Garlicky, Herby Dipping Oil for Bread

I couldn’t afford many sit-down restaurant meals when I was in college, but I did eat a few times at an Italian restaurant in the nicer stretch of town for a fancy treat. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant and doubt it’s even still there, but I do remember that the bread was served with a garlicky, herby olive oil that was so delicious I’ve never forgotten it.

The oil was so good that I made a copycat version for an end-of-the-year banquet; all my friends dipped and swirled their French bread into the tasty blend. And although it sounds fancy, this dipping oil uses only pantry ingredients and can be thrown together in less than five minutes. Fair warning: It just might outshine any other food you serve it with.

The base of this dipping oil is extra-virgin olive oil, and this is when you want to use something higher-quality than what you would normally sauté or cook with. I like a fairly fresh but not-too-grassy olive oil — one that has complex flavors but isn’t too spicy — but go with whatever EVOO you’re happy dipping bread straight into. My favorite is the house blend from local company Stonehouse, and California Olive Ranch’s Everyday Oil is great, too. Don’t use vegetable oil here, as it doesn’t have enough flavor to be interesting eaten this way.

To make the oil, mince some fresh garlic (I promise it’s the only chopping you have to do), then stir it into the olive oil with some dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Let it sit for a little bit before serving, which gives the dried herbs a chance to let off their flavors and the garlic time to mellow. You can also add a few spoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese for a salty, nutty bite.

When serving the oil, I like to spoon it into shallow individual serving bowls, making sure to scoop up some garlic and herbs along the way. That way, each person can double dip to their heart’s delight. If you’re refilling bowls (which I’m pretty sure you will), give the oil a stir each time to redistribute the yummy bits.

Any type of fresh, preferably crusty, bread is great to serve with dipping oil. I would go with something not too flavored or complex so you’re really tasting the flavors in the oil instead. Here are some of my favorite breads to use.

• Baguette
• Crusty sourdough
• Focaccia
• Ciabatta
• French or Italian bread

Brush leftover oil onto bread and toast it for the quickest garlic bread you’ve ever made. Sheela also recommends frying eggs in this dipping oil or serving it with crudités, similar to Italian pinzimonio. A jar of this stuff in the fridge won’t last long, I promise, which is a good thing since it doesn’t have a super-long shelf life due to the fresh garlic.