Basil

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Zhizara

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I just bought a lovely container full of some fresh basil. I live in an apartment, so the plant(s) will get some sun every day. I'll repot it tomorrow.

I'd appreciate any growing tips, and especially recipe ideas for using it.
 
Wish I could send you some more! Great for pesto. I puree mine and freeze in ice cube trays with a bit of water, then throw in soups and stews. I grow mine from seed outdoors, but inside, I would keep them nice and sunny, and prune frequently. Keep well watered, but not standing in water. Great for any Italian recipe. They take no special care.
 
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I've never made pesto, Dawg. Help me out here. It sounds good, but just remember I'm cooking for one. Got a recipe?
 
Zhizara said:
I've never made pesto, Dawg. Help me out here. It sounds good, but just remember I'm cooking for one. Got a recipe?

A good scrunchful of basil, with a bit of garlic, some type of toasted nuts (pinenuts are traditional, but walnuts, pistachios, or any other nut would work, even sunflower seeds). some grated parm or romano cheese, and evoo. Start the blender with everything but the evoo, then slowly add the oil through the top. S& p to taste. Mine usually grows out of the blender, but with a single plant, hopefully yours won't! You want more basil than anything else. Parsley or other greens can also be used.

This also freezes well, put in ice cube trays, then in ziplocks.

Good stuff!
 
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I occasionally make Chilled Tomato-Basil Soup:

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 pounds (about 6) tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 10 whole fresh basil leaves plus 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves for garnish
  • sour cream for garnish
  • extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling the soup
and as an accompaniment...

garlic baguette toasts:

  • 1 large garlic clove, minced or forced through a garlic press
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • a French baguette, cut lengthwise into 6 long wedges

  • coarse salt to taste
Preparation:


To make the soup:
In a food processor purée the tomatoes and force the purée through a fine sieve into a saucepan, pressing hard on the solids. In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and the broth and stir the mixture into the tomato purée. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice, the sugar, the whole basil leaves, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup cool and chill it, covered, for at least 8 hours. The soup may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled.
Discard the whole basil leaves, ladle the soup into 6 bowls, and garnish each serving with a dollop of the sour cream and some of the chopped basil. Drizzle the soup with the oil and serve it with the toasts.


To make the garlic baguette toasts:
In a small skillet cook the garlic in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it begins to turn golden, brush the bread wedges with the oil, and on a baking sheet bake them in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 10 minutes, or until they are golden. Sprinkle the toasts with the salt and break them in half. Makes 12 toasts.



yield: Makes about 6 cups, serving 6

 
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A good scrunchful of basil, with a bit of garlic, some type of toasted nuts (pinenuts are traditional, but walnuts, pistachios, or any other nut would work, even sunflower seeds). some grated parm or romano cheese, and evoo. Start the blender with everything but the evoo, then slowly add the oil through the top. S& p to taste. Mine usually grows out of the blender, but with a single plant, hopefully yours won't! You want more basil than anything else. Parsley or other greens can also be used.

This also freezes well, put in ice cube trays, then in ziplocks.

Good stuff!

Shelled pumpkin seeds/pepitas also work well. Pesto is amazing on just about any pasta, mixed into rice, mixed into a little broth to make a soup, tossed with fresh veggies (raw diced cucumber, tomato and zucchini is one of my favorite mixes). You can also add cream to it to make a creamy pesto. The main thing to remember is not to cook it. Oh, it's also good spread on a crusty slice of garlic bread.

@Selkie, that soup recipe sounds really good!
 
A good scrunchful of basil, with a bit of garlic, some type of toasted nuts (pinenuts are traditional, but walnuts, pistachios, or any other nut would work, even sunflower seeds). some grated parm or romano cheese, and evoo. Start the blender with everything but the evoo, then slowly add the oil through the top. S& p to taste. Mine usually grows out of the blender, but with a single plant, hopefully yours won't! You want more basil than anything else. Parsley or other greens can also be used.

This also freezes well, put in ice cube trays, then in ziplocks.

Good stuff!

I usually have some honey roasted peanuts on hand I'll bet they would work??

'Splain me about the growing out of the blender, please. It's actually several plants stuck in a tiny 2" container. The Basil themselves are pretty tall and have gorgeous leaves. I'm letting them rest overnight and will pot them up in the morning. I'll take some cuttings then.

There should be a good healthy handful. I've got EVOO and a blender. What's next"?
 
Zhizara said:
I usually have some honey roasted peanuts on hand I'll bet they would work??

'Splain me about the growing out of the blender, please. It's actually several plants stuck in a tiny 2" container. The Basil themselves are pretty tall and have gorgeous leaves. I'm letting them rest overnight and will pot them up in the morning. I'll take some cuttings then.

There should be a good healthy handful. I've got EVOO and a blender. What's next"?

Growing out of the blender means I had way too much stuff in it! You won't have a problem.

Zhiz, I never use a recipe, please forgive me! I haven't made pesto with peanuts, but why not? Off the top of my head, a chopped garlic clove, a couple Tbs of shredded cheese, maybe 2 Tbs of chopped peanuts, as much basil as you can spare without stripping the poor babies nekked, should give you maybe a cup of stuff in the blender. Start it up, then drizzle evoo through the hole on top of the blender, maybe a quarter cup or more until it looks like a paste. You may want to cut the other quantities in half, and add more to taste.

Let me know how it works!
 
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AS for the growing of it, just remember to trim it back often, and where ever you cut it, it will yield 2 new sprouts in the place of one. Starting it young, and pinching off at every two nodes yields a small, but lush "bushy" plant. Don't over water. Basil is great at letting you know when it is thirsty.
 
AS for the growing of it, just remember to trim it back often, and where ever you cut it, it will yield 2 new sprouts in the place of one. Starting it young, and pinching off at every two nodes yields a small, but lush "bushy" plant. Don't over water. Basil is great at letting you know when it is thirsty.
Spot on Tatters. I would only add that it may become potbound quickly.
 
I have geneous amounts of basil! Those sound great, Merstar!

Let me know if you try them! (For the Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries, I always strain the crushed garlic out of the dressing before adding to the salad - it still retains the garlic flavor, since the oils remain. As much as I love garlic, I don't like chewing on large raw chunks of it)!
 
Basil is an annual plant so cutting the flowering heads off will extend the growth season.
When potted they will thrive in a window sill and need 7 hours of sun per day.
Basil can grow fairly quickly so you will more than likely have to get a few more pots to separate the seedlings. Don't move seedlings before they have 4 leaves.

Basil combines well with tomato or cheese dishes and make a great salad dressing.
The flavour can be over powering so it doesn't combine well with all herbs. Mint, parsley and celery will stand up to basil though.
Basil can be preserved by layering in jars with coarse salt or packing in bottles and filling with olive oil. The oil can be used to flavour dishes or make salad dressing.
Chopped basil can also be used to flavour cooked veggies like courgettes, brinjals, marrows and squash.
You can also make a foot bath with Basil for tired feet if you've been standing for long periods or rub on temples for a headache.
Use pesto to stuff lamb or chicken as mentioned.
 
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My little brother used to fry diced red potatoes in olive oil, garlic, fresh basil and oregano. He'd sprinkle them with just a tiny bit of salt at the very end. They were really good. I also really like chicken breast stuffed with basil and feta.
 
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