SC - Chamberlain

[Mercedes OfTheFlame]

Seton1355 at aol.com wrote:
> 
> Since it is going to freeze tonight in my neck of the woods, I want to bring
> in all the basil still left on the plant, mince it up and stick it in a
> bottle of olive oil.
> 
> After I do this, do I have to keep the oilve oil in the frige?  Will the
> basil go bad if it just sits in the oil on the shelf in my pantry?
> Thanks
> Phillipa

I've had great success with _very_ briefly blanching the basil leaves
and quenching them in ice water, patting dry with paper toels, then
whizzing them up in the blender with the oil. You then decant this in a
tall bottle, and allow to settle for a couple of days. Pour off the oil
into another container, allow the dregs to settle a little more, pour
off the surface oil and finally strain the remainder through coffee filters.

Yes, this is more work than you described, but you get a beautiful,
bright green, clear basil oil that is at least the rival of commercial
efforts. As for long-term storage, it does keep longer refrigerated.
However, cold, semi-solidified olive oil isn't too pleasant, so one
thing you can do is put a small amount (say, eight ounces or so) in a
small bottle, and refrigerate the rest.

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com