Sometimes it helps to come from a large family, people know people, who know other people and favours are exchanged, help is given were possible and those that have plenty, share with the others, we all look out for each other.

My parents do a lot for people, in many different ways and those people often want to re-pay them, but my parents are always reluctant to accept; they do what they do because that’s the way they are, not for any reward. One of the last times they did a favour for someone, they received 10 gallons of olive oil as a thank you! The olive oil is from a small family-run grove in the North of Portugal, it is pure, spicy and a most beautiful colour.

Wonderful as it is, 10 gallons is a little too much for my parents to handle and they gave me 5 gallons. Of course, stored in the cool and dark, it will keep for some time but I’ve been trying to use as much as possible. My latest experiment is to infuse some of the olive oil with various different ingredients.

There two methods for infusing oils, cold infusion and hot infusion. I used the cold infusion method but have included the instructions for the hot method too. These methods are sourced from How to make flavoured oils.

Cold infusion

This technique for cold infusion is best used with herbs, roots, citrus zest and fresh Chile peppers. Because these products may add moisture to the oil making it ripe for spoilage, the velocity of the blender will release their essential oils and they can be refrigerated immediately after preparation. Combine the oil and the flavouring ingredients in the blender cup and blend at high speed until the product is liquefied. Leafy herbs can be quickly blanched in boiling water and then shocked in cold water to help preserve their colour and give the finished oil a pleasing green appearance. Roots such as horseradish, and ginger should be grated or chopped to fully extract flavour in the blender. Fibers from roots should be strained before bottling. Straining other ingredients is optional.

Hot infusion

The use of heat to release flavours is the best way to make infused oils with dry spices. It is also good with roots and woody herbs. The heating of the oil and flavour ingredients makes the finished product more sanitary and less prone to spoilage. It has the further advantage of making the flavour of some spices like cumin and curry more rich and complex the same way that toasting them does. To create a hot infusion, combine the oil and the flavour ingredients in a saucepan and heat over a moderate flame. Monitor the temperature with a thermometer. In most cases a temperature between 180 and 200°F is sufficient to release the essential oils of flavouring ingredients. Higher temperatures tend to give the oil a “cooked” taste and may caramelise or scorch the flavourings. Strain if necessary and bottle in sterile containers while still hot. Seal and allow to cool. Refrigerate oil after it has reached room temperature.

Ingredients

Rind of 1 Lemon (un-waxed), in slices.

Dried chilies

Bay leaves

Fresh Rosemary

Mixture of peppercorns

I didn’t follow the cold method exactly, I didn’t use a blender, but put my ingredients into sterilised bottles and then covered them with the olive oil. I’m not sure the oils will have as much flavour as the blended ones but they look pretty!

They’d make great presents for foodies, you can personalise the ingredients to suit their taste and make them about a week before giving them. You could try other oils if you don’t want the olive flavour -  rapeseed oil with Indian spices or nut oil with Thai spices. I bought my empty bottles (with lids) from Oil & Vinegar, but you can keep a look out for interesting bottles in charity shops and carboots.

I discovered that there are so many ingredients you can use to flavour oils, except one…garlic! Apparently it is highly dangerous to make your own infused garlic oil because garlic bulbs carry the bacteria and spores which cause botulism (Clostridium Botulinum). Immersing the garlic in oil, provides a perfect oxygen-free environment for the bacteria to grow, particularly if stored at room temperature. Heat will kill the bacteria but does not destroy the spores which can still cause botulism poisoning, so even the hot infusion method cannot guarantee safety.

Sources

How to make flavoured oils

Garlic Infused Olive Oil – DON’T Try This At Home

When I was at uni, I was far from home and mum’s substantial cooking but that didn’t mean I ate any worse at all. I got used to living on a budget and became very constructive with ingredients and very careful with how and where I shopped. The things I learnt then will stay with me forever, those life skills which even today make me choose to buy a whole chicken and divide it myself, rather than buy chicken pieces.

This recipe is based on one from the People’s Cook Book website and it’s perfect for student cooking. The dish is based on storecupboard items and is easily adaptable to all tastes, you can use bacon or more vegetables instead of chicken, add fresh chilies for a kick or exchange the white sauce for more grated cheese.

Chicken lasagne/pasta bake

Serves 4

Ingredients

3tbsp olive / vegetable oil
1 large onion. chopped finely
1 clove of garlic, crushed
25g plain flour
275ml chicken stock
1 can tomatoes
225g boneless chicken, diced to bite size
1tbsp tomato puree or substitute with tomato ketchup
1 tbsp dried basil / herbs
6 lasagne sheets or substitute whatever pasta shapes you have.

For white sauce

25g marg or butter
25g plain flour
pinch nutmeg
275ml milk
grated cheese

Note: You could use jars of tomato and white cooking sauces to speed things up.

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C and grease a shallow oven proof dish.

To make the chicken sauce: Heat the oil in a pan and brown the pieces of chicken, add the chopped onion and garlic, fry until softened.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook for a minute or so until straw coloured.

Stir in the stock, tomatoes, tomato puree and basil. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 mins until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make the white sauce: Melt the butter in a pan, sprinkle in the flour and nutmeg stir over low heat until the mixture has turned light golden. Gradually add the milk, keep stirring, simmer until thickened and smooth. Set aside.

For the lasagne version: Spread half of the chicken mixture in the greased dish, add salt and pepper, and lay over 3 of the lasagne sheets. Add the rest of the chicken mixture, more salt and pepper, a second layer of lasagne sheets and pour the white sauce over. Grate cheese on top and bake in oven for 45 min or until the top is golden brown.

For the bake version: Cook your pasta shapes until almost ready – still quite aldente and stir into the chicken mixture. Pour all of the mixture into the oven proof dish and pour the white sauce over the top. Finally, sprinkle on the grated cheese and bake in the oven for 45 min or until the top is golden brown.

A nice satisfying, pocket-friendly dinner.