Flavoured and Infused Oils

Appears in

How To Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food

Published 1998

About

I have come to the conclusion, having abominated them for ages, that infused oils are among the most important allies of the quick cook. I use basil oil mixed with lemon juice to make a quick, scented dressing for salads, or just as it is to anoint waxy boiled potatoes or peas or poached or fried meats. I have made a basil-rich version of the pea soup above by frying a chopped onion first in basil-infused oil, then adding some more of the basil oil at the end.

I habitually have an effort-free spaghetti aglio olio by just dousing the cooked pasta in 2 tablespoons of the garlic-infused oil. I use it for frying and marinating chicken pieces and coat diced potatoes with it before roasting them. I use it to warm through cans of cannellini beans, which I then let steep, so the garlicky oil penetrates the soft interior of the grainy beans, before sprinkling with chopped sage or parsley or both. In short, I have become a complete convert, with all the evangelical zeal which that implies.

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Fast Food

Reminders of and Ideas for Hasty Improvisations

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