Making Herbed Condiments

Seasoning is the soul of great cooking. The cook who seasons with herbs respects the flavors of foods and insightfully and creatively enhances them. To make a herb based vinegar, oil, or honey, choose the herbs you particularly like, or try one of these combinations.

Herbed Vinegars

Pack about 3 tablespoons of fresh herbs into a 1 ½ cup glass jar, then pound them lightly with a spoon to bruise them and release their aromas. Heat about a cup of vinegar (but don’t boil), and pour it over the herbs. Let the vinegar cool, then cover and stash it in a cool place for a couple of weeks before using it in vinaigrettes, to deglaze pans, to snap up soups and sauces without having to use salt, and in marinades. Herbed vinegars will keep for about one year.

Flavor Combinations for Herbed Vinegars

• Basil, bay leaf, and garlic with cider vinegar: use in a marinade for fresh tuna before grilling.


• Coriander leaf, dried hot chili pepper, and garlic with white wine vinegar: combine with soy sauce and use as a dipping sauce for egg rolls.


• Sage and chive blossoms with red wine vinegar: toss with just steamed sweet potato chunks.


• Mint and lemon peel with cider vinegar: use in a marinade or sauce for mild white fish, like flounder, or drizzle on ripe tomatoes.

Herbed Oils

Since fat carries flavor throughout a dish, an herbed oil is a more intense flavoring than a vinegar. This intensity means that you can use less in recipes and still maintain a high flavor level. A salad to serve four, for example, can get by with a tablespoon of herbed oil, or even less.

To make your own herbed oil, pack about three tablespoons of fresh herbs into a one cup glass jar. Pound the herbs lightly with a spoon to bruise them and release their aromas. Heat about half a cup of olive oil until it’s warm, then pour it on the herbs. Let the oil cool, then cover and refrigerate for a couple of weeks before using. It will last for about nine months, covered and refrigerated.

Use the oil to paint on fish or vegetables before grilling, in vinaigrettes, in marinades for vegetables, and in dressings for whole grain salads.

Flavor Combinations for Herbed Oils

• Ginger, garlic, and lemon grass with olive oil: paint on fish before grilling or use in a sauce for Asian noodles like soba.


• Thyme, tarragon, parsley, and chives with olive oil: add garlic and use in a marinade for mussels.


• Cinnamon stick, ginger, black peppercorns, and bay with olive oil: toss with just steamed winter squash or turnips.


• Dried hot chili peppers, thyme, and garlic: toss with cooked couscous, rice, or barley.

Herbed Honeys

For drizzling on warm muffins or swirling into a cup of steaming herbal tea, nothing beats pure honey that’s been infused with herbs. To try it, heat one cup of honey in a small saucepan until warm and liquid. Meanwhile, in a 1 ½ cup jar, combine about a quarter cup of different fresh herbs. Pound them lightly with a spoon to release the aroma. Pour the warm honey over the herbs and let it cool. Strain before serving. The honey will keep, refrigerated, for about six months.

Flavor Combinations for Herbed Honeys

• Orange peel, saffron, and cardamom with a dark honey: use in a marinade for curried chicken.


• Lavender and rosemary with a wildflower honey: swirl into chamomile tea for a relaxing beverage.


• Hyssop and thyme with a light honey: swirl into tea to temporarily banish sinus or other nasal congestion.

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