Basil
About Basil:
Basil is also called "sweet basil" and is native to India but it is in the Mediterranean cuisines that it has reached its current high popularity. It's a member of the mint family and has that same sort of highly aromatic quality. Here are eight different uses for basil and they should suggest other ways and places you can use them to suit the dish and your tastes.
- Recipes:
- Bean Dip with Oregano and Basil
- Green and Red Rice
- Herbal Butter
- Herbed Zucchini Tart
- Mojito Fruit
- Parmesan Twists
- Polenta with Sauteed Mushrooms and Basil
- Sauteed mushrooms and Basil
- Vermicelli in Tomato Shells
- see all recipes
Tips:
To one stick of room-temperature butter, add from 1 to 3 teaspoons finely chopped basil for spreading on breads or crackers.
In scrambled eggs or any chopped egg salad, add between one and three teaspoons minced basil. Or sprinkle over poached eggs.
Coarsely chop leaves and add to the cooking water for green beans, broccoli or any other green vegetable. The cooked leaves will surrender some of their flavor to the liquid and themselves have a light spinach taste.
Finely chop the leaves and toss with flour for coating poultry, chops and vegetables. A good ratio is a tablespoon per cup of flour. Add up to two tablespoons chopped fresh basil per cup of batter.
Basil is often called "the tomato herb" and with good reason. The flavors seem made for each other. Here are some ways to wed them:
For baked tomatoes, finely chop basil, add shredded cheese, a pinch of pepper and bread crumbs in equal quantities and cover the cut surface of the tomato. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
For tomato soup, add a teaspoon of finely chopped basil 5 minutes before service for each portion of soup.
For tomato sauce for pasta or pizza, coarsely chop the leaves (1/4 cup for each two cups of tomatoes) and simmer for the last 15 minutes before use.
For an interesting beverage, warm tomato juice and add some very finely minced basil leaves. Chill and serve.
Mince a few large leaves and mix with softened butter and a little stock to baste poultry while roasting.
Make a slurry in a blender with 5 or 6 large basil leaves, a couple tablespoons of butter at room temperature and an ounce or two of dry white wine. Brush it on fish or chicken before baking.
Basil and garlic are very compatible flavors. Run 5 cloves of garlic, a couple ounces of broth or stock and about a dozen good-sized basil leaves in a processor until it's a thin, chunky paste. Brush that on lamb, poultry, split zucchini, eggplant and fish filets before roasting. Baste during cooking.