I am fortunate to have plenty of fresh oregano in my garden from April or May, depending on our spring snowfall, through November. One of our favorite ways to use extra is to make marinades for chicken or steak using chopped oregano, chopped garlic, a bit of lemon zest, some parsley stems (finely chopped if I have some - more info on my love affair with herb stems here: https://food52.com/blog/13959-over-30-recipes-to-put-herb-stems-to-good-use), olive oil and salt. If I don't have chicken or steak on hand, I put that in a jar in the fridge for up to a few days or in the freezer until I can use it. This marinade also works well with pork tenderloin.
I also put handfuls of it, chopped, over a sheet pan ratatouille I make with cubes of eggplant, chopped red onion, chopped parsley, cubes of zucchini - also from my garden - and a can of diced tomatoes. The eggplant and zucchini go on the pan first, tossed with a couple of glugs of olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. After about 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, I toss the vegetables on the pan and pull them aside to make a small space in the center of the pan where I pot the chopped red onion. I continue roasting until the onions have just started to soften - about 15 minutes - after which i add the tomatoes, drained, plus the parsley and oregano, with a touch more salt. I toss everything together and roast for another 20 minutes or so. ;o)
I like to chop up big batches of fresh herbs and combine with olive oil or butter, then freeze in ice cube trays - once frozen, I pop them out and put in freezer bags, labeled. Then when I need an herby pop to a plate of pasta or some flavor in cooking rice, I'll throw in a cube. They work great to top meats with on the grill or in the oven, too.
You can make compound butter with raw, chopped leaf folded inside. Alternatively steep in a sauce pot a few pounds of melted butter and a cup of water (for extra moisture to burn off) for a few hours and strain. These methods should keep the fresh herb element alive for a long time.
This sounds interesting. Could you please provide the directions - do you add the additional water to the melted butter, then add all of the ingredients to the pot and do you cook the mixture or just allow it to steep? Thank you in advance for any info.
I’d be glad to dive into it. This is actually a technique that I learned from watching a friend make weed butter. (So it goes like this). Just put a pound of butter and a two cups of water in a sauce pan (50/50 ratio) and simmer. When all is melted add as much oregano as you please. (Trying 3 ounces per pound of butter is a good start)
Once herbs are at a simmer for twenty minutes or have steeped for a day, strain liquid and let cool in refrigerator so the butter will solidify on top of the water, well infused with the herbs aromatic oils. Discard the water.
You can melt this again if you like to pour into molds for a fine shape.
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I also put handfuls of it, chopped, over a sheet pan ratatouille I make with cubes of eggplant, chopped red onion, chopped parsley, cubes of zucchini - also from my garden - and a can of diced tomatoes. The eggplant and zucchini go on the pan first, tossed with a couple of glugs of olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. After about 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, I toss the vegetables on the pan and pull them aside to make a small space in the center of the pan where I pot the chopped red onion. I continue roasting until the onions have just started to soften - about 15 minutes - after which i add the tomatoes, drained, plus the parsley and oregano, with a touch more salt. I toss everything together and roast for another 20 minutes or so. ;o)
Once herbs are at a simmer for twenty minutes or have steeped for a day, strain liquid and let cool in refrigerator so the butter will solidify on top of the water, well infused with the herbs aromatic oils. Discard the water.
You can melt this again if you like to pour into molds for a fine shape.
I hope this helps!
https://homespunseasonalliving.com/10-ways-to-use-oregano/
And maybe a variation on pesto.
Still think its a good idea.