Because I
have been experimenting with the Low FODMAP approach to food, I needed to do a
substitute for using fresh garlic – something that up to recently has featured
in pretty much every savoury dish.
For reasons
that I don't understand while fresh garlic can't be used, oil that has been
infused with garlic is fine!
Since I had
some fresh garlic left over I decided to make my own infusion – even though I
did find some in the supermarket.
It didn't
take long to do. I just warmed some
olive oil up in the same way that I would melt chocolate – ie in a bowl over a
pot with some boiling water in it (not touching the bottom of the bowl).
Put your
cloves of garlic – slightly squashed into the oil. I also put in 2 dried red chillies. Once the oil is heated through just turn off
the hob and let the mixture steep until the taste is garlicky enough for you.
Decant your
oil into a suitable bottle or jar. I
thought having a chilli in the bottle looked cute but in fact it just made it a
pain to pour!
I have
found that just a little of this oil goes a long way in dishes. I don't ever use more than about a
teaspoonful at a time.
I always love spicing my olive oil, especially for table use. Infusing the oil beforehand with garlic is a must, especially if your using it to dip bread in, or as a dressing for a salad.
ReplyDeleteLove it.
Blessings, Catherine.
Thee are some bits of information that are important and I love infused oils and do the flavor extractions often, but care with such oils must be taken...the garlic in the oil is with out oxygen and there is little acid, thus there are some particularly nasty bacteria that can grow. Sterilizing the container is a must (heat works as well as steam so it remains dry), and heating the oil will reduce some of the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil and if you make a lot of it, consider storing in the fridge, to keep it for a long time. Other oil extraction i have made include some odd ones, like orange zest in walnut oil and a cinnamon basil oil. Rosemary, thyme and oregano olive oil extractions are also great!
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