Recipe: How to Make Oil of Oregano

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. – Mark Twain

I made mine last night, so it still has to steep for two weeks before use.

Oil of oregano was brought to my attention recently by a friend of mine. Oil of oregano comes from the leaves and flowers. She uses it to ward off colds and soothe sore throats, among other things.

I thought it warranted investigation, especially because it can be a little on the expensive side when purchased at a health food store. 

Oregano (Origanum vulgare), is the cooking herb we all know so well from Middle Eastern, Greek and Italian food. It’s sometimes called the “pizza” herb. It is native to the warmer areas of Eurasia and the Mediterranean. 

In those areas it is a perennial that can grow as high as 20 inches, if given the right conditions. Those conditions are plenty of sun and soil that’s a little on the alkaline side, but it will grow in less than optimal conditions.

The variety we purchase at the grocery store is O. vulgare, but sources say that other varieties are more superior in taste, with more pungency and spiciness. So if you’re looking to plant from seed, maybe try a different variety.

Oregano. Photo: RaeAllen, Flickr ccl

Health Claims

Oregano has a long history as a medicinal herb. The ancient Greeks used oregano as an antiseptic, as well as a cure for stomach and respiratory ailments. 

Oregano is high in antioxidants, due to a concentration of phenolic acids and flavonoids. It also has shown some potential antimicrobial activity against strains of the food-borne Listeria monocytogenes.

These claims have not been completely verified by scientific studies.In fact, in 2005 the US Federal Trade Commission sued a firm advertising their oil of oregano for an effective treatment for colds, flu and viral infections. 

In their suit the USFTC claimed the statements were false and/or misleading. Their contention was there was insufficient scientific study to back up health claims.

The following information about the potential health benefits of oil of oregano is from a book called “The Cure is in the Cupboard,” by Cass Ingram, MD. I don't seem to be able to find any scientific websites to back up the claims in the book. The only sources citing health benefits of oil of oregano are naturopathic. That doesn't make the information wrong, just perhaps not a scientifically verified as one would hope for the significant benefits claimed. 

In it are made several interesting statements. Oil of oregano is contains a powerful phenol, carvacrol, that makes it a topical antiseptic and antiviral. It is supposed to aid in the treatment of acne, cold sores and slight fungal infections.

Oil of oregano is also supposed to aid in warding off colds and flu due to antiviral properties that stimulate the production of white blood cells. It supposedly can also alleviate annoying cold symptoms, particularly congestion, sore throats, coughs and runny noses.

Oil of oregano is also supposed to have anti-inflammatory properties that make it a candidate to treat arthritis and headaches. It also may have the ability to aid digestion and intestinal health through the carvacol and thymol present in the oil.  

For some interesting contrary information about medicinal use of oil of oregano, visit http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/oil-of-oregano/

It's as easy as heating oil with the bruised herb.

True or not, it’s useful stuff...

Most benefits seem to be anecdotal, as protested by the USFTC, and it has yet to be borne out by rigorous scientific study. At the very least it can’t hurt… Ancient peoples found it useful, and tasty. 

It must be noted that some people have adverses gastric and allergic reactions to oil of oregano.

We seem to be so enamoured now with synthetic medicines we often forget that most have their roots in natural sources. The Greeks still use a strain of oregano to homoeopathically treat sore throats today.

Oil of oregano is an interesting cooking ingredient, imparting a strong oregano flavour to any foods fried or sautéed in it. If you make it at home it’s also cost-efficient.

I most probably will try this with other oils. Anyone up for pork chops browned in sage oil?

To make your own at home is very easy, but it does take two weeks.Total cost to make about 1 cup was $2.50 for the oregano and about 75¢ for the grapeseed oil, if that much.

Homemade Oil of Oregano

Prep: 5 min  |  Steep: 2 weeks

equal volumes of 

oregano leaves

grapeseed oil

Remove the oregano leaves from the stems. Measure to see how much you have. Place in a pot and muddle well with a blunt object like a soon handle or similar tool (like a pestle).

Add an equal amount of grapeseed oil and heat gently just until the oil is almost too hot to put a  (very clean) finger in.

Don't let the oil get hot – just very warm. You don’t want to fry the oregano.

