topic Re: I have too much basil. in Community Spirit

I have too much basil.

i-need-a-martini — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 02:37:52 GMT

Other than a pesto, how else can I use up heaps of the stuff?

Any ideas?

Re: I have too much basil.

j*oono — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 02:41:09 GMT

Is it easy to dry it and keep in jars?

I love basil. I use heaps in a lot of my cooking but I actually love the dried basil as much as fresh.

Re: I have too much basil.

just_me_karen — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 02:42:10 GMT

I have heaps of basil too. I like it salads, or blended with Danish feta for a sandwich spread instead of butter. I mix oregano in as well.

Re: I have too much basil.

freakiness — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:05:11 GMT

Other than a pesto, how else can I use up heaps of the stuff?

Any ideas?

make more pesto and send it to me 😄

Re: I have too much basil.

katydidthat — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:29:05 GMT

Whereabouts are you, Martini? You can grow basil all year round in Coffs Harbour.

I make a nice tomato salad ... slice tomatoes thinly, slice red onions thinly. Arrange tomatoes and onions in layers in a bowl and top each layer with coarsely shredded basil. Drizzle with lemon juice. It's tangy and refreshing, goes well with fatty meat like lamb.

Please post recipe for pesto 🙂

Re: I have too much basil.

*mrswormwood* — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:29:57 GMT

You could make a basil butter.....

Shredded basil

Lemon juice

Pepper

Garlic

Butter

Mix together and refreeze in rolls wrapped in glad wrap.

Use it to make garlic bread or to toss pasta in or fry off stuff before you make bolagnaise etc

Re: I have too much basil.

*crikey*mate* — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:38:15 GMT

Basil Chip Garnish

pick the leaves without crushing/bruising them

make sure they are dry

deep fry at 180 till they are crispy

put on absorbant paper etc

They go flourescent green and look absolutely amazing on top of italian dishes with a tomato or red based sauce/soup like a seafood bisque.

(I use them on top of a sandcrab lasagne)

I guess if you were entertaining, you could put out a small bowl of them as posh crisps... - mix it up a bit by doing the same with thinly sliced beetroot and potato or yam for example, and combine the three?

Re: I have too much basil.

cherry*135 — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:40:39 GMT

Please post recipe for pesto 🙂

Ditto

Re: I have too much basil.

cherry*135 — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:44:53 GMT

Freeze it in ice cube trays for use later when you don't have any fresh basil.

Re: I have too much basil.

lyndal1838 — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:55:43 GMT

You can dry it and crumble it for use later.

I strip the leaves off the stems and lay them on 2 layers of paper towel in the microwave, cover them with another layer of towel then nuke them on high for bursts of 30 seconds until dry.

It depends on how big the leaves are as to how long it will take for them to dry crisp.

Just crumble them between your fingers and put in a screw top jar....I reuse the containers I have bought with herbs/spices in.

Re: I have too much basil.

icyfroth — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 04:21:20 GMT

omg don't introduce him to rosemary they'll breed like rabbits

Re: I have too much basil.

i-need-a-martini — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 04:29:59 GMT

Here is old Franks recipe. He's the old Italian guy next door. He adds about 10 cloves of garlic - nearly killed me (and everyone I breathed on the next day) the first time I made it.

This makes about 2 jars and takes about 10mins.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of basil leaves tightly packed.

half a cup of pine nuts. Toast in oven 180 degrees

1 cup of parmesan grated really thickly. Not like you would do on your pasta. You might want to add more parmesan - just keep tasting it as you go.

1 small garlic cut in quarters (can add up to 4 if you like your garlic)

olive oil. Quarter of a cup off the top of my head. Extra virgin only.

lemon juice. Optional. Taste as you go. I quite like the tangy taste.

PROCESS

Throw all in processor (I have one of those hand held bamix thingies) until chopped up. But don't chop too much cause you want the pine nuts to be crunchy.

Keep the processor going and add oil and some lemon juice slowly until you get a consistency you like. But be careful that you don't make it too oily or too lemony - you can always add more later. Just keep tasting it. Should be chopped just enough to stick everything together.

Re: I have too much basil.

i-need-a-martini — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 04:31:52 GMT

Last line should read - Should add just enough oil for everything to stick together. Paste like on a spoon.

Re: I have too much basil.

katydidthat — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 04:39:49 GMT

Thanks, Martini 🙂

Did you know that basil is a natural mosquito repellant? Lovely stuff!!!!

Re: I have too much basil.

the_bob_delusion — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 05:42:42 GMT

Oooooo, I love basil. Thai, sweet basil... all good.

I just pick them off and snack on it.

I also grow mint and spearmint and together with basil make Vietnamese rice paper rolls. Healthy stuft. 😄

Re: I have too much basil.

i-need-a-martini — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 05:43:34 GMT

I've never pictured you with a green thumb bob.

Re: I have too much basil.

the_bob_delusion — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 05:47:09 GMT

well, I was trying, these herbs grow like weeds. Most of my other stuft except for spring onions died. I just watch my lettuce grow and grow until it seeded. Can't be bothered eating most of my veggies coz' it's such hard work watering them everyday then realising I could've bought heaps for a dollar or two:|

Re: I have too much basil.

soul_art — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 05:48:55 GMT

Thanks martini 😄

How long does it last? or do you pour extra olive oil on top to keep it longer?

Re: I have too much basil.

i-need-a-martini — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 06:07:30 GMT

No oil on top soulart - would probably just soak in and make the whole thing too oily. And oily pasta is yuk.

Not sure how long it lasts as we usually eat it within weeks. A good long while I imagine. My mum tells me if you fill the jar to the top and there is no air in it then it lasts longer.

And apparently you can freeze it forever.

When my neighbour gives a jar of his to me, it stays in the fridge for MONTHS and MONTHS cause it's too garlicky for me. And then husband gets sick of looking at it and throws it in to some bubble and squeak thing for himself. When I question his common sense, he tells me he smelled it first and it still smelled delicious.

But I wouldn't trust him - he eats anything.

Re: I have too much basil.

soul_art — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 06:29:30 GMT

Hahaa! another man with iron guts?

Well, as long as it last for weeks. Would use it all by then, or just freeze some.

now I'm hungry....