Basil: Everyone's Favorite Herb!
By Brenda Hyde
If a person loves herbs, they love basil. It seems to be everyone's favorite
herb and the recipes are endless that take advantage of this fresh and spicy
leaf. I personally think if you can only grow two plants it should be a pot of
tomatoes and a pot of basil. With these two plants and a few basic pantry items
you can treat yourself to gourmet faire!
Growing Basil
Basil is an annual, and is easily grown from seed. There are over two dozen types of basil including
lettuce-leaf which has large leaves, cinnamon basil and the purple
leaved varieties. Basil is not frost tolerant at all, so be sure to
plant after the soil has warmed completely. Though it needs full sun, it does need
more moisture than some herbs, so be sure to keep it watered; especially in pots. You can bring
basil inside as a window herb if you plant the seeds in the late summer in pots and bring inside
to set in a bright and sunny window. Every year I grow my basil in a porch box outside my kitchen door. There is nothing better than walking
out the door and snipping basil for a dish I'm cooking.
Using and Preserving Basil
Be sure to pinch the tops of your basil plants, and don't let them flower.
This will basically stop it's growth. If it has started to flower
pinch those off immediately. When you harvest
the basil, cut off the stems, and then strip the leaves for your
recipe. Be fairly gentle with them, and harvest JUST before
you start your recipe. Some herb growers insist on the sweet
basil for pesto, but experiment and use whichever variety you
have growing.
Basil can be frozen, dried, or preserved in oil. It's delicious
however you choose to preserve it. Basil is also available year
round in most produce sections. Add leaves to salad or sandwiches
with your lettuce, saute at the last minute with almost any vegetable
and add to soups. It is also wonderful in herbal vinegars mixed
with oregano and thyme.
Basil combines well with thyme, parsley, chives,
garlic and oregano. Try it in pea or bean
soups and or with vegetables such as eggplant.
Basil is easily air dried by hanging small bundles
or you can chop and add to water to create basil
ice cubes! These can then be stored in resealable
bags and added directly to your soups.
Whether you have room for a small plot of assorted basils or one pot, it's an herb worth growing! The following recipes will help you
become familiar with using basil. We also have a page on making pesto here
Basil and Bread Salad
12 ounces day-old Italian or French bread
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 pound mozzarella cheese, diced 1/2-inch
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup basil leaves, cut into slivers
12 romaine lettuce leaves
Cut bread into rough 3/4-inch cubes and place in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt and
pepper. Pour dressing over bread and toss to mix well.
Add tomatoes, pepper, mozzarella cheese, garlic and
basil. Mix gently. Arrange romaine leaves on a serving
platter and spoon salad over leaves.
Basil Mayonnaise
This wonderful mayonnaise can be used for
burgers, sandwiches, or to coat
chicken before roasting.
Ingredients:
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Blend in food processor or blender
until smooth.
Basil and Tomato Bruschetta
Ingredients:
12 pieces crusty Italian Bread, 1 inch thick
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
2 large, ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
24-36 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
12 garlic cloves, peeled, and cut in half lengthwise
salt and pepper
Toast bread over a grill or a very hot oven of 425
degrees. Brown on both sides. Remove and brush
with oil. In a bowl combine tomatoes, oregano and
basil. Place cloves in separate bowl. Serve bread
warm and rub clove on bread, top with mixture and
sprinkle with salt and pepper.
I also sprinkle and with parmesan cheese and put
under the broiler for just a minute to heat top.
Basil Puree
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 cups washed and dried basil leaves
Blend until pureed. Transfer to clean jar. Store
in refrigerator. Each time you use it stir and then
top with a thin layer of oil. It will keep one year
by doing this. This is good on grilled chicken
or fish, stirred into soups or mixed with sun dried
tomatoes and broiled on bread.
Walnut and Basil Paste
Ingredients:
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons red wine or herb vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Place the basil in the work bowl of a food
processor. With the motor running, drop
in the garlic and process until basil and
garlic are finely chopped about 15 seconds.
Add the nuts, cheese, vinegar and oil. Process
to make a rough paste, about 20 seconds.
Smear evenly onto poultry, fish or vegetables
just before grilling. Makes enough for about
2 pounds of poultry or fish.
