Basil Infused Oil

The simplest recipe for making basil infused oil is: 

Take a bunch of fresh basil and remove the leaves from the stem.

Place the leaves in your blender jar

Pour in a cup of olive oil. (You may add more or less oil depending on how strong you want the oil)

Blend on high speed for 1 minute or until all the leaves have been pulverized into the oil.

Strain (or not if you like some pulp in your creations) into a clean jar. Store in the refrigerator. It will keep well for a month or so in the refrigerator but it is so delicious we never have it around that long.

Use for soups, sauces, sautees, salad dressings, drizzled over vegetables or even in your bath water!

Another option is to put the fresh basil leaves into a pot with a heavy bottom or crock pot, cover the leaves completely with oil and sit over the lowest possible heat for an hour or two, then strain out. This also should be kept refrigerated.

Olive oil works nicely for these preparations and is good for cooking and for the skin. These infusions can also be made with other oils if you prefer such as grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, hazelnut oil or peanut oil. If you were planning to use the oil in asian dishes you might think about infusing it in coconut oil.