Preserving Herbs in Frozen Olive Oil Cubes {Two Versions}

Perhaps you have some fresh herbs leftover after buying a large amount for a particular recipe. Or, perhaps you find yourself with an over-abundance of fresh herbs in your garden at summer's end. My post will show you a creative and super useful method to preserve those fresh herbs for future use.

In addition to a garden full of vegetables, we planted lots of fresh herbs earlier this past spring. I had been looking for a way to preserve my bounty of herbs without just simply drying them all as I have done in the past.

Since my family enjoys roasting whole chickens and other meats throughout the cooler months, we can now easily grab a few of these cubes as needed. The olive oil keeps things nice and moist during cooking while the herbs (and other add-ins) bring amazing flavor to each dish. I have found that tossing a couple of these cubes onto a tray a vegetables for roasting is awesome, as well.

And, we've used some in a few pasta dishes, too. (My sixteen-year old recently added a couple of the "Italian" cubes into a pot of plain, cooked spaghetti noodles and tossed it all together with some freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.)

Below you will find the ingredients and method that I used to make two different versions of these cubes. There really aren't exact measurements, however. The size of the wells in your ice cube tray(s)and the number of wells in each tray will determine how much of each ingredient you will use, for example. So, this is really just a guideline. Also, you can use more garlic, for example, if you love, love, love a strong garlic flavor.



Basic Frozen Herb & Olive Oil Cubes

Perfect for roasted meats, fish, vegetables, potatoes and corn on the cob

Ingredients:

Fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems and lightly chopped
Fresh rosemary, leaves removed from stems and chopped
Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Lemon zest
Olive oil

Directions:

Divide the above ingredients (except the oil) among the wells of a clean ice cube tray. (Use a tray with your choice of well size and shape.) Fill each well about 3/4 of the way.

Carefully pour olive oil into each well (over the other ingredients) until almost full.

Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place tray on a flat surface inside of your freezer. (You may want to place tray onto a small baking sheet first to catch any possible oil drips during transfer to freezer.)

Freeze for a few hours or until cubes are frozen solid. Remove from freezer and quickly transfer cubes to a freezer zip-top bag. (Be sure to label the contents.)



Italian Frozen Herb & Olive Oil Cubes

Perfect for use in pastas, marinades and with bread (can be used as a spread or for dipping)

Ingredients:

Fresh basil, leaves removed from stems and torn into smaller pieces
Fresh oregano, leaves removed from stems and lightly chopped (if desired)
Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste per your preference)
Olive Oil

Directions:

Divide the above ingredients (except the oil) among the wells of a clean ice cube tray. (Use a tray with your choice of well size and shape.) Fill each well about 3/4 of the way.

Carefully pour olive oil into each well (over the other ingredients) until almost full.

Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place tray on a flat surface inside of your freezer. (You may want to place tray onto a small baking sheet first to catch any possible oil drips during transfer to freezer.)

Freeze for a few hours or until cubes are frozen solid. Remove from freezer and quickly transfer cubes to a freezer zip-top bag. (Be sure to label the contents.)