Photography and Recipe by Ndoema
Because I’m the ultimate eating machine when it comes to fruits and veggies, I buy a great deal of my produce at a local organic wholesaler. When placing my latest order, a minor miscommunication turned into a delectable surprise, I received five 1 pound bags of fresh and fragrant basil. Woohoo! I don’t think I’ve ever hoarded that much basil in my life!
Basil Infused Olive Oil
July 23, 2014
Category Healthy Living Raw Food Recipes Raw Italian
Prep Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS
- 32 oz bottle of organic extra virgin olive oil
- 8 to 10 bunches of fresh basil
- 6 garlic cloves
Instructions
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Peel the garlic cloves and drop them at the bottom of the glass bottle.
- Add the fresh basil bunch by bunch.
- I use a wooden chopstick to push the last leaves in (try not to bruise the basil too much though).
- Make sure all the basil leaves are completely submerged and seal the bottle.
- Place in a dark and dry spot.
- Let the oil infuse for one week (or more! It keeps tasting better with time!)
- Enjoy!
16 thoughts on “Basil Extravaganza”
Great for people on the go who love to cook.
Taking your advice, I’ll try it when marinating mushrooms.
I wonder if this would work on other herbs as well.
Oh yes, you can infuse oil with fresh dill, rosemary, thyme or even dried herbs!
Great post! Sames me time since I don’t always have the time to go to the grocery.
Ndoema, you’re like a McGyver in the kitchen.
You’re awesome!
Haha! Thanks 😉
I can imagine the aroma of this after a week.
Mmmmm 🙂
It’s truly incredible ;))
Definitely saving this recipe to recreate in my kitchen.
I’ve tried doing this for butter and garlic, then I refrigerated it. Do I have to refrigerate this too? Or would it spoil the freshness?
No, refrigeration isn’t necessary in this case but it certainly can’t hurt! x
A new trick in the kitchen again!
How long does it usually last? Won’t it spoil?
#curious
It typically does’t spoil but it’s important to clean the basil meticulously to avoid bad bacteria growth. I’ve kept infused oil for as long as a couple of months. xo
You didn’t mention in your steps how you cleaned your basil, but later you mentioned cleaning it Meticulously. I’ve read that if there’s any moisture at all, you’ll have bacteria, and it should be refrigetated. I’m looking to make a bunch for a shower favor, and of course, can’t have bacteria or mold growing. If you can, please let me know how you cleaned it. I’ve sampled and the basil lost it’s pretty bright green color drying out over night and got all wilty.
Thanks for any help.
I wash the basil using equal part of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. I rinse well and gently shake the basil leaves to remove excess water. I don’t let the washed basil seat overnight though. That’s most likely the reason why it got wilted. I immediately submerge the basil leaves in oil.
I’ve found out that the most important element to avoid bacteria and mold issues is to make sure the basil leaves are completely submerge in oil (no air exposure), so make sure there’s at least 1 inch of oil above the leaves. And you can refrigerate the oil as well to stack the odds in your favor 😉
Good luck and enjoy!