Place in a very clean jar with a well fitting lid and let steep for two weeks. Over that time the oil should take on a slight green tinge as the essential oil excretes from the leaves. Strain out the leaves.

Decant into a bottle and use either for the above health benefits or as a cooking oil.

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Home Baking: Old Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls

There is only one difference between a long life and a good dinner: that, in the dinner, the sweets come last. – Robert Louis Stevenson

Can you smell it?

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned warm cinnamon bun. They announce their presence the moment you enter the house.

Nine very large fluffy rolls.

They’re a childhood memory that many of us share. I wanted to resurrect this memory so I took my dough hints for a 1959 recipe. It was from the sweet rolls found in  A Guide to Good Cooking with Five Roses Flour. Always a reliable source for old-style recipes.

Here’s a little known fact on this side of the Atlantic. October 4 is Kanelbullens Dag (National Cinnamon Bun Day) in Sweden. Instituted in 1999 by the Home Baking Council it was a way to stimulate tourism to the country. It is now a well recognized tradition, even though it's only 13 years old.

One difference from what North Americans call cinnamon rolls is that the Swedes often put cardamom in the dough, much like I did for my Cardamom buns (recipe here). 

Dough before 1st rise.

The ingredients in cinnamon buns have all been around for many, many years, reaching back past recorded history. When they may have all come together I cannot find. But one source says cinnamon buns may be a descendant of ancient galettes or medieval fritters.

One thing is known. The final ingredient needed to make a cinnamon bun – cinnamon – wasn’t available to European cooks until after Marco Polo’s expeditions and resulting spice trade. This was in the latter half of the 13th century.

There are now different versions in many countries all over the world, where they range from a biscuit-like dough to full-on fluffy wonders. Sometimes they are called sticky buns; sometimes they have nuts; sometimes cream cheese frosting… 

I have a recipe for a Swedish Tea ring that has raisins and is formed into a ring shape. The ring is then almost cut through and turned slightly to make individual buns. Quite festive looking. I should have done that with these. Next time....

Dough after 2nd rise.

Although I am a fan of cream cheese the frosting on these buns is a standard icing sugar glaze. I wanted to keep this recipe fairly true to the old-fashioned variety.

The buns are not small. In fact, they are rather large. That’s the way I like them. I hope you do too.

Cinnamon Rolls

Prep: 3 hrs 30 min | Bake: 35 min | Yield: 9 large rolls

1-1/2 cups water (or milk) at 110°F

1 tbsp yeast

2 eggs, beaten slightly

Ready to be rolled and cut.

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups flour*

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

1.2 cup softened butter

glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 tbsp milk

2 tsp corn syrup

pinch of salt

Proof the yeast in the warm water until frothy, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the eggs, butter, sugar and salt and stir well. Mix in the flour and then bring together with your hands in the bowl.

Transfer to a flat surface and knead. The dough will be a little sticky at first but will loose that as it is kneaded. Only add enough flour as is necessary to do so.

2nd rise.

Knead the dough until smooth, about 5-10 minutes. Under-kneading will not activate the elasticity in the flour.

Transfer the dough back to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise until double in bulk, about 2 hours.

Once the dough has risen, punch the dough down and roll it out into a rectangle about 12” wide by 16” long. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.

Spread the softened butter over the surface and then dust with the cinnamon sugar. Roll up the dough so you have a roll 16” long. Cut evenly into 9 pieces.

Generously butter a 9” by 9” tall sided pan. Arrange the cut rolls in three rows of three. Place the pan in a warm place with a piece of plastic on top and let rise again until doubled in bulk, about another hour.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  While the rolls are baking, whisk all the ingredients together for the glaze in a bowl.

Bake the rolls for 30-35 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and then drizzle with the glaze. Serve while still warm.

* The moisture content in flour varies on a daily basis, so start with a little less than 4 cups and see how it goes. On this day I didn’t have to add any additional flour at all. It used exactly 4 cups.

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Recipes: Salmon with Pineapple Glaze, and an Opo Squash

Life is either a great adventure or nothing. – Helen Keller 

Fantastic flavours, and probably on the healthy side too.

I’ve become a fan of steelhead trout. Doubly so when I find a whole filet that’s marked down 30%. The whole thing – enough for four – cost $5.60. Cool.

