*See Kitchen Notes for more information.
Strain into a sterilized clean, dry bottle. Discard the chile and spices. Eat the garlic cloves with some crackers - YUM!
Store in the refrigerator for up to a year.
Red Chile Pepper – I use a New Mexico dried red chile pepper (shown in the first picture). The ones I have are HOT; therefore, this is a very spicy chile oil. However, you can use just about any DRIED chile pepper. Other peppers that would work are Ancho, chipotle, pasilla, mulato and even pequin, just to name a few. Each type will impart a unique flavor and heat level, so pick your favorite and go for it! Do NOT use chile powder. It burns very quickly, like in seconds! You could use chile flakes, but I wouldn’t heat them longer than 5 minutes and on as low of a heat as possible. If you use the flakes, then after heating, let it sit overnight before straining.
Cumin and coriander – For this recipe use whole seeds. Ground seeds or powder would burn.
Mexican oregano – Mexican oregano is not the same as Mediterranean or Greek oregano which is a member of the mint family. In fact, Mexican oregano isn’t even oregano. It’s actually a relative of lemon verbena. It is mostly grown in Central and South America, while Mediterranean (Greek, Italian) oregano is commonly grown in Europe and northern Africa. Mexican oregano has the basic pungent flavor of Mediterranean oregano, but it also has notes of citrus and mild licorice. It pairs well with spicy southwestern and Mexican cuisine, but not so well in a spaghetti sauce. When I buy it, it comes in whole leaf rather than powder; therefore, I’m able to use it in this oil. If all you have is a powdered oregano or Mediterranean oregano, just leave it out.
Safety notes – Unrefrigerated garlic in oil can promote the growth of C. botulinum bacteria without affecting the smell or taste of the oil or the garlic. C botulinum causes botulism, a serious form of food poisoning; therefore, do not be tempted to leave the garlic in this oil or any other infused oil that you make. To see more about the safety of infusing oil with garlic, read my post on Roasted Garlic Infused Olive Oil.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen