Saturday, June 28, 2014

Basil Salad Vinegar

Best salad vinegar ever. Whenever I buy fresh basil it's always more than I need, and it doesn't keep very long - this is a great way to use up the rest of it. You can use any kind of vinegar you want, but my favorite is white balsamic vinegar. Could try this with other fresh herbs too, such as thyme, oregano, chives, dill, or parsley.

bottle of white balsamic vinegar
handful of fresh basil

Pour the vinegar into a glass container (but keep the vinegar bottle). Put the basil in the vinegar, cover it, and let it steep at least a couple of weeks (you can steep it in the fridge or on your counter - it won't go bad). Then strain out the basil and pour the vinegar back into the original bottle. Voila, awesome salad vinegar. It's so good it can be a salad dressing all by itself, or just mix up a little with an equivalent amount of olive oil (and a little salt and pepper) for a simple basil vinaigrette. It's vinegar so it'll keep pretty much indefinitely.