If you are looking for a Italian bread dip, try this. It makes a spectacular bread dip, suitable for any occasion. Double or triple the recipe to make enough for a crowd. Serve with warm French bread.
"Italian Butter" is a really cute name for this! I love dipping warm bread into this mixture and it comes very close to the stuff they serve at the famous Italian chain restaurant - Carrabba's. I never put this through a grinder, but rather make a bunch of it (using kosher salt vs. regular and omit the minced garlic) and store it in a small plastic container then add FRESH minced garlic on a plate and pour the olive oil over top. It's a wonderful appetizer that's a definite crowd pleaser - great with wine!
Read MoreWhen you grind everything together, it turns into a powder and I didn't like that. It looks better on the plate if the herbs aren't ground.
Read More"Italian Butter" is a really cute name for this! I love dipping warm bread into this mixture and it comes very close to the stuff they serve at the famous Italian chain restaurant - Carrabba's. I never put this through a grinder, but rather make a bunch of it (using kosher salt vs. regular and omit the minced garlic) and store it in a small plastic container then add FRESH minced garlic on a plate and pour the olive oil over top. It's a wonderful appetizer that's a definite crowd pleaser - great with wine!
This recipe was awesome! I had a party last weekend and this was my favorite part. When I made the recipe, I did not grind in grinder, I just crushed slightly with a mortar and pestle. I mixed about 1-2 tbs. of this recipe with a stick of butter and chilled for an hour or more. I roasted garlic (cut about 1/4" of garlic bulb off to expose cloves, place garlic in a small piece of tin foil, drizzle garlic bulb with about 2 tsp. of olive oil, wrap bulb completely with foil, bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes). I placed 3 small serving plates together and put the oil with herbs in one plate, the warm roasted garlic in the other plate, then the herb butter in the 3rd plate, and served it all with slices of french bread. It was awesome!!!! Thank you so much for this recipe.
This is excellent, and is a new staple in my house. I do recommend making it beforehand & "soaking" it in some olive oil to help the dried herbs soften. Then, it's ready to plate & be drizzled with olive oil for dipping. I store it in a small pesto jar in the fridge, and it's ready whenever we are!!
When you grind everything together, it turns into a powder and I didn't like that. It looks better on the plate if the herbs aren't ground.
I mixed this blend into softened butter and then refridgerated it. It made a great spread for dinner rolls.
I don't have spice grinder so skipped that part but loved this dip. I did let it sit in oil for about a half hour before serving. I also forgot to put in fresh garlic but it was still good. I have been eatig this for the last 3 nights . Thanks Oh the best part is these are spices that are always in the spice rack. I had to come back and add this in. Icut up some red potatoes and tossed in olive oil and then this spice and roasted and they were wonderfullI had to come back one more time. My neighbor works for carrabas and when i showed him this blend he said looks like what they use but they use fresh herbs. FRESH WOULD BE TO COSTLY AND DOESN'T LAST SO THIS IS A GREAT MIX
An incredible recipe! I mix it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar over finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese. We eat it until our bread is gone!
I mix all the dry ingredients together, using a good quality salt, to keep on hand. When I am ready to serve this, I mix them with either fresh or roasted garlic, shredded asiago cheese, and pour the olive oil over the top. This is great to have on hand as a quick appetizer or to serve with soup or a salad.
Yummy and very simple to prepare. Served with warm French bread as the recipe suggests. I didn't bother grinding up anything.
2011-03-07: I had high hopes for this recipe after seeing the ratings, reviews & recommendations so I decided to make a double batch. I knew that the amount of pepper would be more than I'd prefer so I reduced both the crushed red pepper & ground black pepper by half. I omitted the salt as per personal preferences. I placed the ingredients in a bowl and used an immersion blender to break up the mixture since I don't own a coffee or spice grinder. Once the mixture was a smoother blend, I placed a small amount in a plate and drizzled it with olive oil and dipped some artisan Italian bread into it. The pepper amount was still overpowering to both myself and my daughter who likes a generous amount of pepper in her food. There was too much of a bite from the garlic for me. If I decide to try the recipe again, I'll sharply reduce both peppers and use roasted garlic instead.
this taste almost exactly like carrabbas.. i made it exactly as written. i used sea salt. i mixed it with some olive oil into a paste and keep it in the fridge. then when i'm ready to eat it i put a table spoon on a small plate and drizzle with olive oil. so good!
