It is that time of the year when Nature is at its most abundant producing overflows of tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and peppers. How do you eat it all without it going bad? Well, there are many ratatouille recipes out there but this tops them all. The amounts below are just suggestions, it works well with any quantities your garden is producing or with the bounty your friends are giving to you.
Monthly Archives: August 2013
It Is Best To Make Your Own Flavored Oil
We are often asked why we do not offer a flavored olive oil. The simplest answer is a flavored olive oil is not extra virgin because it includes additives. Some additives are worse than others. Any oil that has any vegetative matter in it, like herbs, goes rancid very quickly. Oils that are processed by adding fruit during the crush are less subject to oxidation but the additives still contribute to quick deterioration. Oftentimes producers will create a flavored oil from a sub-standard oil in order to mask the lesser quality oil.
Instead we recommend that you make your own infused oils when you want them in the quantity that you want them. In this way all your separate ingredients are as fresh as possible. Making your own infused oil is as simple as making a salad dressing, simply add some lemon, whisk, and let set a little while. You can also heat the oil in a pan and add your favorite spices to make a savory infused oil. It is very simple and tasty and most importantly very fresh.
Flavored oils are easy to use and we have tasted some that were quite good. But in the end we prefer to go with the best of both worlds by making our own with the freshest olive oil and the freshest ingredients.