Sometimes the simple things are the best things – like this Parmesan Olive Oil Herb Dip. It is packed with gorgeous fresh herbs and savoury parmesan cheese, with a subtle garlic overtone. No chunks of garlic, I wanted to have a dip that had a hint of garlic without being overpowering.
Don’t get me wrong – I like read:love garlic – but I know that like all things in life, not everyone has the same tastes.
So this dipping oil is more focused on the other ingredients, being herbs & parmesan cheese, where the garlic is more of a background note.
Just picture yourself getting a hunk of bread and dredging it through this glistening golden pool of herbed oil that has been lightly infused with garlic.
How silly did those last two sentences sound? Background notes? Glistening golden pool? Who am I kidding? It’s just a dipping oil with parmesan and garlic that doesn’t taste too garlicky! I think I can actually hear Nigella Lawson’s voice in my brain saying all that! Sounds good when I hear her say it (in my mind!) but when I say it…well…let’s just say it’s not quite the same.
That’s enough talking, on to the recipe!
Enjoy!
Lee-Ann ♥
Parmesan Olive Oil Herb Dip
Parmesan olive oil herb dip - fresh herbs & savoury parmesan together in olive oil with a hint of garlic
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 fresh garlic cloves see notes
- 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf/italian parsley firmly packed
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves loosely packed
- 15 g fresh parmesan finely grated (approx 1/4 cup)
Instructions
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Peel & core the garlic cloves (I talk about "coring" your garlic in my free ebook - see box in the side bar under About Me for details) and cut garlic in to at least quarters (see notes) and place in a small bowl, then cover with the olive oil and leave to infuse for about 5 mins
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While the garlic is infusing in the oil, finely chop the parsley and oregano
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On your serving plate (I suggest something fairly flat) combine chopped herbs and freshly grated parmesan and mix lightly to combine
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Remove chunks of garlic from the olive oil, pour garlic infused oil over the herb mixture and serve with bread of your choice
Recipe Notes
About the garlic - a couple of things. The amount of garlic cloves you use is really up to you. I find that 3 average size cloves gives me a subtle note of garlic. Now that being said, if you add more but still use the same method (that is leaving them in large chunks and not crushing/mincing the clove) then you will get a slightly stronger garlic flavour, but it still won't have a strong raw garlic taste. If really strong garlic flavour is what you are looking for - and some people are - then go ahead and crush/mince the cloves and serve the oil with the garlic still in it.
The other thing to keep in mind is the size of each clove versus how many pieces/chunks you chop it in to, as the size of the cloves can vary. The reason I chop the cloves into large chunks is so that I can make sure that I get all the garlic out of the oil before serving. BUT. The more cut surface you have the more of the garlic's natural oil you are going to release, so the more garlic flavour will infuse into the olive oil.
*Please note that the amount of calories per serve is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*
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