So, this is a bit of a white elephant – the only reason I made it the other day was that Dani had mentioned that the Pea Soup was nice with the parsley oil!  I had a little extra time up my sleeve today, and as it only takes 15 minutes (plus draining time) I was able to do it.  It has the most beautiful parsley flavour – it really is like eating parsley!

It’s a piece of cake really – some neutral oil and some fresh parsley.  I used Italian parsley, but I’m sure other parsley would work just as well.  Chuck it in the thermomix and blend away – be warned though, this is a bit of a noisy recipe, which surprised me!  It’s just that the thermomix is on a high speed for quite a long time – so if you’re anything like me – put in your iPod or leave the room! I actually turned the speed down for a while when it was really doing my head in – but I am a wimp!

Don’t be alarmed if the temperature goes up past the temperature you’re cooking the oil at – mine certainly did and it didn’t have any adverse consequences.  There will also be vapour coming up from the lid – so don’t worry.

The result after 15 minutes is the most beautiful deep green oil, which you then filter.  I didn’t have any muslin or coffee filters, so I used a clean chux wipe, which worked – but only just.  I’ve ended up buying coffee filters today and have filtered it again so it’s very, very clear and with no sediment at the bottom.

A word of warning to the eager beavers though – don’t put your oil into a jar or bottle that is not absolutely, positively dry – otherwise you’ll end up with water at the bottom of your oil, which not only doesn’t look great – but would probably shorten the shelf life of the oil. Another little word of caution – the oil can stain your hands if you don’t wash it off quickly – so watch out for pale coloured bench tops!!

This oil would also make a lovely gift for a culinary friend – so once the parsley I am growing in the garden is in profuse supply, I’ll make this again.