This day was one where I went to the grocery store and had no idea what I was going to make. But I knew it was about time for fish, purely for the health benefits (fish once a week if we can). Dinner was to be a grand adventure.

So there I was, with filet in hand, wondering what the heck I should to do with it. One of the first things that sprang to mind was teriyaki, but that’s so October 24th… (excellent recipe here).

I’m sure my spouse thinks I’m crazy, because we seldom eat the same thing twice. What would I write about if we did? I’ll let you in on a secret: days that I post baked goods is usually when we have eaten a "repeat" meal.

But back to teriyaki... This isn’t teriyaki, bit it’s kind of a cousin. Last month when I was researching the teriyaki I stumbled upon many recipes that incorporated fruit juice. I thought why not try something like that, sort of, kind of, in the future? The future had come.

Bitter melon at left. Opo squash at right. Photo:
@Damten, Flickr ccl

This glaze is one of the best I have ever made. It has fruity sweetness with a fair punch of ginger and just enough heat from the chilli flakes – and 5 minutes to make. Definitely a keeper.

But I couldn’t just throw fish on top of rice. So off I went to the weird vegetable section of the store. I wasn’t disappointed. I found an Opo squash.

Opo squash goes by a few names, calabash and bottle gourd being two. When fully grown these gourds are hollowed out and used for bowls or water containers. When young, they are cooked as a summer squash – like zucchini.

They have about as much taste as a zucchini too. I didn’t know that until I cut into it. But that’s OK. It’s full of Vitamin A and C. The things we do for our health...

I used some of the same ingredients – matchy matchy – to make a rice dish that I did in the fish glaze. Both had pineapple, chillies and ginger. This allowed me to buy a can of diced pineapple for the fruit as well as the juice.

I walked around the grocery store to round up a few other ingredients to make what I hoped would be a decent side dish. 

Truth be told, it turned out to be more than decent. The four servings both recipes make seemed to only feed the two of us… No leftovers. That’s a good yardstick to judge if something is tasty. It passed.

I had no idea what was going to be on the table when I went into the grocery. So this dinner is totally constructed out of some grocery store foraging and my weird little mind. Maybe I’m not as weird as I think.

All this fish for $5.60. Ready for the oven.

Salmon with Pineapple Ginger Glaze

Prep: 5 min  |  Bake 15 min  |  Serves 4

4 portions of salmon

1/2 cup pineapple juice

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp finely minced ginger

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

pinch of salt

2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Arrange the salmon portions on foil in a cookie sheet or other ovenproof pan.

In a small saucepan combine the juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger, chilli flakes and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2 minutes. 

Mix the cornstarch with the water and pour into the sauce. Let cook to thicken, and reduce to the consistency of a glaze.

Paint the glaze generously on the salmon pieces. Place in the oven and bake for between 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your salmon.

Serve on top of sir-fried rice, as below.

Crisp bean sprouts, sift melon and sweet spicy pineapple.

Rice with Pineapple and Opo Squash

Time: 20 min  |  Serves 4

3 cups cooked short-grain white rice (about 1 cup uncooked)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbsp ginger, chopped

1 tsp red chilli flakes

2 cups chopped opo squash (or zucchini)

1/2 cup finely diced pineapple

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 cups bean sprouts

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

1/2 tsp five spice powder

1/2 tsp salt

Cook the rice while the salmon is in the oven.

During that time, heat the oil in a wok. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli flakes and fry until fragrant. Add the cubed squash, sprinkle with the salt, and sauté until soft.

Add the pineapple and hoisin and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the cooked rice and mix well.

Toss in the bean sprouts, green onion and five spice powder. Stir to combine and serve with the salmon on top.

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Recipe: Fallen Angels Orange Sugar Cookies

I slide my arm from under the sleeper's head and it is numb, full of swarming pins, on the tip of each, waiting to be counted, the fallen angels sit. – Wislawa Szymborska

I wanted cookies a few nights ago, and I wanted them fast. I had a bad craving.

This ruled out rolling and/or shaping dough, and it also ruled out butter. I find butter cookies take longer to make because you have to cream the sugar and butter together until “light and fluffy.” That means beating for at least 5 minutes.

Strange dough. This little bit made 36 cookies.

Every second was precious. It was getting late. That meant oil and drop cookies. Cookies made with vegetable oil? You bet.

