Basil Oil

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of fresh basil leaves, washed and taken off the stems.
• olive oil

Directions:
Boil a pan of water.  Have the basil leaves ready to place into the the boiling water as soon as it is boiling.  Have a big bowl of icy water ready to plunge the basil into.  Blanche the basil for 30-45 seconds.  Remove it from the boiling water with a strainer and  plop it into the ice water to quickly cook it.  Then put it into a colander to drain off the water and pat dry.  Place the basil and olive oil into a blender and blend until well-blended.  Store in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator.

Use it to dress up a caprese salad, or anywhere you would otherwise use olive oil and basil.  Blanching the basil helps keep the color vibrant.  The oil you make will be beautimous.  😉