Herb and Olive Oil Dip

A while back my husband and I dined with some friends at a local Italian restaurant. The restaurant served an herb and olive oil dip with bread as an appetizer. Our friends just loved this dip and so did we. So, when we had our friends over to our place I thought I would recreate this herb infused oil and serve it with some warm french bread. The rich oil paired with the flavorful herbs makes for a delicious and aromatic dip that's perfect served with hunks of warm bread for sopping up all the rich, flavorful goodness.

This appetizer is simple to make, but very comforting and delicious especially when served alongside a cheese platter, olives and a good glass of wine. Mmmmm.

Here's how to make this at home:

Blend together rosemary, oregano, basil, parsley, fresh garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. You can use fresh or dried herbs. I used dried and it turned out delicious. Take a scoop of this mixture and put it in the center of a small plate.

Slowly pour over a good quality olive oil. I used a kalamata olive oil and it was delicious.

Serve with warm pieces/slices of french bread for dipping. I had the herb mixture on a plate ready to go along with the oil in a little pitcher before our friends arrived. When they were a few minutes out, I put the bread, pre-cut on a baking sheet covered with foil in the oven on the 'warm' setting. When they arrived, we poured some wine, pulled out the bread and poured the oil over the herbs. It was the perfect way to start our Italian themed dinner.

Herb and Olive Oil Dip

INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 

Pinch red pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil or High quality olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredients, except oil, in a food chopper or processor. Scoop onto a deep plate or bowl. Pour olive oil over.

* I did a Tablespoon in place of the teaspoon measurements and adjusted the other ingredients to taste. I wanted to have enough to make a couple of plates of this and have some leftovers to snack on during the week.