Basil recipe ideas

Marguerite

Active Member
The tomato basil sauce reminded me of my osso bucco recipe - it uses basil (when I have it - not during winter, sadly, so I substituted some tarragon stalks still looking greenish in the garden).
My osso bucco sauce - after first frying the sofrtio (chopped carrot, celery and onion with garlic, all sweated until soft) and then browning the seasoned floured meat pieces, I toss in any leftover seasoned flour and mix it with any remaining oil. Then I deglaze the pan with white wine and a tin of peeled tomatoes. Maybe add some beef stock or water - it depends on total liquid quantity. Then I throw in the fresh chopped herbs which, if at all possible, includes a generous amount of fresh basil. Also thyme, oregano and parsley. Lemon herbs too if I have them - lemon thyme, lemon balm or even lemon basil. I then puree the sauce (often the sofrito as well - meanwhile the meat pieces are on a dish). Once I'm happy with it, the sauce is either poured over the meat pieces in a casserole dish and then placed in a very slow oven, or it's put together on the stove for a very slow simmer, for three hours at least. I also put in a lot of bay leaves at this point, usually several bay leaves between each piece of meat.

The sauce for this is very tomato-ey, very herb-y. (Yes, I pick out the bay leaves - most of them, anyway). The sauce can be used as a tomato soup on its own, if I've made too much.

Another recipe - get a tin of tomatoes or maybe some good tomato juice. De-seed and finely chop a fresh red chili, half a garlic clove and several onion slices and a handful of fresh basil leaves. Add ice. Blend. Serve immediately as gazpacho. Or put it in a glass with a shot of vodka for a Bloody Mary. Serve with a stalk of celery as swizzle stick. difficult child 1's favourite.

Marg
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I can't wait to try these recipes! I really think I'm going to try making a pesto-I've never done it but love pesto and so does easy child! I'll be printing these recipes out so I can be trying them. Thanks everyone-and Marg-I did what you said about the flowering basil and it's doing great now:)
 

Marguerite

Active Member
Basil is an annual, it also likes to die down at the end of summer when it gets cold. If you have it in a sunny, warm spot (and keep the water up to it) you can keep it going longer. But soon you will lose it. Don't take it personally.

When pinching it back to stop it flowering, try to allow two pairs of leaves between cuts. As the plant gets more desperate to flower, you will notice it trying to set more flowers at almost every new shoot.

You pinch it back, and the next two buds (one on each side just above and at the level of the pair of leaves next down from the cut point) will begin to shoot. You have removed the terminal shoot which, when presents, secretes a hormone inhibiting side growth. Remove the end shoot and the inhibition is gone, and two shoots will form to replace the one you cut.

As the plant gets old but still grows vigourously at the end of summer, it begins to feel like the broomstick in "Sorcerer's Apprentice" with two shoots replacing each one you cut, until you have a single plant that can be covered in shoots all trying to flower.

Once a flower develops fully to the point where the flowers are beginning to fall because they're done, let it finish setting seed. When the stems are dry carefully pick the flower heads and put them into a container. You should get about three seeds to every tiny flower on the flower head (which is in reality a terminal stem covered in about 20 or 30 tiny flowers).

Next spring, sow the seeds once you're past the frosts and you have warm soil. If you can, sow them near the tomatoes.

Marg
 
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