By: Joe Scrizzi

Welcome to Week 4 of Infused Foods. Rounding out the month with Olive Oil.

At a young age I remember my cousins and I peeling the papery skin off garlic cloves and adding them to a bowl. We never asked why, we just did it, since it was asked of us.

Fast forward to roughly 5 years ago, my friend Hugh Gallagher invited me to a picnic. Upon arrival, he and I were talking outside by his grill.  When he opened the grill to show me what he was smoking, off to the side there was a tinfoil pan with olive oil, garlic cloves, and peppers. I knew exactly what he was doing and wanted to dip a hunk of bread in to taste (however I had to wait, haha).

Whenever he smokes something, he puts a pan in there with olive oil and other items to infuse. Basically, doing double duty and creating gourmet oils for the rest of the week! Great Idea!

How many times do we see a tasty dipping oil at an event and buy the over-priced bottle and before you know it’s gone and wished there was more? Below are some simple ways to infuse your own and save tons of money!

This is one of my favorite infusions that I do once a month, sometimes more.

Infusing olive oils with herbs, citrus peels, garlic, etc.

This way I’ll have a supply of flavorful oils to use throughout the upcoming weeks. Great for any type of cooking, salad dressings, marinades, basting, sauces, etc. Upcoming weeks I’ll be using these oils in recipes and will share.

Pictured here are:

Garlic-Chili Pepper Oil

Handful of garlic cloves

Jalapeño Pepper, sliced (any type will work)

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

(once infused, leave the garlic in the jar or remove and eat as is = soooo good)

 

Citrus-Herb Oil

Lemon slices & Lemon Peel

Rosemary Needles (bruised)

Thyme Sprigs (bruised)

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

 

This can be done on the grill if you’re already cooking, top of stove, or even in the oven on low heat. Once it starts to sizzle, you know the magic is happening. I let both oils cook roughly 20 to 25 minutes. After you remove from heat let cool slightly, remove the garlic, pepper, herbs, and lemon.

I saved the garlic and pepper for another use, rest is discarded.

Strain the infused oils into glass jar to cool completely.

 

Oil Storage Tips:

Have Fun!