Making Flavored Oils

Recipes for making your own flavored oils at home!

Spice Oil:
Mix 2 tablespoons ground spices such as curry or chili with enough water to make a thick paste. Place in a small glass jar, and add 1 cup good qulality olive oil. Refrigerate two days, and then strain through a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Makes one cup.

Citrus Oil: (Great For Seafood!)
Cut the peel from 2 oranges or 3 lemons. Place the peel in a food processor with one cup of oil. Pulse until well blended. Let sit at room temperature for one hour, and then strain through a fine mesh strainer.

Herb Flavored Oil:
Blanch 2 Cups of tightly packed fresh herbs in boiling water for 5 seconds. Cool, and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Place this mixture in a food processor with one cup of oil, and pulse until well blended. Let sit two hours at room temperature, and then strain through a fine mesh strainer.

Roasted Garlic Oil:
(Great mixed with mashed potatoes!) Cut off the tops of four large whole heads of garlic. Place in a baking pan just large enough to hold the garlic, and add enough olive oil to cover, about one cup. Cover, and bake in a 375 degree F. oven for one hour. Carefully pour off the oil and strain. Use the cooked garlic as a tasty spread on crusty bread!

Spicy Hot Infused Oils:
Use for flavoring oils with chilies (4 oz), rosemary (1/2 Cup), sage (1/2 Cup), ginger (1/2 Cup) or dried mushrooms (2 Oz.). Chili oil is great on pizza! Heat two cups of oil in a saucepan. Just before it boils add the desired flavoring ingredient. Remove from heat, allow to cool, and strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
 
Deborah Mele