How to Make Herb-Infused Oil

"Sometimes less is more." —Robert Browning

Browning penned that phrase in his 1855 poem "The Faultless Painter", a melancholy verse of love and loss. It was repeated again by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in describing post World War II architectural style.

And it also could describe our relationship with fresh herbs.

• Some recipes cry out for huge handfuls of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. But other times, we need something a bit less assertive. Something more subtle and nuanced.
• Then again, sometimes we find ourselves with a dearth of fresh herbs to use up (before they perish), and what to do?

Both of these dilemmas cry out for the same resolution--the creation of herb-infused oil.

I love rosemary-infused oil—a drizzle on hot cooked pasta is absolutely heavenly. Tarragon oil is wonderful as a finishing touch on a chicken salad, and basil oil on a slice of artisanal bread is almost like being in Tuscany.

Making your own herb-infused oil is easy—just be sure to always use sterilized jars and bottles and make sure that your fresh herbs are clean, dry, and free of any chemicals.

Herb-Infused Oil

Equipment you will need

• Slow cooker (crockpot)
• Small mixing bowl
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Funnel
• Clean bottles or jars with air-tight lids

Ingredients (for each infusion)

• 1 cup mild olive oil
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup packed chopped fresh herbs (reduce to 1/4 cup if infusing rosemary)

Instructions

Place the oil and herbs in the crockpot. Leave uncovered and cook at 'High' for one hour.

• Turn off the heat and allow the oil and herbs to cool for about 1/2 hour.
• Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.
• Allow to cool completely and then decant into bottles using the funnel to avoid drips and spills.
• Store in the refrigerator for up to one week. (Note that olive oil becomes cloudy under refrigeration but will be clear again once at room temperature).

How to Use Herb-Oils

Basil, originally native to India, has been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years. Depending on the species and cultivar, the leaves of basil may taste somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, often sweet smell.

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is often featured in Italian cuisine. Thai basil (O. basilicum var. thysiflora) plays a major role in the cuisine of Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Taiwan.

Basil oil is wonderful as:

• A dip for crusty French or Italian bread
• Drizzled over fresh tomatoes
• The oil in which to sauté bread cubed for croutons
• The oil in which to prepare an omelet

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is an aromatic evergreen shrub with pine-like needles and white, pink blue, or purple flowers. It is native to the Mediterranean area, but hardy in most cool climates.

Rosemary oil can be used to:

• Drizzle over cooked pasta
• Sauté shrimp
• Add to mashed potatoes

Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) has narrow, pointed gray-green leaves with distinctive anise or licorice flavor and is one of the 4 fines herbes of French cooking.

Tarragon oil can be:

• Drizzled over cooked, roasted asparagus or cooked carrots
• Used to garnish fresh pea soup
• Stirred into chicken salad
• Used to sauté fish fillets

Chives (allium schoenoprasum) are a member of the onion family—a perennial plant native to Europe, Asia, and North America. Unlike other "onions," you do not harvest by pulling the bulb from the ground. Simply snip off the green tops and leave the bulb in the ground. They will regrow year after year. In fact, they will multiply. The pink blossoms are also edible. My favorite way to use them is as a pretty garnish on a salad.

You can use chive oil to:

• Make an omelet
• Sauté bread cubes for croutons
• Garnish soups
• Brush on any grilled meat or fish

Is Spinach Quiche an Oxymoron?

In 1982 Bruce Feirstein authored "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche", a bestselling book satirizing stereotypes of masculinity.  It popularized the term quiche-eater, meaning a man who is a dilettante, a trend-chaser, an over-anxious conformist to fashionable forms of 'lifestyle', and socially correct behaviors and opinions, one who eschews (or merely lacks) the traditional masculine virtue of tough self-assurance.

A 'traditional' male might enjoy egg-and-bacon pie if his wife served it to him; a quiche-eater or Sensitive Guy would make the dish himself, call it by its French name quiche, and serve it to his female life partner to demonstrate his empathy with the Women's Movement. And then he would wash the dishes.