Many sugar cookies have tons of butter, and are delicious, but there are recipes that are equally as good that call for just oil. Maybe not as rich, but just as tasty.

Sugar cookies have been around for quite a long time. In the 1700s, German protestant settlers in Nazareth, Pennsylvania were baking a cookie called the Nazareth Sugar cookie.

Of course they brought this tradition from the Old World, but modified what they were used to making. More than likely the progenitor of the sugar cookie was an unleavened “cookie” called a jumble. They came into being in the 1600s.

Jumbles were often rolled into strands and then shaped into circles or even knot shapes, much like pretzels and boiled. These cookies were then able to be dried and stored for many months.

They were introduced to Europe by the Moors in Spain as a savoury rather than a sweet, and may have their origins in the Middle East. There is some evidence that the Moors may have picked them up from the Italian cimabetta.

So blame the introduction of the sugar cookie on conquest and trade. It’s come a long way to its now favourite childhood place – the plate, beside a glass of milk, left out for Santa Claus.

These particular cookies are flavoured with vanilla and orange rind. The orange gives them just a hint of citrus flavour. These cookies also have one property that isn’t all that common in sugar cookies.

I named these cookies “fallen angels” because they were so rounded when they first came out of the oven but collapsed shortly after, as I hoped they would. 

Even when collapsed, they somehow retained a light, yet chewy, texture. Amazing!

I may try these cookies with melted margarine at some point. But I think the structure would change because margarine has been hydrogenated to remain a solid at room temperature. Who knows...

Give these cookies a try. I’m sure they’ll become one of Santa’s new favourites.

Fallen Angels Orange Sugar Cookies

Prep: 12 min  |  Bake: 10-12 min  | Yield 36

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil (I used soy oil)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Rind of 1 orange, finely chopped

large grained sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Combine the oil and both sugars in a mixing bowl. Beat until light coloured, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each one in well. The mixture will get much lighter.

Stir in the vanilla and chopped orange rind.

Slowly stir in the flour mixture, a third at a time, until all incorporated. The dough will be almost like a putty. This is good.

Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto baking sheets, about 12 cookies per sheet. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with large grained sugar.

Bake in the centre of the oven for about 10 minutes. Take them out when the edges are just barely starting to brown. The tops will be quite rounded and puffy.

Remove the cookies to a rack. As the cookies cool they will collapse slightly.

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Recipe: Beef bourguignon

There may be things better than beef stew and baked potatoes and home-made bread – there may be. – David Gayson

Nothing hits the spot on a cool day better than beef stew, especially with wine!

If you want beef stew, this one is it. I love my mother’s Nova Scotia version with root vegetables, but sometimes something a little richer is just what the doctor ordered.

Beef bourguignon, or more properly “boeuf” bourguignon is a haute cuisine classic, but its origins are far less grand than the expensive kitchens of Paris.

This meal started out as a peasant dish. Usually anything that simmers a long time has that provenance. Simmering makes less desirable (and therefore less expensive) cuts of meat more tender. Simmering in an acidic liquid (wine) doesn’t hurt either.

Beef bourguignon hails from Burgundy in France. This region is also the home of coq au vin (recipe here) and escargot. People either love or hate escarrgot. I am in the former category.

In bourguignon (and coq au vin) meat is simmered with onions, garlic, and select other vegetables until all is soft and delicious. The broth that accompanies the bourguignon is composed of beef stock and red wine.

Thank goodness the rural French had easy access to wine or wonderful recipes like coq au vin or bourguignon may not exist.

A classic thickener, flour kneaded with butter.

The red wine I used was local – a 2011 Castel from Domaine de Grand Pré in the Annapolis Valley. The winery uses 100% Nova Scotia grown grapes. 

Their Castel is a very nice wine. It is richly flavoured and deep red with notes of pepper and caraway. It pairs perfectly with red meats and root vegetables.

Domaine de Grand Pré has won many wine awards. Its award-winning restaurant, Le Caveau, is a perfect place to enjoy the fruits of their labour and a taste of Nova Scotia cuisine at its finest.

Nova Scotia actually has a thriving wine industry of which we are rightly proud, with wineries in every area of our small province. Other wineries are also not unfamiliar with international awards as well. 

Keep that in mind when you’re planning day trips around, or a longer vacation to, our beautiful jewel by the sea.

