This dipping oil recipe was inspired by products received from Pompeian and Smiley360. All words and thoughts are my own.
It may sound funny, but I threw my first serious dinner party when I was in high school. I set the table nicely with linens, candles, and a centerpiece and served up four courses – appetizers, salad, entree, and dessert – to five of my closets friends. It was a lot of fun – even considering the fact that the guys ended up playing swords with the crunchy rosemary bread sticks and then attempted to light them using the candles.
Gotta love teenage boys.
Being a hostess has always come naturally for me, and even when I’m only “entertaining” my own family, I like to try and make our meals as nice as possible. Yes, we do take out now and then, and sometimes dinner comes out of the freezer. But if I can carve the extra time out of the day, I like to add little extras whenever I can.
One “extra” that I like to serve is bread with dipping oil. Bread has always been a highlight of a meal for me; I’m sure it goes back to baking bread in the kitchen with my Gram while I was growing up. But after the first time my bread was paired with dipping oil and herbs at a restaurant one night, I’ve made it as a pre-dinner nosh a few times per year.
You want to use a good-quality extra virgin olive oil when you make the dipping oil recipe. Aside from the herbs, oil is the only other ingredient. So I chose Pompeian Extra Virgin Oil Olive; even hubby agrees that it has an awesome flavor.
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. crushed rosemary
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- bread for dipping
- Combine all herbs in a small bowl.
- Spoon 1½ tablespoons of herb mixture onto a plate.
- Slowly pour 3 tablespoons of oil over the plated herb mixture.
- Serve with bread (toasted or untoasted).
- Extra herb mixture can be stored in an air-tight container (if you're planning on storing, you may want to add the garlic as needed or use dried garlic powder instead).
This makes a great appetizer if you’re having friend and family over for dinner. People can sit around and dip and chat while you put the finishing touches on the rest of the dishes. I usually use French or Italian, but you can serve it with whatever kind of bread you’d like. You can certainly toast it, too, though you won’t get to sop up as much of the delicious oil.
Right now Pompeian has a $1 off coupon available to print right now. And if you take a moment to fill out this quick survey from Pompeian you’ll be entered to win a$200 gift card!
About Liza
Liza is a mom (5-year-old daughter, 20-year-old stepson, and 24-year-old stepdaughter) and wife living in Louisville. She loves spending time with her family, visiting the local zoo and parks, as well as planning travel adventures. Cooking and baking, DIY projects and crafts, and coffee - lots and lots of coffee - round out some of her other hobbies.
Looks great, I would rather mix my own herb blend than buy a generic one. I will definitely be using this one.
Pompeiian is my favorite olive oil and red wine vinegar. It’s reasonably priced, and tasty! I like to use the extra light tasting olive oil for every day cooking.
Yes, we use their red wine vinegar, too! Their products really are great quality
How easy is this, easy to entertain with too
Very awesome and I love your photos!
[…] Dipping Oil Recipe for Bread from Views from the Ville. […]