Basil Butter
1 stick butter, softened
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
Cream butter, beat in garlic and lemon juice. Mash in
basil; season with salt and pepper. Place bowl in
refrigerator to firm butter. For a nice, simple appetizer
use room temperature butter on grilled pieces of
baguette or French bread.
Lemon Basil Pork
1 12-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup basil leaves, cut into thin strips
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
4 boneless pork chops
Mix the first four ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup of the
marinade for basting. Pour the remainder of the marinade
over the pork and refrigerate them for 1-2 hours, turning
once in the process. Grill them for approximately 20
minutes. Turn the meat often, brushing a small amount
of the reserved marinade on each time. You can also
cut the pork into cubes and make kabobs, alternating
onion and green pepper on the sticks.
Pasta With Fresh Basil
Ingredients:
12 ounces penne or other larger pasta
1 cup fresh cooked peas or frozen peas, thawed
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 pound lean prosciutto or leftover smoked ham, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons capers, optional
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
grated peel of 1 lemon
Cook pasta according to directions; rinse under
cold water and drain. In a bowl, combine the pasta
with the peas, green onions, prosciutto, basil, olive oil,
vinegar, capers, pepper, salt, and lemon peel. Toss
until well-combined. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Refrigerate until serving. Notes: This is such an easy
salad and you can substitute fresh green beans that
have been cooked until just tender or asparagus. Fresh
is much better if possible. Also you can substitute red
onion for the green.
Baked Zucchini and Basil
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs zucchini (about 5 small), thinly sliced lengthwise
3 large Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 large sweet onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch
baking dish with a little olive oil. Layer in half the vegetables
and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining
vegetables and basil and season again with salt and pepper.
Drizzle the remaining oil on top. Cover the dish tightly with
foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover, add the cheese if desired,
and bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand at 15- 20 minutes
before serving. Notes: I think this is much better using a
glass or other non-metal pan.
Basil Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup leftover grilled Chicken Breast, diced
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup Red Grapes, halved
1/2 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped sweet onion
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Combine all ingredients and chill thoroughly. Recipe
makes 4 servings.
Easy Pesto Pizza
Ingredients:
One premade pizza crust
2 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
4 cloves of fresh garlic, thinly sliced
olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
Lay whole basil leaves over the surface of the crust,
covering the entire pizza. Place the thinly sliced garlic
on top of the basil leaves, spacing a couple of inches.
Drizzle the olive oil over the entire pizza. Salt and pepper
to season. Sprinkle the pizza with the Parmesan, then
with the mozzarella. Place into a preheated 425 degree
oven. Bake just until it's bubbly and slightly browned.
Watch carefully. Serve warm.
Roasted Garlic and Basil Salsa
Ingredients:
4 ripe tomatoes, cut into sections
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon honey
2 sweet green peppers
2 jalapeno peppers or other hot peppers
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1/4 of a sweet onion, chopped
Preheat the broiler or grill, Place the halved peppers and
tomatoes on a baking sheet and broil until they blacken.
You can do the same thing by placing them on a grill. Place
the unpeeled garlic in a foil pouch (doubled) and drizzle
with the olive oil. Either bake in the oven at 300 degrees
for 30 minutes or cook on the grill, turning the foil pouch
as it cooks. Meanwhile remove the peppers from the oven
and place them in a bowl and cover with plastic or place
them in a Ziploc bag and seal. Allow to cool to room
temperature. Peel skin off of blackened vegetables and
discard. Dice into one inch pieces. Once your garlic is
cooked, slit the ends of the cloves, and smush out the
garlic into the bowl with the peppers. Add the remaining
ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. This salsa may
set out for a couple hours at room temperature to join the
flavors, or you can refrigerate for 2-3 days.
Basil and Gorgonzola Salsa
Ingredients:
2 cups tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup grated gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or regular)
Combine ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
You can substitute another type of blue veined cheese.
Pasta and Basil Salad
Ingredients:
3/4 cup uncooked spiral pasta or small shells
4 medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
5 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup thin slices of seeded cucumber
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Cook pasta according to instructions until just
tender. Rinse under cold water. Drain well. Place
the pasta in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, green
onions, cucumber and corn. Combine basil, yogurt,
mayonnaise, lime juice and garlic in processor or
blender until basil is finely chopped. Mix dressing
with the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Add salt
and pepper to taste. Serve or cover and refrigerate.