This was so easy and yummy! The salt is the most important ingredient - don't leave it out. We forgot it at first and the dip wasn't good. We added it and it was great! We ate it with toasted french bread slices. Thanks!
This stuff is great. I don't like red pepper flakes, so I just omit them. We have this all the time at our favorite restaurants and this is the closest thing to it. Thanks for posting.
This was awesome. I left out frest garlic only because I made a big batch so as to have leftovers and was afraid with fresh garlic it would go bad. I only added black peppper but next time will use the red too. Yummy. OH also I just threw it all in my Magic Bullet and it was super easy.
We cut the red and black pepper to 1/4 teaspoon each. We put all of the dry spices in a baggy and crushed them up with our hands. We spooned about a teaspoon of the dry mixture onto a small saucer and just prior to serving, we added fresh minced garlic from a press to the top. When ready to eat, just pour on a high quality extra virgin olive oil. HEAVEN!
I brushed this on bread and broiled it to go with pasta. It made the bread nice and crisp and not too greasy. I might try it as a dip next time but this time I bent it to my needs. Thanks
I would give this recipe "0" stars due to the fact that my bread intake has increased ten-fold since I first made this stuff and I am having one heck of a time maintaining any sort of reasonable diet now. In all seriousness, this is an awesome recipe don't change a thing, you will not be disappointed.
Of the two oil dips I made this weekend, this was Husband's favorite. It was way too spicy for me - I preferred the tangy 'Spicy Oil and Vinegar Dip' from this site - but he couldn't get enough. I used a pestle and mortar to grind the spices, mixed them in with the oil, then let it refrigerate overnight. We had both dips with more Italian bread than I care to remember, and salad. Delicious. Thanks, Ginger!
This is the BEST! An amazing combo of flavors. I also use the seasoning mix with out the oil on chicken, it makes it incredable! Thanks!
Nice little recipe, especially b/c I made fresh homemade Italian semolina bread to dip this into. I used one less tsp. of black pepper, glad I did; and I had no minced garlic so I subbed tubed garlic paste. This recipe makes a lot so I suggest storing leftover spice mix in fridge, especially if using fresh garlic. I added a some fresh basi along with the dried b/c I have so much of it frozen. The taste is 1,000% better than dried basil. I also used VERY GOOD dried oregano still on the branches, bought online from an Italian food supply. What a difference good oregano makes. Use HIGH QUALITY ingredients as this is all about the spices and herbs. I also made this easier by not grinding it up, no need; just mix and eat.
Perfect.....I sprinkle grated Parmesan generously over the top of the dip!!! Crowd Pleaser!!! Make lots!!!
This is a delicious recipe...I actually took about a tablespoon of the mixture before olive oil and mixed it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and used it to dip the bread in....fantastic...I have the rest stored in a ziploc bag to use whenever I get the urge.
This was good but a little spicy. When I think of Italian butter I do not expect spicy. I will definitely make again except next time leave out the crushed red pepper. I also made it ahead of time and stored it in the refrigerator and it kept very well!
I have been looking for a great bread dipping sauce recipe and this is it! I can't stop eating it.
Just as good, if not better than what you get in an italian restaurant. It's addictive!
This was good. I used garlic powder and fresh garlic because that is what I had on hand. The fresh garlic was a little to overwhelming so I think I will skip it next time. I have my dry Italian Herbs stored in a ziplock bag and container and ready for next time. I served this with crusty french bread for dipping, salad, and Eggplant Au Gratin from this site. Thanks!
My hubby and I really like this recipe. I like to mix some of the spice mixture with a softened stick of butter. Spread on French or Italian bread, pop in the toaster oven, & broil to desired browness. Thanks Ginger, for this great recipe. We served this with California Chicken Spaghetti from this site and a salad. What a GREAT MEAL!
This was great! It was pretty close, if not better, than the spices used at Carrabba's Italian Grill - which I love.
