Recipe: Herb Cubes (freeze ahead)

HERB CUBES

"Herb cubes are delicious in fish baked in parchment, soups, sauces and vinaigrettes. Use them to make a mayonnaise-based dip for roasted vegetables or a sauce for baked salmon. Add basil cubes to lasagna, cilantro cubes to enchilada filling, parsley cubes to tabbouleh."

THE HERBS:
Basil, dill, cilantro, marjoram (strip leaves from woody stems), Italian parsley.

THE METHOD:
Wash one bunch of fresh herbs and trim roots or tough stems. In the bowl of a food processor or a blender jar, place herbs and 1/4 cup olive oil. Pulse or blend until mixture is creamy and emulsified, adding more oil if necessary (you don't want it to be soupy). Spoon into ice cube trays and freeze.

When frozen, transfer to zip-top freezer bags, label and store in freezer for up to a year.

Source: Leslie Cole, The Oregonian, July 24, 2007