Multi-Purpose Herb Oil by Peter Reinhart

My guess is that you will use this more than any other specialty topping, and you can make as much as you like because it will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator. Its original use was for focaccia but then I discovered it is also excellent drizzled over many types of pizza, and can also be used to marinate or flavor various ingredients, especially fresh, sliced tomatoes and thinly sliced potatoes (for potato parmesan focaccia or, even better, potato bacon focaccia (or pizza). I’ll give directions for making those in a future posting, as well as for my favorite herb oil clam pizza. I also use the herb oil as a bread dipping condiment, and even as a base for salad dressings. There are an infinite number of ways to make this, using both fresh and dried herbs in many combinations, so consider the following recipe merely a starting point until you create your own favorite combination.

Ingredients:

2 cups olive oil (extra virgin not required)

2 tablespoons dried basil

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon fresh or dried rosemary needles

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

(or 10 cloves fresh garlic, pressed and lightly sautéed in ½ cup olive oil)

1 tablespoon kosher salt or coarse sea salt

1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes (optional)

1 teaspoon paprika, hot or mild, smoked or unsmoked (optional)

Multi-Purpose Herb Oil by Peter Reinhart

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