I love basil and I also grow it in my little herb garden. Last summer a friend of mine had an overwhelming amount of basil and wasn’t able to use it all, so I said I would make them some basil oil to cook with. You would use this the same way you use any other flavored oil, salads, bruschetta, drizzled on tomatoes and mozzarella, tossed with some pasta, etc.
There’s several recipes on the web to make your own flavored olive oils. I decided to combine 2 recipes and you’ll see my notes below in red. You’ll also notice the pictures look like more ingredients, but that’s because I multiplied it out for the amount of basil I had.
Basil Olive Oil
(Adapted from www.cdkitchen.com)
8 tablespoons basil leaves
2 1/2 cups virgin olive oil
I started off quickly adding the basil leaves in hot water then put in an ice water bath. (This will keep the oil a nice bright green color.) Wrap the basil in paper towels and squeeze out all of the water.
Pound basil with a pestle and mortar. (I used a food processor for this process.) Gradually blend with 1/4 cup oil, adding a little at a time.
Mix with remaining oil and pour into a clean sterilized bottle or jar. Screw lid down tightly. Store for three weeks before using.
