I noticed that after preparing a few meat-oriented dishes, I had a bunch of herbs leftover. If you’re like me, you are on a budget, so going out and spending extra money on fresh herbs each and every time you need them is a little expensive. These can vary in price year around, but no matter what- I tend to throw away a lot of what I don’t use, and I feel guilty about it! I don’t always need 12 sprigs of thyme, or 6 sprigs of rosemary, etc. To solve this wasteful issue- I have found a great way to store them, and I want to share it with you here. It is simple, convenient, and easy to use all year long.
Olive Oil Herb Savers
You will need:
- Leftover herbs
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Ice cube tray
- Blender
If the thyme is on dried sprigs, I remove the leaves and only use those. If the thyme is from a live plant, I just snip the entire stem and use that in there. For rosemary, I strip the stem completely.
For this recipe, the leftovers I had were two sprigs of rosemary and one bunch of live thyme. It ended up being about 2 Tbsp of rosemary, and 2 Tbsp thyme.
I put the herbs in a blender followed by the olive oil. I gave the blender a go until everything was well incorporated. Once it was blended, I poured the liquid into an ice cube tray. This recipe made exactly 12 cubes. Each ice cube holds 1/8 cup of liquid (which is 2 Tbsp- roughly what most recipes call for when it comes to sauteing with olive oil).
Once the cubes are frozen, run the bottom of the tray under warm water for about 10 seconds to loosen them up. You should be able to pop them out like ice cubes after that. Transfer them to a gallon freezer bag. When a recipe calls for herbs, pop a cube into a pan first, and then heat it up. If you put the frozen cube into a hot pan- get ready for a sputtering mess! Once it’s melted and getting hot, add in your meats, veggies, and other ingredients. Your kitchen will begin to smell amazing.
These little cubes are a unique method to keep flavor in your dishes when you can’t get your hands on fresh herbs, or if you just don’t want to waste your leftovers. It’s a great way to stick to your budget, and it also provides “go to” ideas for meal planning when you’ve got a cut of meat you’ve been holding on to with no inspiration.
I love cooking for my family and taking all of these beautiful photos. I am blessed to be able to do this, and I am so happy you are interested in reading these. As I mentioned above, I have several more recipes I photographed. I will have them up in the coming days and weeks, to include a fun holiday gift idea for family and friends.
Remember to pray with your family at dinner. Eating together and spending that precious time in each other’s company is priceless. Let the stress of the day go, put down your phone, turn off the TV, and just be with each other.
I hope you have a wonderful week. Advent is right around the corner and I can hardly contain myself! I love this season. Thank you for your support. It means the world.
With love-
Chelsea
So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
Galatians 6:10
The Catholic Kitchen 