Infused vinegars
Ingredients
- distilled white vinegar and one or more of:
- sprigs fresh rosemary
- sprigs fresh thyme
- fennel fronds
- orange zest strips
- star anise
- chili peppers
Method
- Invest in or save some attractive bottles with tight lids (cork is best as metal lids can rust).
- The amount of vinegar and flavours you need depends on how many bottles you are filling, but as a rule of thumb, for a 75cl bottle, you want 3-4 large sprigs of rosemary, 4-6 strips of orange zest, 2-4 chilli peppers, 3 star anise, 8-10 fennel fronds, and so on according to taste.
- Now put each flavouring in separate bottles or lidded jugs with enough room to fit all the liquid you need for however many bottles you are doing for each flavour.
- Warm the vinegar in a saucepan until it reaches a simmer (not a boil).
- Remove from heat, let it cool slightly, and pour the appropriate amount of warm liquid over each flavouring.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 weeks.
- Now sterilise the bottles you are to present the vinegar in, strain each vinegar through a fine sieve and a coffee filter and pour the result through a funnel into the bottles.
- Decorate each with its flavouring – so for the rosemary vinegar add a sprig or two of rosemary, add a chilli to the chilli vinegar, star anise to its vinegar, and so on.
- Present to your friends.
