Flavored oils are great when you wish to add the taste of an ingredient without the texture of it. Used often to garnish, they look great on the plate - especially when the flavoring ingredient is brightly colored.
Makes 1/2 cup
4
cups lightly packed herbs, e.g. parsley, basil, coriander1
cup olive oil
1/2
lb ginger, peeled and rough chopped1
cup vegetable oil
1/4
cup lemon zest1
tsp turmeric (optional)1
cup vegetable oil
If you are making a flavored oil with green herbs, blanch the herbs in a large pot of heavily salted water for a few seconds before continuing. This will remove the bitter chlorophyll taste.
Place ingredients in a blender and blend for a few minutes until you have a smooth paste and no lumps of the flavoring ingredient remain. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and leave overnight at room temperature to allow the flavors to infuse.
After 24 hours, strain the oil through tightly woven cheesecloth and discard the aromatic ingredient. The oil may take a few hours to strain through completely. Do not press on it to force it through as you will end up pushing through some of the solids. Don't stress if not all the oil strains through. You will catch most of it and that is what counts.
Refrigerate and use within a week before the aromas in the oil degrade.