Harvest basil from your garden or farmer’s market at its prime. Gently wash the leaves and dry them on a paper towel or clean tea towel.
Place the leaves on a cutting board, stacking several of them on top of one another. Roll them together in a cigar-like fashion. Rolling them makes the task of slicing them into thin ribbons much easier. Slice into thin ribbons.
Fill the cavity of a mini ice cube mold half full with the basil ribbons. Pour enough olive oil over the basil to fill each cavity two thirds full. Carefully transfer the tray top the freezer and allow to freeze completely. As the oil freezes, it will turn white or off-white in color.
After the basil and oil cubes are frozen solid, turn them out of the tray. Transfer the cubes to a freezer bag for long-term storage. W
hen needed, simply add a cube or several to the dish. As the frozen oil melts, the basil will warm and release the fresh flavor and scent of the basil along with adding a beautiful dose of bright green color.
Notes
I purchased an inexpensive smaller sized ice cube tray with a silicone bottom that I use when freezing basil this way. I like the smaller sized cubes as they are easier to store and allow me to add smaller sized cubes of the olive oil and basil to dishes. The smaller cubes also freeze in less time, allowing me to process more of the fresh basil in a day’s time. The flexible silicone bottom in each compartment makes it a breeze to push out the frozen cubes.