I like to cook and although I don’t really cook for myself, I do cook for my eldest son every day. He likes good food and is open to experimentation…which means that I get to play with ingredients I would not usually buy.
There have been some strange concoctions over the years, but they have always worked… after a few decades in the kitchen, you get a ‘feel’ for what you can combine to make a palatable dish. Every so often, when we are talking food, I will mention something I used to make or an ingredient I once loved.
“Why have you never mentioned this to me before?” is the inevitable reply. Then I am set to finding the raw materials.
A couple of years ago, we had pizza. I made the mistake, of mentioning an oil I used to make and use. I had come across a tiny pizzeria in Vichy, where flavoured oils were left on the table to drizzle on the meal and decided to make my own.
One of the ingredients I used were fresh chillis… mild ones which, along with the herbs, resulted in a delicately balanced and flavoured condiment, useful for cooking, salad dressings and drizzling. Just a teaspoonsful with jazz up any stir fry.
My son decided I should use Komodo Dragon chillis… about as hot as you can go and still have a mouth left. So, as he is now down to the last two bottles of the batch I made six months ago, I made some more. He likes spicy food and drizzles this on almost everything. And the bottles looked so pretty, they make great gifts… so I thought I’d share.
“You can’t publish Mum’s Secret Recipe!”
“Why not?”
“It wouldn’t be secret any more…”
You can choose chillis as mild or as hot as you like… change the herbs to get a variation that goes with favourite dishes…just rosemary, pepper, bay and garlic for lamb, for example, or lemon rind, lemon grass and parsley for fish perhaps. Experiment and have fun… and patience. The oil is best left for at least a month before use.
Once opened, I replace the cork with a spirit pourer. If making these for gifts, it is a good idea to seal the corks with sealing wax.
Nick’s favourite fiery olive oil
4 clean wine bottles
4 tapered corks
Funnel
*
3 Litres Kalamata Olive Oil (or a good cold pressed virgin oil)
This quantity will fill four bottles and leave just a little oil left over.
*
Wash and thoroughly dry:
Large bunch parsley
8 long sprigs rosemary
Large bunch thyme
12 Komodo Dragon Chilli peppers*
4 large or 8 small green chillis
4 large or 8 small red chillis
16 large cloves garlic
4 dessert spoons cracked black peppercorns
4 pinches saffron ( optional)
6 large Bay leaves
4 dessert spoons cardamom seeds, lightly bruised with a rolling pin
*
Split the herbs, chillis and spices between the four bottles, halving or quartering lengthways any chillis too fat for the wine bottle necks. Help the herbs in with the handle of a wooden spoon if needed. Fill with oil using the funnel and cork tightly. I find it useful to date the bottles.
*Wear disposable gloves to handle the Komodo chillis… or if not, wash hands thoroughly and repeatedly and do not rub your eyes for the next two days!
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
They look lovely, Sue. I can think of one or two people who would really love such a gift. I might try it with a milder chilli, though.
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Just leave out the Komodo chillis… then it is well blanaced and herby.
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This look like something my sister and my eldest son would love ! 💜
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So simple to make…and it looks wonderful in the sunlight 🙂
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It does look amazing 💜
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Let me know if you have a go 😉
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I most certainly will 💜
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I used to do this but not as complex. It sounds wonderful! I used to make my own flavoured vinegar as well.
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You can add a lot to a simple dish with flavoured oils.
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Interesting.
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It is, if you like hot food 😉
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I love flavoured oils. A great “secret” recipe. Thanks for sharing. We won’t tell anyone. xo
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This particular one is really hot… but leave out the Komodo chillis for a lovely flavoured oil.
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I love flavored olive oils – so great to just dip some great fresh crusty bread into…
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This one has so many flavours to it 😉
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Sounds and looks great! Our youngest son would love it, We had jalopenos (?) when in the Bahamas – as he did when he went there, and he absolutely loved them chopped in many dishes. A bit hot for my taste! x .
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Just leave out the Komodos and it is not too hot 😉
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Ha ha, after 34 doses of radiotherapy to the neck, all I can eat is very bland non-spicy food, so I’ll have to pass on this one!
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Leave out the chillis and it is lovely just with the herbs, Stevie 🙂
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Awesome! I will try to make it.
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It is so easy 🙂
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I know, I am too lazy 😛
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😀
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This looks good- minus the chilis! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
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It is lovely without the hot chillis… and great in salads and on pizza.
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This is a lovely idea!
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Personally, I’d leave out the really hot chillis and go with milder ones, much as I love hot food.
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Me too… as I have a delicate tummy…
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Thanks for sharing, Jaye x
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They are gorgeous. They’d sell for a pretty penny at specialty shops around here 😉
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They stay looking wonderful too as the flavours infuse 🙂
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I need to try this, minus the Komodos, of course! 😉
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My preference is without the Komodos too 😉
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Oh, yum!!! I love spicy foods and this reminds me a lot of the spiced oil we used to make – though we used several varieties of chilies that grew in our garden. I bet this combination of herbs and spices and chilies would work excellently well with ‘infusing’ pickled veggies, too! Yum!
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It might work very well… but don’t tell my son 😉
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Mum’s (or yum’s?) the word … 😉
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😀
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😀
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Reblogged this on GrannyMoon's Morning Feast.
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Thanks for sharing, Granny 😀
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I made flavoured oil when we had a residence secondaire in Brittany, but haven’t made any since. Your recipe sounds just what my husband would like as he likes spicy food, too.
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Let me know if you give it a try 🙂
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So did I, when we also had a residence secondaire in Britany. Where were you? We were just outside of Redon, between Nantes and Vannes.
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Not sure if this was for me… I lived just outside Paris for a while before marrying and moving to Vichy, where my eldest son was born. I loved my years in France.
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Oh, yum. I used to make infused oils for cooking, Sue, and this made me want to do so again. Not super hot chilis though! And using gloves is a great idea. My first experience with hot chilis was sans gloves and I had to rest my fingers in an ice bucket for 12 hours! Lol.
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I always forget the gloves… and to be careful afterwards. I have regretted that on occasion 😉
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Looks pretty too. I haven’t experimented with anything other than with garlic and yum! ❤ xx
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If you like spicy, this is worth a go 😉 x
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❤
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Reblogged this on Where Genres Collide Traci Kenworth YA Author & Book Blogger and commented:
Funny what pulls you back into cooking. My kids got me back into it the last couple years with trying blogging.
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I cook for Nick every day as he is no longer able to do it for himself.
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