For many years, centuries even, Mediterranean cooks have been putting herbs in bottles of olive oil and using these "infused oils" for salads, condiments for fish and for basting meats. More recently chefs have taken infused oils to a new level. Many chefs experiment with blanching and pureeing vegetables and a variety of herbs to create full flavored and brightly colored oils that can either be emulsified with other ingredients in a vinaigrette or used to drizzle over foods as sauces. This month in our on-line cooking class we’d like to share some techniques and recipes for making these fun and flavorful oils.

Let’s Get Started!

First let’s talk oil. The basic rule for which oil to use is pick an oil that goes best with the ingredient being infused. Extra virgin olive oil is a good choice when the infusion is made with full flavored herbs like basil, thyme, lavender, rosemary and oregano — typically the Mediterranean flavors. However, extra virgin olive oil tends to overpower the more delicate herbs like chervil or parsley. For these use a less flavorful olive oil like a "pure" olive oil. You can add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil towards the end of the infusion process — this will help the flavors come through more clearly. For other ingredients, it makes more sense to use more neutral oils like canola or safflower. For Asian ingredients such as ginger and lemon grass use either a neutral oil or peanut oil.

There are a couple different approaches to making flavored oils. Which method you use will depend on how fast you want the infused oil and what vegetable, spice, or herb you are using.

Method 1: Simple Infusion

The first method is a simple infusion. This method takes up to a couple weeks for the flavor to infuse into the oil. Basically all that is to this method is adding flavorful ingredients to the oil and letting it steep for several weeks. After the oil is infused, the oil is strained or poured off as needed.

Basic Infused Herb Oil

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of fresh thyme, sage, lavender, rosemary or oregano (enough so the herbs loosely fill the bottle)
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (if using a 1 cup container/bottle)

Directions:

Wash the herbs under cold water. Slide the herbs through the neck of the bottle and pour the olive oil over the top. Cork the bottle and store in a cool place (not the refrigerator) for at least a week or two or up to several months.

Basil Oil

This method starts with blanching the basil and then requires you to let the herbs infuse overnight. This oil is bright green in color and is great for decorative garnishes to finished dishes (just dot around the plate) or can also be used for grilled fish, vinaigrettes, and drizzled over a finished dish for an added touch of flavor.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups packed basil leaves
• About 3/4 cup pure olive oil

To make herb oil start by boiling a large pot of salted water. Place herbs in a strainer and dip them into the water until wilted or see below for a blanching time guide. Remove strainer from water and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water. Drain cold herbs and squeeze as dry as possible. Use scissors to cut them into small pieces (if you use a knife it can cause some herbs to oxidize and darken). Place herbs in a blender or food processor and add enough oil just to cover. Blend on medium speed and allow herbs to blend for a minute or so. If herbs aren’t turning freely, add more oil. Turn speed to high and continue to blend for 2 minutes. If your blender has a feeder tube or hole at the top, remove stopper so that some air can get it…you don’t want it to get too hot from the motion of the rotating blade.

Remove puree from blender and refrigerate for at least a day to intensify the color (the puree can be kept for up to 1 week in the refrigerator).

Place a piece of cheesecloth over a container and secure with a rubber band or kitchen twine. Place puree on cheesecloth and let the oil filter through for about an hour. Discard cheesecloth and remaining puree — do not wring out cheesecloth or you will cloud the oil.

Store the infused oil in refrigerator or freeze it for several weeks.

Method 2: Using Purees for Infused Oils

Another method involves combining purees with the oil. The purees are either strained off or left dispersed in the oil. This method results in a very full-flavored and often brightly colored oil. These oils can be used alone or with other ingredients as a decorative sauce or dressing.

To Heat or Not to Heat

Some infused oils are best if the oil is kept cool during the infusion process. For instance the delicacy of herbs like basil or chervil will be compromised by the heat. Other infused oils with certain ingredients actually require the oil to be warm so that it extracts the flavor more efficiently.

Most of the oils we will be preparing in this month’s class use the puree method along with a heating process. We will begin by preparing an Ancho Chile & Garlic Oil.

Ancho Chile & Garlic Oil

Use this oil for basting meats, marinades, dressings or to simply drizzle over grilled poultry, meat or fish.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 Ancho Chiles
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1-1/2 cups pure olive oil
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Step 1: Rinse and dry the chiles. Cut off and discard the chile stems.
Step 2: Place the chiles in a food processor and process until finely chopped, about 30 seconds. You should end up with about 3/4 cup of flakes. If necessary chop a few more to make 3/4 cup.
Step 3: Combine the chile flakes and garlic cloves with the pure olive oil in a saucepan and place over medium heat. When the chiles are sizzling and begin to float, turn the heat down to low and let the chiles and garlic simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Keep sniffing the oil and as soon as the chiles smell toasty, take them off the heat. Let cool in the pan for about 30 minutes.
Step 4: Stir the extra virgin olive oil into the pan and strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or through a triple layer of cheese cloth. If there are still specks floating around then strain again. Using a funnel pour the Ancho Chile Oil into a bottle.

Mushroom Oil

Dried mushrooms can also be used for infused oils. The oil will be surprisingly full-flavored yet will carry a rather delicate aroma. Use this oil in salad dressings or with emulsified butter or cream sauces. Mushroom oils can be kept in a cool place for up to 2 weeks.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 oz. dried mushrooms (porcini & morels work the best)
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed (optional)
• 3/4 cup pure olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Step 1: Combine the dried mushrooms and pure olive oil in a food processor. Puree to a coarse paste, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 2: Transfer the mushroom-oil mixture to a 2 quart saucepan along with the garlic. Place over low heat while stirring gently. Once the mushroom mixture has started bubbling, let it cook for 1 minute longer then remove from the heat and let cool completely.
Step 3: Stir in the extra virgin olive oil then strain the mixture through a fine strainer and again through a triple layer of cheese cloth.
Step 4: Using a funnel, pour the oil into a container or bottle.

Red Bell Pepper Oil

This is a really fun oil because not only does it have great flavor but the resulting oil is almost bright orange in color. The infused oil captures the flavor of sweet bell peppers and is very mild and sweet in flavor. Use this oil for grilled fish or vinaigrettes.

Ingredients:

• 2 red bell peppers or about 3/4 lb.
• 1-3/4 cups pure olive oil

Step 1: Dice the peppers (discarding the stems and seeds).
Step 2: Place the peppers and oil in a 2 quart saucepan/ Cook the peppers over low heat for about 1 hour or until they are very soft.
Step 3: Let the peppers and oil cool and then pour the oil and peppers into a blender. Process for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook gently for 15-20 minutes, or until the grains of pepper separate from the oil.
Step 5: Strain the oil through a fine sieve or a couple layers of cheese cloth. The oil will keep for several months in the refrigerator.

Storage

Pure oils are stored at room temperature without concern for spoilage. This is because, in their unaltered state, oils don’t have enough moisture content to support the growth of bacteria and/or microorganisms. However, when you add other ingredients to the oil there is an opportunity from the moisture or the microorganisms the ingredients may contain to cause spoilage. Keep the oils in a cool place or refrigerate and keep them sealed.

-Glutenfreeda