August 7, 2013 | Posted in:Cooking
I enjoy growing herbs in the yard for cooking, it’s pretty rewarding to pop outside for a few minutes and return with a handful of something that you’d pay decent money for at the grocery store. Here in Florida, we are lucky to be able to grow plants year round and with herbs, you don’t need much space or patience. I’ve got some plants in pots, some plants in plots. Any time you want to chat growing and using culinary herbs, I’m your gal. Harry P Leu gardens has a wonderful group of people (The Central FL Herb Society) that meet monthly and can shed light on all things herbs. That is where I evolved from a dabbler to a yard farmer.
My large potted basil had flowered and gone to seed last month. I eventually trimmed the blooms and the plant rebounded nicely, as they do. I didn’t think a thing of it until hubby and I noted sprouted basil plants throughout our new raised bed directly beside the potted basil. Again, figured we’d get a few new keeper basil plants and go from there. Well, we did, specifically four feet by 6 feet of keeper organic basil. This brings me to last week, when I couldn’t put off dealing with the monstrous harvest any longer. Pictures don’t do the mammoth pile of 4 lbs of basil any justice. And not wanting to look a gift basil in the mouth, I was determined to use it in a few ways so my kitchen benefited for a few months.
My go to recipe for Basil Pesto is based on Ina Garten’s. I’ve included it below with a few others. My fridge and freezer are now fully stocked with several batches of each item. We’ve been eating basil with every meal, luckily, it’s summer time and the tomatoes are begging for the wonderful accompaniment. Enjoy and please let me know what your go-to basil recipes are. My plants are already throwing of wonderful new basil leaves and I’ll be plucking them again soon!
1/2 cup pine nuts
3-5 cloves of garlic
zest of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4- 1 1/2 cups good olive oil (I use EVOO)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (The better the cheese, the better the pesto- there good deal on Parmesan Reggiano at the new Fresh Market this week!)
Use pesto immediately or store the pesto in the refrigerator with a thin film of olive oil on top. Freeze portions in ice cube trays and store in freezer bag or can be frozen in a jar, with a thin film of olive oil on top. If you don’t cover with oil, the pesto will go from bright green to army green very quickly.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups EVOO
3 cups basil leaves
1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
Directions
Put all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until the basil is finely chopped. I had mine on for about 30 seconds.Freeze portions in ice cube trays and store in freezer bag. Defrost to use in base of soups, salad dressings, dipping oils and sauces.
Ingredients
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
bunch of basil
Directions
Ingredients
1 Cup fine sugar
1 Cup filtered water
large bunch of basil, including flowers and/or stems
Directions
Lisa Wilk
Hello, I'm Lisa Wilk! I'm a freelance food, wine and travel writer, photographer and presenter based out of Orlando, FL. While covering local restaurants and food events in the #1 tourist destination in the US, I find endless cooking inspiration when dining out. You'll often find me in the kitchen putting my own spin on those elevated chef creations to enjoy at home and when entertaining. I have a love and enthusiasm for wine, wine education and wine pairing. Find me about town teaching and demystifying wine as part of the popular @TheTastyTrio in the popular Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Perfectly Paired program series I've co-developed. Taste, Cook and Sip along with me on Twitter and Instagram at @TasteCookSip and @WineChix! Cheers!
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