The house is filled with the smell of basil. This is what marks the end of summer for me. Harvesting all the basil and preserving the flavour for winter. Basil preserved in olive oil is a superb way to keep that fresh basil goodness going for months past the growing season. Infused basil oil and freezing basil in olive oil are easy to make and add delicious flavour to your dishes.
The best time to harvest basil is early morning when the flavours are at their highest. Of course, it can be picked any time you need it – its flavour may not be as robust in the heat of the day
Follow this link to see how to freeze basil in butter
Basil infused olive oil
Basil olive oil has a beautiful, fresh, green herb taste. Try it on a summer Caprese salad, pasta, bread, or roasted/grilled vegetables. Basil-infused olive oil is easy to make, pretty effortless, and a fantastic way to use all the extra basil. This infused olive oil would also make an excellent gift.
2 cups olive oil
¼ cup basil
1 garlic clove
Pinch of dried chilli
- Wash the leaves and remove any long stems and black or bad spots
- With a mortar a pestle, crush the basil leaves and garlic to release the natural oils
- In a small saucepan, warm the oil with the basil, garlic, and chilli. Do not warm the oil so much that it starts to splatter and boil. Once warm, remove the oil mixture, cover the saucepan with a lid, and let the oil infuse for 2 hours. Heating the oil with the herbs helps release the basil’s natural oil.
- Strain oil and herbs through a fine mesh strainer. Bottle and store in the fridge.
- Use within two weeks.
Freeze basil in olive oil
The secret to freezing basil without turning black is preserving it quickly. When you harvest the leaves, don’t leave them on the counter or store them in the fridge. The oxidation of the broken cell walls releases enzymes that cause basil to turn dark. It often turns black, but it can also turn dark brown.
Adding a bit of frozen basil to a pot of hearty minestrone or slow-cooked tomato sauce will instantly transport you to summer!
The frozen basil can be thawed on the countertop in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. You can also use the frozen fresh basil as is and add it directly into your dishes without defrosting beforehand.
- Wash the leaves and remove any long stems and black or bad spots.
- To avoid bruising the leaves of the basil, I use a technique called Chiffonade. Stack a few fresh basil leaves and roll them up tight. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the basil leaves. Slice the basil to your preferred size.
- Use a silicon ice tray and fill each cube with spoons of chopped basil. You can use a regular ice tray, but I find that popping the basil out of silicon trays is much easier. Fill each cube about three-quarters of the way, not totally full.
- Once all the sections are filled, pour Extra Virgin Olive Oil into each one until it is full.
- Place in the freezer for 24 hours. Once frozen, pop the basil out and store it in a Ziploc bag or freezer-safe container.
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