Cilantro Oil

Have I ever told you that I have a thing for cilantro?  Oh, I have? Well, you can see what a dunce I’ve been then: A professed cilantro-lover, who’s never made cilantro oil before.  Bows head in shame.

The thing was, I never had even thought of cilantro oil before.  I add lots of cilantro to lots of things and it is a total-pain-in-the-ass to go out to the store solely for cilantro on a cold, wintery night but I never thought of another option.  Then finally, over the weekend I made cilantro oil and—while it’s not quite the real thing, less pungent—now I can unabashedly put it on anything (well, almost).

I’ll be showing you the reason why I made the cilantro oil (can you guess it? hint: it slurps) in a few days, though I’ve got to admit that my favorite use is drizzled over some of the ah-maze-ing bread I’ve been baking from this book.  So go ahead, make this cilantro oil before I let you in on its partner-in-recipe; I’m sure you’ll find some use for it.

• 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup safflower oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Purée cilantro, oil, and salt in cleaned blender (or with immersion blender), scraping down sides of blender (or bowl) several times. Pour oil into a jar or bottle and use within a few days or a week.  You can also strain out the solids for a smoother oil.