Currently viewing the tag: "basil"
This dressing is meant to go with Salad of Romaine Hearts with Cherry Tomatoes and Scallions. This dressing would be good as a sauce for pork chops or grilled halibut as well.
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This dressing is for a green salad with blueberries, almonds, and mozzarella, but would work well with other things as well. Use with cold shrimp or chicken, or a salad of sliced radishes and green onions, slaws, or with fennel, among other things.
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For this salad, you want to use a softer lettuce such as a butter lettuce or green or red leaf. It works better with the blueberries, as something crunchier, like romaine, might overwhelm the berries texture and flavor. The dressing uses basil as the herb, but you could try mint instead. A little arugula would work well, but go lightly or the sharpness could drown out the other ingredients.
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This dish has both brightness and depth of flavor. Use this as a pasta sauce tossed with orecchiette pasta, to sauce fish or chicken, or just eat it as is. Although the tomato/basil water adds a lot of extra flavor and will reduce to add a bit of a glaze to the dish, the dish is fine without it if you don’t feel like taking the time. The tomato/basil water can be used in other dishes as well.
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Use this dressing with salads that have tomatoes, and add a little mozzarella to echo a Caprese salad, or use it when you have lettuces that have a tinge of bitterness to them such as romaine, escarole, or radicchios. This would be a nice easy sauce with fish or toss boiled shrimp in it and chill for a cold shrimp salad.
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This is a fast and loose interpretation of a Thai “yellow curry”. Be sure not to cook the vegetables to long or they will get mushy and unpleasant. This dish has some heat to it as written, but if you prefer it mild, simply omit the chilis. If you do not have Thai basil, substitute cilantro or mint. If you like your food spicy, substitute in 1/2 cup of Cilantro Chili Sauté Juice for a half cup of the stock.
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Unless you have home made tomato sauce, canned tomatoes work best here, especially if you have good Italian San Marzanos. Otherwise, just use your favorite. Be sure to use a really big pan for sautéing the squash, or do it in batches. If the squash is crowded it will steam and just get mushy.
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This is a mash of fava beans studded with small bits of summer squash flash sautéed to crisp them up a bit. This dish could serve as a topping for crostini or something from the grill. Here it is served in small Romaine leaves as a mezze. This dish has flavorings more from the Middle East, but switching the cilantro for mint or basil, and removing the cumin will swing it towards Italy, France, and Spain.
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This is a twist on Insalata Caprese, the ubiquitous tomato, mozzarella, and basil “salad” that often features as a starter when tomatoes are in season. This version, however, is more of dessert meets the cheese course. The basil syrup called for in the recipe was developed originally for making grown-up sodas.
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This simple syrup was developed for adult flavored sodas, but has other functions as well. It can be used to flavor a dessert “salad” of strawberries and mozzarella a la a Caprese salad, or use it in cocktails or salad dressings. With herbs in the mint family (if it has a square-ish stem it is in the family) you must be careful not to over-steep or you wind up with a bitter taste. Start checking flavor at seven minutes, as eight is the magic number when making a tea with dried mint. Basil and fresh mint can often go longer. Although the anise and fennel are optional, they are there to compound and emphasize the flavors of the basil.
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Basil is an aromatic herb belonging to the mint family. Basil originates from India but certain varieties are used commonly in Southeast Asian cuisines. It has a strong, pungent, if sweet, smell. This versatile herb is commonly used fresh in Italian and other Mediterranean dishes, added at the very end as to not lose too much flavor.
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The fresh rich flavor of the cooked down tomatoes is a nice counterpoint to the smokey, earthy flavor of the broccoli, and the sweetness of the tomato plays well with the sweetness the broccoli develops in the oven. This makes a nice side dish, but also can be used as a pasta sauce, pizza topping, or mixed with grains.
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This is one of those dishes that just happened “on the fly”. I was using the oven for potatoes already, so I figured I might as well cram a vegetable in. I had basil in a jar on the counter, and lots of zucchini someone had given me. The inspiration for this came from a dish called Hasselback potatoes, and a variation I used to do using bay leaves. A simple dish with plenty of flavor, it has a couple of great variations that are easy to execute, and it cooks up pretty quickly.
