Flavored Oil

One of my favorite cookbooks is The Cook’s Encylopedia of Four Ingredient Cooking by Joanna Farrow, which is a British cookbook that was reprinted in 2002 by Barnes and Noble for their bargain books section.

Sometimes the recipes sort of “cheat” on the four-ingredient count. For example, water, salt, and pepper don’t count toward the four ingredients, and sometimes it will call for “garlic-flavored olive oil” instead of garlic and olive oil. In the front of the book are directions for making these compound ingredients, such as stocks and basic sauces, including the flavored oils.

Here’s the recipe for Garlic and Rosemary Oil:

Put a handful of rosemary sprigs in a a pan with 3 sliced garlic cloves and ½ cup olive oil. Heat gently until bubbling, then pour into a heatproof bowl, cover, and leave in a cool place overnight. Strain the garlic and rosemary oil into a clean 1 1/4 –1 2/3 bottle and top up with more oil.

Oil should be left in a cool place for up to a week to let the flavors steep. The oils should be strained before storing. The flavoring ingredients should not be stored in the oil, because they can grow mold.