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How to Make Chile Oil

Last summer, I promised I was going to post all the recipes using the Habanero chiles that my husband Lulu harvested. I published the spicy butter recipe in the fall and now I'm going to share with you a simple chile-infused oil. The applications for the chile oil are varied; you can drizzle it over a pizza, flavor a sauce or vinaigrette or use it in marinades.

Like the chile butter I made earlier this year, this infused oil carries the essence of the Habanero peppers without as much of the heat. And the color is gorgeous!

Ingredients

Yields: 1 pint

2 cups canola oil
5 fresh Habanero chiles
¼ teaspoon salt
juice of a lemon

Directions

Note: Don't forget to wear disposable gloves. And make sure not to rub your eyes after touching the chile peppers.

Pick fully ripened, extremely red chiles. Wash them. Pat them dry using paper towels. Trim the stems. Depending on the spiciness, you can remove the seeds or not. Roughly chop them.

Blend the Habanero chiles and oil in a mini-prep or a blender. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan. Heat the oil over medium-low heat. As soon as the oil is hot, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for an hour. Add the lemon juice; the mixture will start to pop and increase in volume. Turn off the heat.

Stir well. Cool the oil completely.

Using a fine mesh strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth, filter the oil, gathering the solids (you can use the remaining red chile paste as a spicy condiment).

Voilà!