Infusing the flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and rosemary in olive oil makes an upgraded bread dip you'll get addicted to immediately, in the best way possible.
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sun-dried tomato paste
1/8 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 pinch salt, or to taste
black pepper, to taste
Combine the olive oil and sun-dried tomato paste in a small bowl and mix well.
Crush the basil, thyme, and rosemary (using a mortar and pestle or using your fingers). Add to the oil.
Stir in the garlic, salt, and pepper and mix well.
Let the oil sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour (but no more than 4). You can serve the bread dipping oil immediately but the flavors will be less pronounced.
This recipe is similar to the dipping oil at the Italian restaurant, Bravo. To mimic the dining experience, serve it with rosemary focaccia.
Yes, you can use fresh herbs. Typically, the ratio is 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon of dried herbs but in this case you'll want to use less than that or the oil to herb ratio will be off. Just make sure to very finely chop them before adding to the oil.
If you don't have sun-dried tomato paste, you can puree sun-dried tomatoes or use a small amount of regular tomato paste.
This mixture is best used within a day or two. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Do not store it at room temperature or the garlic may become rancid (this can cause botulism, and nobody wants that in their dip).
Yes, you can easily scale up the recipe. Just maintain the proportions of the ingredients.
For short-term use, it's safe. However, if storing the mixture, be cautious as fresh garlic in oil can pose a risk for botulism if not stored in the refrigerator.
We've actually researched this and haven't been able to find a definitive answer as to the safety of using dehydrated or garlic powder stored in oil at room temperature. So, we can't recommend doing so.
Gently heating the oil can help the flavors meld more quickly, but be careful not to overheat as this can affect the taste and quality of the olive oil. We also recommend not storing the oil after it's been heated as it does increase the chances of botulism. Heat it immediately before serving (you can let it cool to room temperature first of course) but do not save the leftovers.
Try adding a splash of balsamic vinegar, a squeeze of lemon juice, grated Parmesan, crushed red pepper flakes, or other dried herbs like oregano or marjoram.
Serve in a small bowl or dish, accompanied by fresh, crusty bread like focaccia, sourdough, or a baguette.
Olive oil is traditional for its flavor, but you can use other mild-flavored oils like avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
Either extra virgin or regular are fine. They have different flavors so you can experiment with different ones to see which you prefer. Extra virgin is more flavorful and regular is more mild.
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reviews & comments
May 21, 2012
I seriously could have just eaten bread dipped in this for dinner. It rocks! If you make it, double (or triple) the recipe. You'll thank me.