Basil Infused Olive Oil

I must say that when you spend 20 minutes tasting exotic olive oils at Vom Fass (truffle oil, basil oil, orange oil, chili oil), you become inspired to make your own.  Flavored and infused olive oils take cooking to a whole other level--no longer does one need to add basil to a dish, or orange zest, they merely need to use an infusion that combines both ingredients and flavors.  Infused oils are an incredible asset to recipes because of their ability to transport flavors with intensity and quantity.

Feel free to buy the more expensive oils from Vom Fass (I'm a HUGE fan), and you'll get what you paid for--infused oils straight from casks that have been infused for months and by professionals are certainly the way to go if you can afford it.  But, when money, time, and Vom Fass is not at your disposal, try this recipe to make an easy and flavorful oil infusing one of my favorite ingredients: BASIL.  Use Basil Infused Olive Oil for pesto, pasta, roasted vegetables and asparagus, and other clearly delicious treats.

Basil Infused Olive Oil
This recipe comes from Epicurious.com and is a standard olive oil  infusion recipe.  Chop and pack olive oil with a fresh herb like Basil (or Rosemary, or Thyme), allow to sit for two weeks or more, and you'll have a cooking ingredient that's flavorful and extra tasty.


Ingredients:
* 4 cups extra virgin olive oil
* 2 cups packed and chopped basil

1.) Clean a glass jar that will hold 4 cups of infused olive oil.

2.) Add four cups olive oil to the jar.

3.) Chop basil.

4.) Add basil to olive oil.

5.) Stir to integrate and add lid to jar.  Allow to sit for infusion at room temperature for two weeks or more.  The longer the recipe sits, the better the taste and intensity of the infusion.  Enjoy!

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