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Of all the infused and flavored olive oils, basil-infused olive oil is the best seller in the U.S.
We love all infused olive oils, but can find ways to use versatile basil oil every day, from breakfast through dinner.
Ways To Use Basil Olive Oil
Eggs. Cook eggs in basil olive oil. It’s an easy way to liven up eggs with fresh herb flavor.
Caprese Salad. Amp up the fresh basil flavor on a Caprese salad (sliced tomatoes and mozzarella di bufala with fresh basil and olive oil) by using basil oil instead of plain olive oil. Try it in this Caprese pasta salad recipe.
Pesto Sauce. Make a large batch of pesto sauce. Freeze in ice cube trays for later use. After the cubes are frozen, transfer them to a heavy duty plastic freezer bag or a plastic container.
Pasta Sauce. Use it as a simple pasta topping, just as you would plain olive oil. Drizzle over pasta and toss.
Baked Potatoes. Instead of butter, drizzle basil olive oil into baked potatoes and add some fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
Bread Dipper. Make an easy bread dipper to serve with slices of warm, crusty baguette or crudités.
Fruit Salad. Drizzle over fruit salad. Add a chiffonade of fresh basil.
Vinaigrette. Mix with your favorite vinegar.
Pizza. Drizzle on a pizza before serving.
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Basil olive oil is a versatile condiment.
Photo courtesy Calivirgin.com. |
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Meat & Fish. Add to marinades; rub onto meat and fish before grilling.
Hor’s d’Oeuvre & Snacks. Brush onto toasted baguette slices and top with ricotta cheese. Garnish with some color: half a grape tomato or a strip of roasted pepper, for example.
Fresh Basil Substitute. If you find yourself without fresh basil for a recipe, add a bit of basil olive oil.
What Is Infused Olive Oil?
Infused olive oil is extra virgin olive oil into which a flavoring has been infused—a fruit (citrus, for example), herb (basil, oregano, rosemary), or spice (garlic). When an oil is infused, the flavoring is crushed and added to the vat of fresh-pressed olive oil, or it is crushed along with the olives. It is the superior technique for producing flavored oil.
You can also find “flavored” olive oil, a less expensive preparation. Instead of using fresh fruit, herbs, and spices, an alcohol-based flavor extract or essence is stirred into the pressed olive oil. It can taste good or it can taste artificial, depending on the producer.
Some delicious products, like Sonoma Farm Infused Olive Oil, use essence because it enables them to bottle smaller batches and send a fresher product when retailers order. Calivirgin, on the other hand, crushes fresh basil leaves together with the olives.
Check out Calivirgin’s recipes using basil olive oil.
Infuse your own basil olive oil with this easy recipe.
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