Flavored Olive Oil

"Italians...seemed never to die. They eat olive oil all day long...and that's what does it." ~ William Kennedy.

Ask anybody, even somebody who has never headed towards the kitchen, the name of the healthiest cooking oil that also happens to be very nutritious and pat will come the answer sans a single blink, olive oil. The messiah of all humans who are harassed by all food lubricant related problems. Undoubtedly, olive oil is the best cooking oil ever. It is flavorful, anti carcinogenic and rich in vitamin E along with properties to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. So, what could possibly be better than olive oil? Well, flavored olive oil of course! You can actually infuse a number of herbs and aromatic vegetables in olive oil to render your food exotically saporous! You can baste, drizzle or make a condiment with flavored olive oil. You can also gift someone a bottle full of homemade flavored olive which will not only be flavored with a particular herb but also imbued with its unique color. So, let us see some flavored olive oil recipes below which you can use anytime you want to try something new.

Flavored Olive Oil Recipes

Basil Flavored Olive Oil
For this you need to have,

• Basil leaves, 4 cups (fresh and green)
• Olive oil, 2 cups

What you need to do:

Fill a large pan with water and bring it to a steady boil. To this add the basil and make sure that the leaves are completely immersed. Parboil the leaves for only about 5 - 6 minutes and then drain out all the water from them really well. Then immerse them instantly in chilled water and again dry them to the fullest. Now put them into a mixer along with the olive oil and blend until absolutely smooth. Now run the purée through a very close knitted sieve or more preferably a cheesecloth folded 4 times and make sure that you use a completely dry and clean glass container to hold the filtered oil. Now cork the bottle tightly, refrigerate for three days to a week and ideally, use it within 10 days.

You can use the same technic to infuse your olive oil with fresh herbs and spices like garlic, oregano, rosemary, cloves, marjoram, chives, star anise, chilies and thyme.

Butter Flavored Olive Oil
This recipe for butter flavored extra virgin olive oil will keep you healthy and also allow you to enjoy your favorite flavor of butter for a month! Just arrange for,

• Butter extract, 2 tbsp.
• Extra virgin olive oil, 1 cup

What you need to do:

Nothing more than adding 2 tablespoons of butter extract into a glass bottle holding the extra virgin olive oil, shaking the bottle to mix the two ingredients well and then refrigerating it. Voila! Enjoy as much butter flavored popcorn as you like with this butter infused olive oil!

You can use anything and everything to flavor olive oil with. You can use goat cheese and thyme, you can use slices of citrus fruits or even fried strips of bacon to make infused olive oil!

Always remember to clean and sterilize the bottle in which you plan to store the flavored olive oil to prevent contamination. There shouldn't be even a drop of water in the bottle as that could allow bacterial growth. If you are using fresh herbs then make sure that you use extra virgin olive oil and exhaust the oil supply within a week and a half maximum. Dried herbs infused olive oil can be stored up to a duration of a year as it doesn't impose the risk of allowing bacterial growth. Make a small batch at first to see how it goes.

Also, understand the nature of the herbs that you are using to flavor the oil. For example, when using garlic or cloves, do not infuse the oil with them for more than 24 hours as then you will get a very strong, overwhelming and unpleasant flavor. But when using cilantro or fennel steep the oil for a little longer as these herbs will take a little long to exude their individual flavors to the fullest.

You can read more on:

• How to Make Olive Oil
• Light Olive Oil Vs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Use flavored olive oil for dipping recipes, salads, sauces of variant types, vinaigrettes, basting condiments or for simply drizzling it over a delicacy to imbue it with an exotic aroma. Try it out at home once and see how it works. After all we learn everything step by step and cooking is all about trial, error and improvement!