Infused Olive Oils

Olive oil is perhaps the one ingredient that most characterizes Italian cuisine. It is used to prepare sauces, meats, vegetables, pasta, fish and cheeses—or simply as a dipping sauce for chunks of crusty bread. The quality and taste of olive oil depends on various factors, from the type of olive used to the way it is harvested and processed.

Olive oil cognoscenti already know the differences between regional oils, spicy or mild oils, and green or yellow ones. Flavored olive oils, however, add a whole new spectrum of tastes. Sage, basil and rosemary are only a few of the herbs that lend their aroma and distinct taste to infused Italian olive oils.

Cooking with Infused Olive Oils
Infused olive oils will give you the same flavor of classic Italian ingredients without having to eat whole sage leaves or bits of rosemary. They provide a quick and simple way to add a lot of flavor to a dish. Here are some suggestions for cooking with infused oils:

• Never use truffle olive oil for cooking. Its superbly delicate flavor gets lost in the process. It is far better suited for dressing a finished plate or dipping with bread.
• Garlic, sage, rosemary and lemon olive oils are perfect for sautéing. Use one half the amount of aromatic oil and one half the amount of normal olive oil for best results.
• In the past, there has been hype about homemade infused olive oils. These oils, however, tend to be inconsistent. The fresh rosemary you get from your green market today may not be as fresh as what you picked up last week. Its flavor may not be as intense and your meal may end up tasting entirely different. There is also a risk of food poisoning when unqualified people bottle oils.
  

Infused Olive Oils from the Italian Culinary Institute
The Italian Culinary Institute offers 6 different varieties of infused olive oil imported directly from Italy in the following flavors: Rosemary, Sage, Basil, Truffle, Lemon and Garlic.

The oils come in 4-ounce blue bottles, which maintain their quality and taste. This amount is small enough to be used while the ingredients are at their freshest. At the same time, the blue glass shields the oil and its essence from light infiltration and protects it from spoiling.

All of the Institute’s infused olive oils come with authentic Italian recipes that emphasize their use in 1) sautéing foods, 2) dressing non-cooked items and 3) providing a meal’s finishing touches.