Two Olive Oil Dips :

Shemen Tov

Shemen Tov, or “Good Oil” is a classic in our house. Garlic lovers can't get enough and always ask me for this recipe.

Shemen Tov ~from Cooking for The King

10 garlic cloves, peeled

2 green onions

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Place garlic, green onions and parsley into the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Do not puree.

2. Scrape contents of work bowl into a sealable container. Add oil, vinegar and salt. Chill for several hours before serving. Keeps in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for one week. Allow to reach room temperature before serving.

Herb Mix for Olive Oil Dip

A healthy alternative to serving margarine with bread is this earthy herb mixture. Pour good quality olive oil into a small plate, sprinkle with Herb Dip. Swirl in a piece of fresh challah. Presto-it is about as good as passage to an authentic Italian trattoria. Plus, the kids like it!

Herb Mix ~from Cooking for The King

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1. In the work bowl of a food processor, combine all ingredients and pulse until herbs and garlic are minced. Keep refrigerated, in a tightly sealed container, for 1 week.

2. To serve, pour olive oil into a small dish. Sprinkle oil with herb blend.

Olive oil dips are wonderful on challah but they are also delicious with tossed with pasta for an easy weeknight dinner or mix a tablespoon or two into vinaigrette dressing to give your salad an extra punch of flavor.

Read the Queen in the Kitchen on Olive Oil~