Herb oils have many uses. They can be used in salad dressings, and a few drops added to cooking oil when quickly frying vegetables or meat can transform the dish completely. I do not eat sausages, but a friend who does tells me that a few drops of rosemary oil, added when frying them, turns the humble “snag” into a connoisseur’s delight. Here is how to make a herb oil:
Buy some good quality bland oil, like samower or almond (peanut and olive oil are not suitable) and fill a screwtopped jar f full with it. Then pick a good handful of the herb you need, it may be rosemary, thyme, lavender, or peppermint, and bruise it well in the mortar and pestle, adding a little white wine vinegar as you go (about 1 tablespoon). Then add the crushed herb and vinegar to the jar containing the oil, seal tightly, and shake it vigorously. Stand the jar on a hot sunny window-ledge or against a wall where it will get maximum heat. This is best done in the hot summer months, but if you want to do it in winter, stand it in the warm (not hot) zone of a radiator, oil heater or fire. Shake it well every day for about three weeks. Test the oil by rubbing it on your skin. If the fragrance is still there after a few minutes, the oil is “done”. If not, crush some more of the herb and repeat for another couple of weeks. Then strain, and bottle, sealing well.
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