The antithesis of "quiche-eater"? Well, it's Popeye, of course. Long before Superman, Batman, or even Captain Marvel there was Popeye--a squint-eyed cartoon-character sailor with enormous forearms. Despite his grumpy-looking exterior, he was kind of heart and engaged in fighting only when forced into righting a wrong. And, he gained his super strength from eating spinach.

So, is spinach quiche an oxymoron?

Photo Credit: Image by hcdeharder from Pixabay 

Speedy Spinach Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained well
• 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup low-fat or non-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Instructions

Melt the butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add spinach and stir until spinach is dry, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Sprinkle both cheeses over the bottom of the unbaked pastry shell. Top with spinach mixture. Beat eggs, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl to blend. Pour over spinach. Bake until filling is set, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut into wedges and serve.

Perfect Rhubarb Crumble Pie

I love rhubarb--tart, tangy ruby-red rhubarb. It's one of the first plants to pop up in my Springtime garden. Actually, it's the only food crop that appears in my garden at any time of year. I live in "deer country".

Bambi and company don't just wander through occasionally. They live here. In the morning they munch on the salal, at noon they frolic through the flower beds after a short nap on the back lawn, and in the evening they bed down under the cedars.

Nothing is off-limits to our four-hooved friends....nothing, that is, except for the rhubarb.

Spring in our part of the world is cool and rainy. I'm thankful that we are not blanketed with snow, but the days can seem rather dreary; at times the gray skies are a bit depressing. However those cool rains reward us with a fresh new crop of rhubarb just begging to be picked, so today I gathered a few plump stalks and decided to prepare one of my family's favorites -- rhubarb crumble pie.

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 5 teaspoon cornstarch
• 4 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

Instructions

1. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a large mixing bowl. Add rhubarb slices and toss until all slices are covered with the sugar-cornstarch mixture. Set aside for about 10 minutes or until sugar appears moist.
2. Place the rhubarb-sugar-cornstarch mixture in the unbaked pastry shell.
3. Place flour, butter or margarine, and brown sugar in another mixing bowl. Cut butter into flour and sugar with a pastry blender until the mixture has the appearance of coarse crumbs. Place this crumble mixture atop the rhubarb in the pastry shell, spreading to evenly cover the rhubarb.
4. Chill the prepared pie in the refrigerator for one hour. (This resting time will allow the cornstarch to begin to thicken the pie filling).
5. After one hour, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake pie in preheated oven for 50 minutes or until crumble topping and pastry edges appear golden brown.

New Recipe - Barley RIsotto

A Different Type of Risotto

Risotto is an Italian dish—rice slowly cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. Yes, it takes a bit of time (about 30 minutes) but is really quite easy.

I found barley on sale today at my local grocery store and so we're taking a slight detour from tradition. In fact, I'm not sure we can even accurately call this "risotto" because it's made with barley instead of rice. However, both rice and barley are grasses and the techniques used to cook them are very similar.

What are the Health Benefits of Barley?

Barley is truly a super-food. Not only does it taste great (nutty and chewy); but it's also high in fiber. That fiber makes it an excellent choice for lowering blood cholesterol levels, protecting against atherosclerosis, ischemic stroke, diabetes, insulin resistance, and obesity, and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Cook Time

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 45 min

Ready in: 1 hour

Yields: 4 servings

Barley Risotto

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon or turkey bacon
• 3 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup onion, minced
• 1 cup barley
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Place chopped bacon and 1 tsp. olive oil in a sauté pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Bring broth and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
3. Place the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, sliced mushrooms, and minced onion in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mushrooms begin to give off their liquid and brown, and onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
4. Add barley and stir so that all grains are coated with olive oil.
5. Add 1/2 cup wine to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is mostly evaporated.
6. Turn the heat to low. Add 1/2 cup broth to the pan and cook until most of the broth is absorbed.
7. Continue to add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, and cook until barley is cooked through; about 35 to 45 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese and reserved cooked bacon.