Everything oil

Here's a simple recipe that promises to boost the flavour of savoury recipes. The slow-roasted infusion of garlic and herbs takes so little effort yet it offers so many possibilities. Use it to saute onions and to coat roasting vegetables. Pan-fry chicken breasts and fish with it. Brush it on grilled slices of bread. Swirl it into hummus or bowls of soup.

The oil can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks

Ingredients

3	Lemons, scrubbed well (Main)
1	Garlic bulb, cloves peeled
1	Red chilli
4	Bay leaves
8 sprigs	Fresh thyme
3 cups	Olive oil, (can be extra-virgin)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 120 degrees.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel of each lemon, with as little white pith as possible, placing the strips in a small ovenproof saucepan or baking dish as you work.
3. Add the garlic cloves, chilli, bay leaves and thyme. Pour in the oil, making sure to add enough so all those components are submerged. Cover tightly with tinfoil and slow-roast (middle rack) for about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Uncover and let cool. The oil can be used right away or transfer it along with the solids to a glass container with a tight-fitting lid.