Wild rosemary grows naturally along the Mediterranean in places like Italy, Spain, France, and Greece. Incredibly aromatic and easy to grow, it has been used for dozens of centuries for its medicinal purposes. Rosemary is incredibly healthful and can aid in almost anything, from reducing anxiety and pain, to elevating your mood and boosting memory.
Similar to mint, nothing works better than rosemary when cooking lamb. It helps accentuate the meat’s rich flavor while offsetting its fattiness. Rosemary-infused olive oil is bright and flavorful, and perhaps under-explored, so here’s 8 new ways you can use this pantry staple!
1. Bake focaccia bread
Using your favorite recipe, add rosemary-infused olive oil to the mix to impart the woodsy, faintly bitter flavor throughout the dense dough. You could also dip bread into the rosemary-infused olive oil for a satisfying bite or pre-dinner snack.
2. Make a cocktail
Sit back and relax, while taking in an herbal, refreshing aroma! Try making a gin cocktail with 2 ounces gin, ¾ ounce lemon juice, and 1⁄3 ounce simple syrup with 1 egg white and ½ ounce of any olive oil. Shake with ice until the it’s is nearly melted, then strain and enjoy!
Or make a bourbon cocktail and blend 1.5 ounces of scotch whisky, 1/2 ounce fresh orange juice, and a small spoonful of infused olive oil. Garnish with an orange peel on serve on ice for a truly unique cocktail!
3. Spice up up mashed potatoes
Instead of butter or cream, add rosemary-infused olive oil to mashed potatoes to add an unexpected herbal taste. There’s no need for this comfort food to taste standardized.
4. Dress an antipasti platter
Briny olives, dense baguette, soft mozzarella cheese or sharp provolone? All of these tied together with the flavor of rosemary-infused olive oil? Can’t go wrong, and it’ll get even better if you pair this with a red wine!
5. Roast a chicken
Try roasting a chicken! When heated, infused olive oil smells beautifully in the kitchen!
Brush onions and garlic heads with rosemary-infused olive oil, arrange them around a whole chicken with salt and pepper, and bake uncovered at 350° F – for about 1 hour, until meat thermometer registers 180° F. Cover chicken loosely with foil; let stand 10 minutes.
6. Make an olive oil cake
Olive oil cake is really popular right now, and it’s great for a chocolate alternative! Baking with the flavors of olive oil offers the right amount of sweetness to end a meal. Start with an easy olive oil cake recipe, and add a savory note with some rosemary-infused olive oil. It’ll cut the sweetness and add richness and herbal flavor. Pair with a high-quality, creamy ice cream and a sprig of fresh mint for garnish.
7. Drizzle on top of pasta or pizza
If you’re enjoying a pizza, drizzle a little bit of rosemary-infused olive oil to add a subtle hint of earthiness. It similarly tastes great on pasta!
And if you’re making fresh pasta from scratch, try adding rosemary-infused olive oil into the dough. Once cooked, serve with a pesto and freshly grated parmesan to really emphasize the flavor.
