looking for dipping sauce

[noblesseoblige]

Our son loves bread dipping sauce. Virgin olive oil and garlic etc.
Valerie wants to make him a basket for Christmas and she is determined to make home made dipping sauce (with my help )
I know to use virgin olive oil and garlic and dried red peppers.
What about dried italien spices like oregano? Or rosemary?
Also an other thing I am concerned about, if I just trow garlic and oil and the other stuff together does it not get moldy and create botulism?

[LeslieLesfire]

Here is a recipe I found on the net, but it doesn't say if it will store or if you have to make it up each time.

OLIVE OIL DIPPING SAUCE

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves minced garlic
½ tsp. salt
Italian seasoning
Combine ingredients and heat just until garlic begins to sizzle. Remove from heat. Dip your bread as desired!


Here is another better looking one, again I don't know if you can store it, I think if it were me I would get some spendy olive oil and a nice bottle to put it in and a clear glass jar to keep the spices in and let him mix them together as he needs them. Especially if you can get one of those nice pour spout bottles like they use in the italian restuarants. I think I would tie matching ribbon or wrathia around the jar and bottle and put in a basket with some really good bread. Anyway, here is the better looking recipe.

A great taste alike recipe from the famous Carrabba restaurant.


1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. dried minced garlic
1 tsp. fresh minced garlic
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine spices in a deep plate. Pour olive oil over. Serve with fresh-baked bread for dipping.

Anyway, I've heard not to store garlic in olive oil that it creates botulism, so I would store the spices and the oil separate just to be safe. Good luck and I hope I helped.

[Mary Ann]

When I do this, I prefer to use all fresh herbs and spices. You can find these in most good grocery store produce departments these days. And Williams Sonoma used to sell the most beautiful little bottles for this, although any bottle with a good stopper will work. It should hold about 8 ounces.

I like to take a good dark green extra virgin olive oil and add it to an empty bottle in which I've placed two or three cloves of garlic, a dozen or so whole peppercorns, a half teaspoon of coarse kosher salt, a single tiny dried red pepper, several long branches of oregano, thyme, and rosemary. If you like add a few leaves of basil. That should sit sealed, in a cool dark place, for about six weeks. Then shake lightly, pour some into a shallow dish, and dip in a nice crusty sourdough French bread. Yes ma'am, that be good!

[noblesseoblige]

Thanks guys, I will try it. Valerie went to the Container Store and bought two really nice bottles.
I have and abundance of rosemary, it grow and grows (must be the coffe grounds I toss in there). Also my basil and oregano is still going good.
Is there any chance this will mold since most of the stuff is fresh and it has no preservatives?

[Mary Ann]

Nope; the olive oil is a great preservative. The olive oil will start going rancid before the herbs get gross, as long as they're covered by the oil. And it looks so pretty in the bottle when in long branches!