these seem complicated or profound, but then again you probably hadn’t though of doing this, right? Just a note about food safety: please make sure you thoroughly wash the fresh spices and preparation area (I usually sterilize my counter top with mild bleach solution). Neither of these things are cooked, so beware of bacteria. They should keep for a long time (especially the vinegar), but if the oil starts to smell sour/skunky, you should probably throw it out.