Aromatic vinegars
I dug up a beautiful decorative bottle from the closet and made opal basil infused vinegar. You have to go out in the garden and pick very fresh deep purple basil stems right beforeyou start, otherwise they tend to wilt very quickly. Wash them well and push them inside the bottle and then add dried basil leaves, mustard seed, anise seeds, slices of hot pepper, colorful peppercorns and a sprig of dill, then fill the bottle to the brim with white vinegar.
This provides a beautiful edible kitchen decoration, in a few hours the basil infuses the vinegar with a deep pomegranate color. The flavor takes longer though, the longer you let the herbs infuse, the most powerful the aroma.
If you’d like to try making flavored oil instead, use the woodier herbs, like rosemary and thyme, or dried basil and parsley, pepper flakes or dried hot peppers, the sappy stems of fresh herbs tend to become slimy and cloud the oil.
Blend a wholesome vinaigrette by adding half a cup of basil vinegar to a cup of honey mixed with chopped fresh herbs or use it as is in marinades to tenderize meat.
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