May 27, 2006 | Episode 21
Need an easy, low-calorie way to add flavor to just about anything? Try basil-infused vinegar.
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Upgrading Vinegar
Tips for infusing vinegar with flavor
One of the best ways to perk up an ordinary recipe is to use flavored vinegars. Though infused vinegars are widely available in supermarkets and at farmers’ markets, infusing your own vinegar is nearly as easy as paying for it at checkout —and (best of all) it’s cheaper. Here’s how to do it:
• Use good quality red wine, white wine or champagne
vinegar, and never use distilled vinegar, which is too harsh for
infusion, says
Jim Vitalo, proprietor of the vinegar maker Herbally Yours in
• Use the freshest seasonal ingredients possible but keep ingredients to a minimum. “If you blend too many things together, it ends up being gray — in color and in flavor,” Chiarello says.
• Store vinegar in glass or ceramic
containers sealed
with nonmetallic lids, as metal and plastic will react with vinegar
over time
and corrode the container and vinegar.
• Refrigerate your infused vinegars for up to six months, says Vitalo. Use them as salad dressings, marinades, to add a zesty boost to stews, sauces, salsas, vegetables and stir fries, or for flavoring vegetables and desserts.
• To get started, try the two recipes below:
Tarragon Vinegar (adapted from Herbally Yours)
- Hands-On Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 2 weeks
Makes one quart
<>One large handful organic tarragon, preferably organic
One quart good quality white wine vinegar
Place the tarragon in a large glass
jar. Smash the leaves with a wooden spoon. Add the
vinegar. Set aside in a cool, dark, dry place for two weeks.
Strain through
three or four layers of cheesecloth into a pitcher and pour into clean
glass containers. Seal and refrigerate.
Basil Peppercorn Vinegar (adapted from Herbally Yours)
- Hands-On Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 2 weeks
Makes one quart
Two large handfuls basil, preferably organic
-
One quart good quality red wine vinegar
Place the peppercorns and basil in a large glass jar. Smash the leaves with a wooden spoon. Add the vinegar. Set aside in a cool, dark, dry place for two weeks. Strain through three or four layers of cheesecloth into a pitcher and pour into clean glass containers. Seal and refrigerate.
More Solutions
and Recipes from this episode