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There are many different methods for making basil infused oil, but I find this one works really well. It produces a deeply colored and flavored oil that will last in the refrigerator for 3-5 days before the flavor begins to drop off. It can be frozen for a month or two without much loss of flavor, but be sure to wrap it closely once frozen. Use this as a garnish, or as a flavoring. Try smearing a little across a plate when you want a subtle basil aroma and flavor, or add drops onto dishes for small intense burst of basil flavor. Although the recipe calls for olive oil, save the intense Tuscan Extra Virgin oils for something else, or the basil will be overwhelmed.
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One of the traditional renditions of pasta with pesto is a Genovese iteration that includes filet beans and tiny potatoes. Here is a de-constructed version of that dish, minus the pasta. Using Sangre potatoes here will make for a very colorful dish, but other types of waxy potatoes would work as well.
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There are many versions of this salad, but the universal constant seems to be old bread and tomatoes and onions. I figure this salad grew out of the “cucina povera” canon, where waste, want not was the theme. Before Columbus, tomatoes were not part of this dish, but they certainly are now. This is a great way to use up older bread, but if you can’t wait, just rip up the bread early in the day and let it sit out a few hours, or throw it in the oven on low. I have also grilled or fried the bread for variation. Again, this is where a fixed-blade slicer can speed things up.
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No meat in this, but the presentation, the thin slices, and the fact that it is raw make the connection in my mind. This is one of those times you want a fixed blade slicer. It can be done with a knife, but it will be a challenge. Cousa and zucchini are ideal for this dish, and Pattypan will work as well, but I think crooknecks are best left for other preparations. This dish lends itself to variations, from really simple to simple but elegant. The dressing can be scattered as separate ingredients or made into a vinaigrette, the garnish can be skipped or be complex-it’s all up to what you want at the time.
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This is a simple dressing where the jelly fills in for herbs and the sugar adds balance to the vinegar. Use this for the Caprese with a Twist salad or use it for pork chops or pan roasted chicken.
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Okay, let’s face it. Insalata Caprese is a wonderful thing, but it has become a “classic”. So, in the spirit of keeping things new and fresh (heh), here is a twist. At the Aptos Farmer’s Market, I tasted an Amethyst Basil jelly from Fogline Farm, and immediately thought of this, especially since I had just gotten some heirloom tomatoes. There are a ton of recipes for basil and purple basil jelly/jam out there, and I think it is a great “secret ingredient” to have on hand for many things. This one is a nice amethyst color with a light body and just right scent. It is perfect for this salad.
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This is my riff on a dish from “The Silver Spoon Pasta” book, and it is the epitome of “easy”. It is perfect for when you are bushed and want something quick and simple. However, because it is so simple, there is nowhere for inferior ingredients to hide, so only use tomatoes that are full of flavor, and basil that is fresh and aromatic.
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There are many versions of this salad, but the universal constant seems to be old bread and tomatoes and onions. I figure this salad grew out of the “cucina povera” canon, where waste, want not was the theme. Before Columbus, tomatoes were not part of this dish, but they certainly are now. This is a great way to use up older bread, but if you can’t wait, just rip up the bread early in the day and let it sit out a few hours, or throw it in the oven on low. I have also grilled or fried the bread for variation. Again, this is where a fixed-blade slicer can speed things up.
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Gremolata is the traditional topping for osso bucco made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley all chopped finely and mixed. I like to riff on that, varying the herbs and adding breadcrumbs or nuts. I also think that summer squash is always enhanced by dry cooking methods such as roasting.
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I use a mortar and pestle for my pesto. I feel the flavors are brighter and the pesto holds its color and flavor longer. The pestle releases all the basil juices into the mortar so there is more basil aroma. Food processors heat the pesto and “cook” the basil, which helps the discoloration. Food processor blades dull quickly and rather than making a clean cut to the basil they tear it, speeding oxidization. I give the food processor version of this recipe further down. If using the food processor, I recommend doing a double batch as a single recipe is hard to get right in a standard sized processor bowl. Also, I just like the process of using the mortar and pestle as I find it meditative. I am more engaged with the food, the sound of the nuts grinding, and especially the smell as the basil gives up its juices. I like pesto for a lot more than just pasta. I mix it into farro or other whole grains, or toss vegetables with it. I also love it as a smear on sandwiches.
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