How to Make Basil Oil

Basil Oil

One of the absolute joys of summer for me is to walk out into my garden and pick fresh basil leaves whenever I feel like it. I have basil growing all over my backyard, in pots and in the ground. Our seasons are so short here that I have to get it while I can. I’m not the gardener in my family, the husband is, but he takes great direction from me concerning how many plants I want even if I go a little overboard!

This was a stellar year for basil, all the leaves were vibrant and lush, perfect for pesto and my new found love, basil-infused olive oil! Making basil oil is so simple and the end result is so amazing, trust me you’ll want to drizzle it all over your fish, meat, vegetables, eggs, and crusty toasted bread! I had my sweet granddaughter help me in the process of picking the leaves, check out her green toes!  All it takes is just a few short steps and you’re finished, and a little goes a very long way. Put some in a pretty glass bottle and hand it off to your friends and family, they will love it!

Give the 3 ingredients a quick whirl in a blender or a food processor until nice and pureed. Check out that beautiful color you can tell by looking at it how good it’s going to taste!  When it’s finished you can choose to strain it through cheesecloth for a more refined and clear result or just leave it as is, I did it both ways to show you, but either way, the flavor is dynamic!

Here it is not strained dripping over a tomato and mozzarella stack sprinkled with flaky sea salt. To-die-for!  And here it is pictured above strained through cheesecloth, clear and still vibrant green. I made this for breakfast the other day, crusty toasted Italian bread drizzled with basil oil, layered with bacon, sliced tomatoes, and a sunny side up egg drizzled with more basil oil. Another to-die-for!  Thanks, M-A for the inspiration!