It's that time of year again! Time to make PESTO! and Tomato Basil Salads!
I do not recommend that you put basil in the refridgerator, I dont recommend washing it ahead of using it either. The best place to keep basil is in a glass of water on your counter, this way it will not turn black and will stay fresh for a week.
To make pesto, I just use a generic recipe, meaning I made it up!
In a food processor put a ton of basil, some garlic cloves ( or scapes) to your liking , a good amount of salt and,if you choose, pine nuts or walnuts. Puree until it is the desired texture. I like mine a little chunky. Slowly add olive oil until it is yout desired thickness. Add parmesean cheese just before you are planning to use the pesto, it gets kind of gross in the freezer or fridge with the cheese in it. Use this pesto on sandwiches, pasta, pizza, you name it!
To preserve pesto or plain basil, you can freeze it very easily. Using an ice cube tray will make easy work out of adding pesto or basil to your recipes. Simply remove the "basil cubes" after they are firmly frozen and put them in a plastic bag for long term storage, 6 months is about it.
To freeze pesto- just put it in the cubes as is.
To freeze plain basil, chop it and put in in ice cube trays with a little bit of water to fill the cube.
I have also heard that you can simply layer basil between sheets of wax paper and keep them in the freezer whole.
4 comments:
Another fun use for basil that is appropriate for the summer season... basil lemonade!
Crush several springs of basil with 3/4 cup of sugar and blend with 1 cup of fresh lemon juice and 3 cups of cold water.
Be sure to crush well though or you'll get complaints that the basil in your lemonade looks like seaweed.
Overall, basil lemonade tastes fresh and herby; just like summertime should :)
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