A dozen or so years ago when my brother was teaching at a culinary school in Tuscany, he introduced me to asperso — an herb-infused salt blend whose name translates to ‘sprinkled’ in English. No wonder: The Tuscans sprinkle asperso on everything: roasted or grilled meats, sauteed vegetables, roasted potatoes, you name it. The particular Tuscan blend includes rosemary, sage, thyme, black pepper, red chili pepper, garlic and juniper berries.
When Rob and I traveled to Italy this summer, we found other variations, with different kinds of herbs and with or without pepper. The cookbook I purchased after the trip, My Tuscan Kitchen, includes yet another blend.
So the recipe for herbed salt below is sort of a hybrid of all these ideas. I made a batch about 2 weeks ago, and the flavor continues to deepen. I transferred the salt blend to a pretty Weck jar (without the rubber seal and clips) and keep it near the stove for easy, you know, sprinkling.
herb infused sea salt recipe
1 cup fine sea salt
1 Tbsp. each of the following fresh herbs, finely chopped: thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, sage
2–3 bay leaves
1 large clove garlic, peeled
Skewer the bay leaves and garlic on a toothpick. Mix the salt and herbs well in a glass jar with a lid; embed the skewer in the salt. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for a week, shaking the jar well every day. After a week, discard the garlic-bay skewer. Salt keeps in a cool place for 3–4 months; the flavor will deepen over time.
I wanna know where you get the pretty litle weck jars
Hi, Martha! Thanks for your question. Three great sources for Weck jars:
• the Weck website
http://weckjars.com
• Crate & Barrel (stores & online)
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/kitchen-and-food/food-containers-storage/1
• Williams-Sonoma’s Agrarian http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/agrarian-garden/agrarian-canning-preserving/?
Love it! Thanks for sharing!
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