The intense perfumes of the wild herbs as we trod them underfoot made us feel almost drunk.
~Jacqueline du Pre
When most people travel, they have a list of hot tourist spots, best restaurants, best place to take a picture…I have a list which includes best places to buy fresh local ingredients and the authentic places to eat a local speciality.
I always return with an armload of ingredients and more often than not have a problem on how to conserve them for some time. Fresh herbs are one of them. I am absolutely in love with fresh herbs and attempts to grow them at home have failed miserably each time. But there is a way to buy them from another city, carefully travel with them home in hand luggage and then do the following.
Freezing the herbs in extra virgin olive oil and storing for future use is fantastic and so easy. The olive oil retains its flavour and freshness and add a cube or two into your fresh pasta sauce is simply divine.
It’s hard to use up fresh packs of herbs within a week of buying them, and this is the only successful way I have of not having them go to waste.
[yumprint-recipe id=’83’]
The Recipe
Serves
Ingredients
- Fresh herbs
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Wash the herbs thoroughly and pat to dry completely.
- The herbs must be completely dry, without even a drop of water.
- Chop them fine or leave them in larger sprigs and leaves.
- Pack the herbs into the wells of the ice cube tray halfway.
- Pour extra virgin olive oil over the herbs.
- Cover the ice tray with a plastic tray and freeze overnight.
- Remove the frozen cubes and store in ziplock bags or freezer containers. (Label them!)
- Keep in the freezer and use as necessary.
