If you DO grow basil, and want an idea other than pesto for your bumper crop, try this "recipe."  It uses a cup of basil leaves and, three ingredients.  It takes no time.  If you love the flavor of fresh basil, make this and forsake all other oils the rest of summer.  It also gives you way more culinary street cred to tell someone you make your own basil-infused olive oil.  

We drizzled it over grilled chicken and a caprese salad.  Delicious!  We also used it in this recipe, which pretty much changed our lives.  The Martha Stewart website shows it drizzled over ricotta cheese, slathered on a piece of bread.  I'd say the possibilities are endless and would bet it'd make a nice ingredient in a pasta sauce or a salad dressing.

That about used it up, and I haven't made more, but this weekend may be a good time to remedy that.  I used this particular recipe, which does not instruct you to heat the oil.  While that may make for a faster infusion, it also denatures some of the oil, which some people claim to take away some of the health benefits.  It also keeps your kitchen cooler, so bonus.

Basil Infused Olive Oil

from Martha Stewart

1 cup basil leaves, washed

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

pinch salt

Blanch the basil leaves and add them to a food processor with 1/2 cup olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Process until well incorporated, then pour into an empty container through a fine mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter.  Refrigerate air tight for up to a week.  

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