So I’ve done my Bluenose duty by pitching the region (which richly deserves it) so now on to the recipe!

Boeuf Bourguignon

Prep: 10 min  |  Cook: 60 min  |  Serves 4

2 tbsp oilve oil

1-1/2 lb cubed beef (not too lean)

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 lg carrots, cubed

1 rib celery, plus some chopped celery leaves

1 lg tomato, diced (or 1 tbsp tomato paste)

1-1/2 cups beef broth

1 cup good red wine*

1 tsp thyme, dried

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

mashed potatoes

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot with a cover. Brown the beef. Then add the  onion, garlic, carrots, celery, tomato, wine, beef broth, thyme and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

Brin the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Let the pot simmer for 1 hour.

While the stew is simmering knead the butter and flour together with your fingers in a small bowl. This is called a beurre manie (French for kneaded butter). This is the thickener.

Kneading butter and flour together allows you to thicken sauces without risk of lumps. (Try it this Thanksgiving or Christmas for your gravy.)

At the end of the one hour stir in the beurre manie. Let the sauce thicken, remove the bay leaves and serve.

Usual accompaniment is mashed potatoes, but this dinnertime I had baked potatoes which I split open and buttered before placing the stew on top.

*Never cook with wine you wouldn’t drink. Some of the alcohol burns off, but the taste remains. Garbage in...garbage out.

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Recipe: Brazilian Coconut Chicken

Latins are tenderly enthusiastic. In Brazil they throw flowers at you. In Argentina they throw themselves. – Marlene Dietrich

Finger lickin' good. At least to me. Sorry Colonel Sanders...

It’s not what you have, it’s what you do with it. We’ve all heard that saying before. More than likely in a "risqué" context.

I’m saying it because many of the ingredients in this recipe are the same as in yesterday’s Thai scallops. Hard to believe, right?

Look at those spices! I only cooked 2 pieces because
there was only two of us at the table.

Garlic, ginger, coconut milk, chillies, cilantro, lime… these are all the same as in yesterday’s post. But the result couldn’t be more different.

Brazilian cuisine is sort of a melting pot. Tropical ingredients first used by natives were incorporated by Spanish and Portuguese settlers. The slave trade brought African influences as did other waves of trade and settlers from other corners of the world.

It’s not surprising then that many of the ingredients from one tropical region make their way into the cuisine of another. The big one that’s missing from yesterday's post? Fish sauce. That definitely removes it from Southeast Asian flavours.

You might say this recipe was a way for me to use up some of my leftovers – especially cilantro. You always have to buy too much cilantro.

I'll solve that situation problem next year when I grow my own. My luck I'll exacerbate the problem...

I’m not going to go on at great length about this today. I’m a little short on time. You lucked out!

Suffice to say this was a delicious way to serve chicken – everything in balance. A slightly piquant sauce with hints of tropical flavours.

I actually cleaned the sauce off my plate with my finger with this one. (Don’t tell!!)

This is the sauce before the chicken is place in for simmering.

Brazilian Coconut Chicken

Prep: 30 min  |  Cook: 40 min  |  Serves 4

2 tsp cracked black pepper

2 tsp cumin 

2 tsp ground turmeric 

1 tsp cayenne

4 skinless chicken breasts 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 medium onion, chopped 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped 

4 plum tomatoes, chopped 

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 can coconut milk 

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice of 1/2 large lime (about 2 tbsp)

salt to taste 

Combine pepper, cumin, turmeric and cayenne in a small dish.

30-40 minutes later. Dramatic change.

Place the chicken pieces in a zip-lock bag. Sprinkle with the spice mixture and rub thoroughly. Let the chicken sit on the counter for 1/2 to 1 hour.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven. Place the chicken in the hot oil and brown on both sides. The chicken will not be cooked through. Remove to a plate.

Add the onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeno to the pot. Sauté on medium heat for about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, green pepper, coconut milk and cilantro. Bring to a simmer and then add the chicken back into the pot.

Partially cover the pot and let cook for 30-40 minutes, removing the cover after 20 minutes. Stir occasionally as the sauce thickens.

Once the sauce has reduced squeeze the lime juice over the chicken. Taste for salt and add as desired.

Serve with hot rice and a little more cilantro on top.

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