Alchemy Oil: How to Make Herb Infused Olive Oil

Do you use olive oil in your salad dressings or drizzle it on your veggies? If you already use olive oil in your food, why not add the extra therapeutic benefit of an herb infused olive oil? I call it Alchemy Oil…

Oil absorbs many of the flavors and medicinal qualities of herbs and spices. Having an array of flavored cooking oils on hand gives you a rich palette to draw from when you make your dinner.

When you add herbs and spices to a meal at the last minute, often there isn’t enough time for the blending that can really elevate the taste of the food. The nice thing about herb infused olive oil is that the herbs and spice flavors have settled into the oil and are ready to liven up your meals. The aroma and flavor of this Alchemy Oil permeates food instantly.

So, the bottom line is that using herb infused olive oil is such a simple way to enrich the taste and health factor of your food! (I know, don’t you just love more ways to get herbs onto your plate!)

Ingredients for Alchemy Oil

Four different herb infused olive oils sit on my counter right now and just about every day they are added to a meal. Today I want to share one of our all-time favorite DIY recipes: Alchemy Oil!

This oil magically makes everything taste good! If I am in a hurry, I do a quick vegetable sauté, top it with this oil and the meal tastes like I have been in the kitchen for hours. Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, but this oil is seriously yummy. This morning I drizzled some Alchemy Oil on my scrambled eggs.

Here’s what you need…

Olive Oil

Olive oil is a rich, nutritive, antioxidant, antibacterial and cardiovascular tonic oil. It has a long shelf life and I love using olive oil that is produced locally by people that I know.

When making your Alchemy Oil, use olive oil that is cold pressed and processed without heat.

Turmeric

Turmeric is the most searched herb on the internet right now! Join the crowd and drizzle the antioxidant, anti-bacterial and digestive supporting benefits of turmeric onto your meals.

Paprika

I love paprika because it gives you the splendid flavor of a chili pepper without all the heat. Packed full of beneficial nutrients, paprika is high in vitamin C and contains the important antioxidant nutrient beta-carotene.

Its flavonoid content has paprika weighing in as an important substance for the cardiovascular system. High flavonoid spices are tonic to the heart, reducing the risk of heart disease by protecting the capillaries, veins and the entire cardiovascular system. 

Coriander

Coriander has a synergistic effect in spice mixtures. Its lemony taste has the talent of synthesizing diverse flavors, when mixing it with other herbs you can’t really go wrong. It goes well with hot herbs like mustard and fits right in with sweet spices like cinnamon.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon increases warmth and circulation and supports efficient digestion of fats and cold foods. It dissolves mucus and clears stagnation throughout the sinus and respiratory tract.

Cinnamon is a delivery herb. Sprinkling it on your food helps your body to more easily digest the nutrition from your meal.

Mustard

Mustard is highly antioxidant and contains vitamins C and E and selenium.

Mustard is a timeless remedy for enhancing digestion and dispersing phlegm. Hope you don’t have any of that, but have you ever noticed that sometimes when you eat mustard suddenly, your nose is running? Yep, anything that is ready to come out starts dripping with mustard. That is a good thing.

Vodka (Optional)

Alcohol is optional and enhances the extraction of medicinal properties and savory flavors. Use 100-proof vodka, or if you can’t get 100-proof vodka, just use what you can get.

How to Use Your Alchemy Oil

Add these herbs together along with the nutrition of the olive oil, and you get a great big dollop of super nutrition, health supporting, antioxidant and digestion activating deliciousness.

Here are a few ways to enjoy your Herbal Alchemy Oil…

• Bread drizzle
• Rice garnish
• Marinades
• Salad dressings
• Sauces
• Soups
• Stir-fries
• Vegetable drizzle

Shelf Life of Herb Infused Olive Oil

I like to use my DIY herb infused olive oil within one year.

You can refrigerate your herbal oils to help preserve their shelf life. Remember that light, excess heat, exposure to moisture and fluctuating temperatures break down the integrity of the oil.

Note that fresh herbs can support the growth of harmful bacteria such as botulism, so you always want to use dried herbs when making a flavored oil.

All of the dried herbs in the Alchemy Oil recipe can be purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs.