Best Herbed Olive Puree Recipes

HERBED FAVA BEANS WITH PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fava beans and cook 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water; let cool about 5 minutes (keep the pot of water boiling). Drain the beans, then peel off their skins (they should slip right off). Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs. Reserve about 1 1/2 cups cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• Heat the olive oil, garlic, mint sprigs, parsley sprigs and all but 2 tablespoons of the scallions in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the scallions are soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the favas and 1 cup of the reserved cooking water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the favas are tender and the liquid is slightly reduced, 8 to 10 minutes; discard the garlic and herb sprigs.
• Add the pasta to the skillet and cook, tossing until it absorbs some of the sauce, about 3 minutes. Stir in the butter, chopped mint and parsley, reserved scallions, and salt and pepper to taste. Add more cooking water to loosen, if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Tip: If you can't find fresh fava beans, use frozen shelled and skinned ones and blanch as directed.

HERB-MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, toss together olives, oil, parsley, lemon zest and juice, fennel and thyme; season with pepper. Let marinate at room temperature 1 hour (or cover and refrigerate, up to 1 week).

HERB-INFUSED OLIVE OIL

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium heat until just bubbling. Add herbs. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Steep 1 to 2 hours. Strain out herbs, and funnel into a clean glass container. Refrigerate up to 1 week; bring to room temperature before using.

POTATO, PARSNIP, AND HERB-OIL PUREE

Steps:

• Bring olive oil, peppercorns, bay leaf, rosemary, and cinnamon stick to a gentle simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered, until cool. Strain. Meanwhile, cook potatoes and parsnips in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, then immediately mash with infused oil, salt, and nutmeg.

COLD PEA SOUP WITH HERBED OIL SWIRL

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, 6-8 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 cups water, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Add peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and stir in yogurt. Purée soup in a blender or in the pot using an immersion blender, thinning with water if soup is too thick, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a resealable container, cover, and chill at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Divide soup among bowls and top each with a swirl of Herbed Olive Oil.
• Do Ahead
• The soup can be made and chilled for up to 2 days.

OLIVE PUREE

Steps:

• Purée everything together using a blender or hand mixer.
• Serve along with some bread (I like to toast slices of French baguettes) or crackers.

ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH HERBED FETA, PISTACHIO AND POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine the carrots, potatoes and Brussels sprouts in a large bowl. Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil and sprinkle with the salt, pepper and coriander. Spread the vegetables on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 15 to 20 minutes. Flip the vegetables and continue to roast until tender and browned all over, 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, add the feta, yogurt, honey, lemon zest and lemon juice to a food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy, adding a little water if needed to loosen the puree. Add the herbs and pulse until just distributed (you don't want to turn the mixture green; you just want to combine them). Spread the feta mixture on a platter. Arrange the roasted vegetables on top of the feta. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and pistachios over the top and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

BASIL OIL (AND OTHER HERB FLAVORED OILS)

Steps:

• In a blender, puree the herbs and oil until completely smooth. Put the mixture in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over moderate heat. Simmer for 45 seconds, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Don't press on the mixture, but you can tap the strainer against your hand to get the oil to drip through faster. Immediately strain the oil again through a flat-bottomed paper filter. If the filter clogs, you may need to change the filter partway through.
• It's okay to pick the filter up and squeeze it gently to get the oil out faster, but be careful not to break the filter. Sometimes a little dark liquid comes through the filter first. Don't worry; that's water. It will settle to the bottom because it is heavier than the oil. Let the filtered oil settle for a few hours, then pour it off the dark liquid. Store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place.

HERBED OLIVES

Steps:

• In a bowl stir together the olives, the herbs, the lemon juice, the zest, and the oil and let the olives marinate, covered and chilled, for 3 days. The marinated olives may be made 2 weeks in advance and kept covered and chilled. Serve the olives at room temperature.

HERB OIL

Steps:

• Put herbs, garlic and salt into a food processor. Add a splash of olive oil, and pulse to combine. Place mixture into a jar.
• Add the rest of the olive oil. Store in the refrigerator. Lasts about a week.

CHICKEN WITH HERBED PEA PUREE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook peas in a small pot of boiling salted water 1 minute. Drain; transfer to a food processor. Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon juice, 1 tablespoon cheese, and 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper; process until texture is similar to hummus. Add cilantro and 1 packed cup spinach; puree.
• Pat chicken dry; season with salt and pepper. Stir together remaining 2 tablespoons cheese and 1/2 teaspoon zest. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chicken, skin-side down; cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Spoon off fat and discard. Flip chicken and sprinkle with cheese mixture. Transfer to oven; roast until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss remaining 3 cups spinach with remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with puree, spinach, and lemon wedges.