How to make Herb Butter.
Herb butter may have a posh appearance and an opulent flavor, yet they are quite simple to prepare and use and should be a staple in your daily diet. Use herb butter with steamed veggies, baked potatoes, seafood, and anything else that would benefit from the addition of a savory butter taste.
INGREDIENTS
.2 cups of unsalted butter
1-3 sprigs of fresh herbs (chervil, chives, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme—song reference intended—are all wonderful choices for herb butter) grated lemon zest, half a teaspoon (optional)
1 to 2 teaspoons of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Allow the butter to soften at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Grate any lemon zest you’re using and mince any fresh herbs you’re using.
- Mash the butter, zest, and finely chopped herbs together with a fork. To taste, stir in salt.
- Spread a piece of parchment or waxed paper with the herb butter. It should form a little log after being rolled up in the paper. The herb butter log should be wrapped in paper and then placed inside of a plastic bag or another food storage container.
Herb butter can last up to 2 months in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer. After that, it will still be edible, but the butter’s quality will deteriorate. Transfer frozen herb butter to the refrigerator 24 hours before you want to use them.
TIMING FOR ROSEMARY OIL PREP:
2 minutes 1-hour INFUSING TIME 1 cup of output.
My go-to pantry staple, I use it to pan-fry potatoes, roast winter squash, and root vegetables, drizzle over popcorn in place of butter, and roast root veggies. It is an essential part of my kitchen.
Making rosemary oil differs from most other methods used to replicate the taste of the plants’ volatile aromatic essential oils. The traditional recommendation is to keep the herbs away from heat and air for as little time as possible to prevent the essential oils from evaporating.
The reason this approach works, however, is because rosemary’s resinous flavor and scent stand up to heat better than other green herbs.
This basil oil is an infused oil, as opposed to basil oil (see the Freezing chapter), which is a purée of fresh leaves in oil. After imparting their flavor, the rosemary leaves are squeezed out.
The quality of the extra-virgin olive oil you use is the secret to this easy recipe’s success. It’s not essential to use a very costly oil, but it’s also crucial to avoid cutting corners too much. The oil contributes just as much to the taste as the rosemary does.
INGREDIENTS
Extra virgin olive oil of excellent quality, 1 cup
1/4 cup of fresh rosemary leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
- To remove the rosemary leaves from the twigs, grasp the growing tip end with one hand and pull the length of the twig in the direction of the base with the other.
- Either place the rosemary leaves in a slow cooker or a little pot. Put the oil in.
- Cook the rosemary in the oil, uncovered, for one hour if using a slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to the high setting. If you’re using a saucepan, heat the oil in it over low heat until a few bubbles appear on the surface of the liquid. The oil should not be allowed to smoke or fully simmer. After turning off the heat, let the oil time to soak the rosemary for an hour.
- Remove the rosemary by straining. Let the oil cool for 20 minutes if you cooked it in a slow cooker. Fill clean glass bottles with rosemary oil, then carefully cap each one. For at least two months, it will remain at room temperature. Keep it in the refrigerator for extended storage (olive oil will congeal in the cold temperatures of the refrigerator; remove the oil at least 30 minutes before using it to allow it to re-liquefy.)
How to make Pemmican
If kept in a cold environment, pemmican is a concentrated, high-energy, and high-protein snack meal that may last for several months. The Cree term pemmican means “rendered fat.” You may use any animal fat, including rendered chicken fat, beef suet that you buy or make, preserved bacon drippings, and other animal fats.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs. of lean ground beef (beef, turkey, venison, etc.)
- One to two cups rendered fat (suet, bacon fat, etc.)
- 3 cups of dried fruit, cut finely.
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts and 1/4 cup optional honey (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the ground beef on parchment paper and spread it out on a baking sheet or the racks of a dehydrator. Overnight or for around eight hours, dry at 180°F.
For pemmican, you want the meat to be crispy-dry rather than chewy as for jerky. - Grind the meat to the point when it resembles powder. In addition to using a mortar and pestle, you are welcome to use a blender or food processor to complete the task.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the fat.
- Combine the dried fruit that has been diced, the meat powder, the honey, and the nuts (if using). Working in each addition with clean hands, gradually add the liquefied fat. When you crush a tiny handful of pemmican, it should stay together, so keep adding fat until it does. Just enough fat should be used to bind the mixture.
- Spread the pemmican out onto a plate or tray until it is approximately a half-inch thick. It should be chilled until it is stiff enough to cut into bars that are 4 inches long and 1 to 2 inches broad in the refrigerator or another cold location.
- Wrap each piece of pemmican in waxed or parchment paper, then keep it in the fridge or another cold location.
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