1 vinegar
1 greek oregano
Directions
Well, it's simple and unmeasured. I decide how much vinegar I want to
steep, and choose a wide-mouthed jar of that size. I fill this jar
with roughly equal amounts of fresh Greek oregano (a very strong, hot
variety...beware as some fresh oregano is insipid), mint (for this, I
like the yerba buena variety ...a coarse, strong spearmint), and
winter savory (stonger flavored than summer savory). I generally try
to bruise the leaves a bit. I pour the vinegar over the herbs, put a
layer of waxed paper and a couple of layers of plastic wrap over the
mouth of the bottle (to help retard the inevitable corrosion of the
metal cap) and then screw on the jar lid. I place the jar either on
a sunny windowsill or on the deck for a few weeks, and then strain
the vinegar through a coffee filter and return it to the original
vinegar bottle (which usually has a more corrosion-resistant lid). I
don't like to leave any herbs in the vinegar, and don't like to add
any for decoration, either, because they tend to add a funky taste
that I don't care for if they sit long enough.
From: mfaison@pen.k12.va.us (Michele L. Faison). Fatfree Digest
[Volume 9 Issue 38] July 29, 1994 Formatted by Sue Smith, S.Smith34,
TXFT40A@Prodigy.com using MMCONV
Servings: 1 servings
Making Greek Balsamic Vinegar Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Miscellaneous
The History of Recipes
We can read the history of written recipes back into distant history, in truth as far back into recorded history as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and possibly even further. In practice though, sadly, these ancient cookbooks were just basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for meal preparation.
In fact, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to food historians is a collection of stone tablets in Sumerian describing the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who tried it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. Later on, in Roman times around 25BC a man called Apicius compiled some documents which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy Romans. In his publication, Apicius describes how the roman meals were separated into starters, entrees and dessert, a style of dining still practiced today. Aspicius also recounts how the cooks of his times were skilled in the use of a wide range of spices, including a few you will know such as basil, rue and asafoetida. Later on, we have a couple of interesting cookery books published in the 1300s - a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another titled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are a little misleading though, they are nothing to do with the curry that is popular today, but rather descriptions of the types of food on the menues of the rich and powerful of those days. Later on in the 1400s, knights returning from the crusades brought us many new foods and spices from Arab cooking, including spices such as coriander, parsley, and rosemary. These new culinary innovations was responsible for a surge in publications on food, many of which still exist in academic collections. For the next few years, the wealthy families of Europe tried to serve the most extravagent banquests, and as a consequence, chefs and their recipes could command a high salary. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 1800s that fine cookery and recipe collections really came of age. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, spent years to assembling, testing, and writing down the recipes that were being prepared for the better households. By the advent of the twentieth century, recipe books were increasing in popularity as a result of more people being able to read, more spare time and having more money to spend. |
We hope you enjoy this Making Greek Balsamic Vinegar recipe.
