Homemade Olive Oils
The next time you are running low on olive oil, don't rush out to buy a bottle. Instead, make your own virgin olive oil. All you need is some time and patience, but the result will be well worth it. At first, you will want to top your salads with the oil and dip warm bread in it, but soon you will be coming up with ways to incorporate your oil into all your lunches and dinners. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 1 qt. fresh olives
- 2 wooden or metal bowls
- Cooking mallet
- Spoon
- Hand blender and plastic beaker or tall cup
- Cheese cloth
- Strainer
- Glass jar or container
Instructions
-
-
1
Wash and clean off the olives by running them under tap water and removing any dirt or debris with your fingers.
-
2
Remove the pits from the olives. Place the pitted olives in a large bowl.
-
-
3
Grind the olives with the mallet until they are in the consistency of a paste.
-
4
Transfer the olive paste to the plastic beaker filling it halfway. Pour hot water over the paste until the beaker is filled about a quarter of the way. Mix together with a spoon.
-
5
Use the blender for five minutes to combine the olive paste and water.
-
6
Mix again with the spoon for another five minutes.
-
7
Place the cheese cloth inside your strainer. Place the strainer inside a large bowl.
-
8
Pour the olive paste on top of the cheese cloth. You may need to repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 until all the olive paste is used.
-
9
Fold over the cheese cloth and let it sit. Oil will begin to seep through to the larger bowl underneath the strainer.
-
10
Pour the oil into the glass jar. It is ready to use.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
When you use the blender, cover the top part of the plastic beaker with your other hand as it can be messy.
To quicken the process, you can apply some pressure and push down on the cheese cloth when the paste is in it. Another option is leaving a heavy jar pressing down on the cheese cloth.
To get the maximum amount of oil from the olives, check on it every hour as it strains until you notice that oil is no longer being released.
References
- Photo Credit Bottle of Olive Oil image by kellykramer from Fotolia.com