This is pretty good but too salty. I had to mix up a second batch without any salt then mix the two together, then it was fine. Also, be sure to use a VERY good quality olive oil for this.
This was pretty good, but it does not need the salt. Next time I make it I will also cut back on the red pepper flakes; it was a little spicy for me.
Excellent. I've been looking for something like this for a long time - glad to have finally found it. A little peppery at first; but, mellows by the next day. The DH, who lived in Italy for many years, was even impressed.
Loved this. I did cut back on the red pepper and left it dry. I was making fresh mozz and tomatoe salad but didn't have any basil. I hydrated some of this in red wine vinegar, added the evoo and drizzled over the salad. Everyone raved and commented how much more flavorful it was than others they had had.
Even without a coffee grinder this was delicious for a patio dinner with soup! Yummy!
This was excellent! I only had garlic salt so I used it instead of garlic powder and omitted the salt. It was a little salty so I will buy garlic powder the next time I am at the store because I will be making this many more times.
This was a very easy recipe. I got rave reviews and it only took five minutes. I didn't have dried rosemary and used fresh rosemary and it turned out great.
Family loves this! Don't have a spice grinder. I just use the back of a spoon to mash everything together.
Much too spicy for our taste. I would venture to say that the recipe would be much better with less Cayenne Pepper.
I did not really like this. My husband and I thought something about the flavor was not quite right... he suggested maybe cutting back on the rosemary. I may try it again sometime, but I just wasn't too impressed with it.
I didn't use the red pepper flakes. I did mix up the herbs (did not crush) and put the 1/4 cup of olive oil in to let it hang out together. Then I put some of that mixture on a plate later and added more olive oil and had balsamic vinegar as an option as well. Served with cut up french bread. Everybody, especially men, were raving about it! So easy and such a pleaser.
I didn't use the rosemary but I used everything else. I loved the red pepper and thought it was very key to the overall taste. My best advice though is to use REGULAR olive oil and not extra virgin. The taste is too strong.
Great recipe. So much cheaper than buying the pre-mixed spice blend! I loved the amount of red pepper flakes, it was perfect for us. I didn't grind the spices, just crushed the red and black pepper with the back of a spoon before adding the other spices. This is perfect with olive oil and a drizzle of a good quality balsamic vinegar. Thanks so much for the post!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this! We enjoy Artesian breads and this. We usually put balsamic vinegar with our olive oil to dip but this is outstanding. The red and black pepper really explodes in your mouth and creates some heat which we love. I put a tablespoon of the ground spices on a small dipping plate and then a few tablespoons of good dipping olive oil over it. I did that about an hour before serving so the flavors mixed together. Served with eggplant Parmesan and some Ciantti Wine and Wow, it was an awesome meal. My mouth still has traces of pepper. Yum. Awesome!
I followed exactly with two exceptions. I didn't have any red pepper flakes so I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground red pepper. I also don't have a spice grider so I skipped that step. My nephew said it tasted like the stuff you get in Italian restaurants. It was definately a hit.
This was quick and easy to prepare. I only used 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and black pepper. I served with the French Bread recipe from this site.
I love olive oil dips for bread, but not this one. The measurements have to be WAY off. I would make all the tablespoons into teaspoons and double the olive oil. This turned into a thick sludge. I served this with delicious French bread, but sadly it was just too "strong" for my guests. I was able to dilute the left over with olive oil the next day, and it was pretty good.
A hit with the Crusty French Bread from AR. I felt that the peppers could have been decreased some, but, kids and hubby says "no"--they liked the heat. I ended up roasting the garlic and smashing it into the seasonings after they where ground. Added the olive oil which made a thick paste. Ended up puttting a dab into a dish and adding more olive oil. Will store in refrigerator & add olive oil as needed.
I did not grind the herbs. I like the look of it when you can see the rosemary and red pepper flakes. I served this with bread sticks and crusty french bread. It was so good! Thanks!
Very good. It was a little spicy. I'm not sure if it's the red pepper flakes or all the black pepper. Really good. I didn't have a spice grinder so maybe that would have helped to incorporate the pepper flakes better.
I was really excited about making this and bought new dried spices and expensive olive oil for a party appetizer. Made as written but thought it was way, way too salty :(
I followed recipe, was very good, did note others not grinding herbs, will not grind as fine next time. Good recipe thanks!
made and served with warm bread last night for our get together. It was really good. The only suggestion I have is to perhaps use kosher salt versus regular table salt.
yum.....would not change a thing. I ate a half of loaf of bread with this.Thanks
I love this recipe! Took it to an Easter dinner with some rolls and everyone who tried it loved it. I really didn't read this recipe before making it--a friend passed it on to me, so I didn't grind it up, and I used a tablespoon of mix instead of 2 teaspoons to serve it. i think my ground red pepper was a bit strong bc it was very spicy at first, but then it was fine. Thanks for the recipe. Delicious! Now I have another excuse to eat bread. (Didn't really need one before!) LOL.
So Gooooood! I didn't have Rosemary and not a big fan of it anyway so I eliminated it from my blend. Oh so tasty......don't hesitate to make this, your guests will be delighted.
This tastes just like Carraba's Italian Butter! My family & I loved it!! We had it with our spaghetti dinner last night. I used minced garlic out of a jar & unlike another reviewer, it did not come out lumpy. I had no problems. It makes much much more than 4 servings.
If you are looking for "copy cat" recipe of the dips they use at the Italian restaurants, this is definitely it!However, make sure you read the recipe well and realize that this makes the paste for the olive oil dip. The recipe makes at least 1/3 cup of the herb paste! It only takes a teaspoon mixed with some olive oil, on a plate, to make the dip. I didn't want to use my coffee grinder for the spices so I used knife and hand chopped the rosemary and a couple other larger spices in very tiny pieces. I also didn't add the black or red pepper, because I do not care for either in most recipes. And, from other reviews about it being a little too much heat it was a good idea. We dipped a round loaf of sliced french bread in it tonight. It was good, but I am not sure what I am going to do with the rest of the paste. I refridgerated it for now.
I made this tonight and my 12 year old daughter ate almost a whole loaf of bread by herself! Yikes! This was very good to say the least!!! The only change I made was added some fresh basil rather than dried. (I always have this on hand.) And I added some balsamic vinegar to the plate when I added the olive oil.
I must say this tasted pretty authentic! Definately add the EVOO at least an hour before serving so that the flavors have a chance to marry. We like it best with fresh crusty Italian Bread with sesame seeds on top.
EXCELLENT! I did omit the minced garlic (just my preference), but did everything else the same. It was a big hit at dinner, served with homemade bread. I will be using this recipe again! Thanks for sharing. :)
Wow. So easy and just like what you're served at Carrabba's (if you live by one go eat there, awesome place). Anyway, I would add just a tad less pepper and a tad less salt. But all in all this is excellent!!!!
Very good recipe! My family loved it! I used this recipe to give as gifts. Put the blend of spices and a bottle of olive oil and fresh baked bread with the recipe on a card. Went over very well.
I made a double batch of this and I keep it in the fridge for whenever anyone wants a yummy snack. We serve it with Italian bread or a crusty baguette. I did not grind my spices up and we add a splash of balsamic vinegar on the plate with the oil. Delicious!
This is amazing and tastes just like what you would get in a fancy Italian restaurant. Plus, since it makes a lot, and it keeps well, you have plenty on hand for the future!
Wow, I love this! I didn't grind anything up and it was delicious, just like focaccia bread taste at the 'Macaroni Grill'. I didn't add any fresh garlic, and only used 1/2 amount of the garlic powder and this was awesome. My dinner guests raved about it. Since I only added dry ingredients, I can save it in a zip lock bag and keep it refrigerated for when I want more! As I was dipping (gave everyone their own dipping dish) I could taste the rosemary flavor, and then the next time I could taste a bit more salt. Each time I dipped I could taste another flavor, I really like this recipe, can't screw this one up!
This was great. Next time I would lessen the red pepper as it had quite a kick, but I can only imagine this would also make a great meat rub. So many possibilities. I added the crush garlic right before use, that way the dry mixture will last longer.
LOVE this! You can actually keep pouring more oil when it runs out into the spices to get more use out of them.
