Things are getting exciting. While I’ve been busy working on my copy edits for the book, I received an email showing me the first mock ups of the book from my editor. We now have a design in place and fonts and colors picked out! Things are coming together and all the moving parts are moving faster than they were before.
When California Olive Ranch asked me to create a recipe with some of the staples in my kitchen, I thought about a bunch of different thigns but truly what would be something, that I could create without too much of a fuss yet bold in flavor. Something that could be used in a ton of different ways and also spark up the most boring of meals with a kick.
I threw in a few coarsely ground spices into a little extra-virgin olive oil and let it slowly simmer on the lowest heat setting to prevent the spices from burning yet. But let’s talk about these spices, I threw in a few garlic cloves, a little coriander but some urfa biber flakes. If you haven’t tried urfa biber, you should! It’s a chile pepper from Turkey that’s been dried and has a chocolate-like fragrance and carries a little heat. Once the hot olive oil is infused with flavors from the spices, let it sit for a couple of days to get a more robust kick. You can use this infused oil to dress hardboiled eggs (the example I”ve given below) or shake it with a little vinegar to create a salad dressing or even use it to season vegetables, meats or seafood. Just add a little salt at the end and you’re good to go! Here’s an easy and wonderful way to bring bold flavors and complexity in your food without too much of an effort!
urfa biber garlic infused oil
Makes 1 cup [240 ml]
ingredients
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (California Olive Ranch)
1 tsp urfa biber flakes
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, smashed
3 hardboiled eggs
kosher or maldon salt as needed
Place the olive oil in a small saucepan.
Grind the urfa biber, coriander and cumin together to a coarse powder using a mortar and pestle or spice mill and add it to the olive oil. Then smash the garlic and add it to the oil.
Heat the oil in the saucepan on low heat (simmer setting) for about 15 minutes. Then remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer the contents to a dry, clean jar and store in a cool, dark place for about 2 weeks.
To use the infused oil: Cut the hardboiled eggs in half, sprinkle with flaky salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir the infused olive oil and drizzle a Tbsp on top of the eggs. Serve immediately with buttered toast.
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by California Olive Ranch, however all opinions expressed are solely my own.
