Although olive oil, by itself, is one of the great jewels of our pantry, it never hurts to know how can we aromatize it to season different dishes. If you are one of those who, as soon as you enter your Italian restaurant of reference, you ask them to bring you that magic oil bottle that brings a plus to the focaccia, pizzas and pasta dishes, you should not miss anything that we have prepared for you next.
Before explaining the different ways that exist when flavoring the oil, it is important that you know that they are marketed and that you can find a wide variety of options in the market. Now, it is also true that the ones you find in supermarkets or gourmet shops usually have quite a high price. Especially if we take into account that it is something that anyone can do at home without having to be a cook.
what are we going to need
The first thing will be to confirm that we have everything we need to be able to aromatize our oil with what we most want. But don’t be scared, everything is quite common (and predictable):
- Oil: As we have been commenting, the most indicated is virgin olive oil, if possible mild flavor (It is not usually recommended to use extra virgin because it is too powerful). If you’re making ends meet and looking a bit rushed, you could even use a sunflower one, as long as it’s of good quality.
Flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil 250 ml. Oil with Natural Essences. Product of Jaén – (Oregano, 6 Units)
Ingredients: The next step will be to have located those ingredients that we are going to want to use. This already depends on the tastes of each one, but the most common are spices, nuts, aromatic herbs, citrus fruits, truffles or dried fruits. But the list can be endless.
airtight glass jar: This does not need much explanation, it is the typical jar that we use to make pickles or simply to store pistachios or almonds. The only thing you have to confirm, so as not to be upset, is that it closes well and that nothing comes out.
Time to flavor!
exist different ways of flavoring the oil. The simplest is the one that simply consists of incorporating the ingredient into the oil, without further ado. But there are other recipes for which a somewhat more complex process is necessary and let it rest for a while.
Cold flavoring: In this case, what we do is add the ingredients to the oil and then close the container well and put it in the pantry or in a cupboard for approximately one month. The most advisable thing is that it is at room temperature and does not receive much light.
hot flavoring: We resort to this mode in winter, when the ambient temperature is lower. And what we do is heat the oil so that the mixture macerates before. It is important that we do not go overboard when applying heat to the oil, since it would lose its properties. Hence, it is recommended to do it in a water bath.
In any case, when it comes to preserving them, you must bear in mind that all these oils remain in perfect condition for a maximum of four months, about. And it does not hurt that we shake the container once or twice a week, so that it has reached its maximum flavor when we want to use it.
By the way, if at the time of consuming it, it gives you the feeling that it’s gotten a little cloudy, we recommend straining it before use. With this we would have solved the problem.
And with this we would already have a very recurring condiment when preparing an appetizer or a meal of any kind. Because an oil garlic and chilliof thyme and oreganoof peppermint or dried fruit (the Peeled nuts go very well) have infinite possibilities. You just have to know when to choose each of them and we are going to discover that by trying (and using common sense).
In DAP | How to make compound oils
In DAP | aromatic oils