We love this recipe! It's great to use as an appetizer with wine before dinner. Kids like to "dip" the bread, but tend to be a bit messy with the oil. I pre-mix herbs and keep them on hand so that all I have to do is add the olive oil.
Tasty dip with loads of flavour. I gave it four stars because it is much too spicy! I would probably reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/4 tsp per recipe.
This is even better if you roast a bulb of garlic (cut top off garlic, drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt, cover in aluminum foil 350 degrees for 45 min) and mix with the rest of ingredients. You can also do a combination of softened butter/olive oil mix to make excellent garlic bread
This is incredibly yummy. Even my daughter, who is picky, loved it. It is so simple to make, yet the taste is a wonderful blend of spices. I like it better without the red pepper flakes, but this is just my preference since I don't care for bitingly hot spices. I bought a light, extra virgin olive oil. My husband and I enjoy trying different bread in this dip. French is still the favorite. Try it!
This is an excellent recipe - I made it for a large birthday celebration so I left the minced garlic out and used an extra tablespoon of garlic power. I also reduce the red pepper for greater appeal throughout the group but will add them in for personal use. Also added Grated Parmesan Cheese separately as I was serving. As much as I love garlic, not adding the minced was great as I had some left over and just stored it for future use. It was a hit with everyone!
i didnt grind the herbs, just slightly crushed them with the back of a spoon. the taste is rustic, very italiano.
I really enjoyed this. I served it at a wine tasting and it was a hit! I let the herbs soak for about an hour in the oil before the guests arrived. I had leftover spice mixture and stored it for another party!
Outstanding! I thought this would be good but it was amazing! My family loved it too. I will be making this with every Italian meal!
made and served with warm bread last night for our get together. It was really good. The only suggestion I have is to perhaps use kosher salt versus regular table salt.
We normally use olive oil mixed with basalmic vinegar to dip bread/garlic bread into. We added this spice mixture and found it to be an excellent addition to our "normal" dip. Am going to try this spice mixture on boneless skinless chicken next. Thanks for the recipe.
This is delicious--just as good as the olive oil dip at Carrabba's. I reduced the black and red peppers to 1 1/2 tsp each and that was still plenty of spice for my lightweight husband. Also I mixed all the dried herbs together instead of grinding them and did not add the fresh garlic as I didn't have any on hand.
I have made this recipe many times over and love it. It adds that something extra to an Italian dinner.
I used to work at carrabbas and I'm "pretty" sure that this is the herb mix recipe. They made use remember it when I worked there but that was eons ago and I've since forgotten. Miss the food though! OMG! BY THE WAY!!!!!! It takes Carabbas HOURS TO MAKE THIS!! Not five minutes. Grind slowly, don't rush, you don't want it to be a powder.
I love this! I have made it many times and it always goes over well. I have also put a small amount on a slice of french bread and tosted it or broiled it for a couple of min. Yummy!
I have really enjoyed this recipe. I like to make mine with melted butter instead od olive oil. Yummy!!
Very yummy! This is very easy to do and it adds a little flair to your Italian dinner. We have made this twice and will continue to make it.
I have made this many times for parties and such and it is always a big hit served with a crusty italian bread for dipping. Spicy goodness! I sometimes serve with parmesan and asiago cheeses to mix in! We love it. I have also used this for italian salad dressing starter or even meat rub.
Good. But don't use minced garlic out of the jar - it makes it all mushy and clumpy.
I didn't use a grinder either but I use a herb chopper instead. I got a rough texture with smaller pieces but not a powder or grinds. it was a hit with the family and an awesome flavor to add with my homemade bread.
We loved this recipe. I cut all the ingredients in half so we didn't have a lot left over. We made fresh bread in the bread maker to dip in it. One addition we made was I sprinkled parmesan cheese over the top of it. That made it amazing!
Love it!! We frequent Italian restaurants all the time and love when the waiter brings out a hot basket of bread with a plate of olive oil & herbs to dip our bread in. This reminds us of that! I've made this as written, with the addition of thyme & fresh garlic and also with a little drizzle of a (good) balsamic. Lately I have enjoyed this without grinding the herbs. All are delicious and make for a perfect antipasto plate served with warm bread. I make a large batch and store it in my spice cabinet.
