There’s nothing better in this world than strolling through my summer garden, snipping some basil and picking tomatoes for an impromptu pasta sauce. Add fresh chopped garlic and enter heaven while feasting on the results.
The spicy fragrance of basil can be released by simply brushing a plant, but crush a leaf between your fingers and the intense aroma of summer is unleashed. This herb is the foundation of summer cooking at our house. Like garlic, it goes with nearly everything.
Basil, a member of the mint family, might well be the most popular of all herbs, and the good news for gardeners, as well as cooks, is that it grows like a weed, as does anything else related to mint.
More than 40 varieties of basil can be cultivated, and I like to start mine from seed in March, then plant it outside in late May. A good nursery will offer a wide variety of cultivars and give you advice on when to plant in your area.
The most popular variety is commonly called sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). Ocimum is a Greek word that refers to scent. It grows about 3 feet tall and can spread about half that distance. Of all the basils, it’s my favorite for pesto.
From my garden, I pluck fresh basil all summer. Succession planting helps. I always put a few plants in the ground in June. Sometimes basil gets tired at the end of the season, so having a few plants that aren’t quite as old means I will harvest a succulent and full-flavored herb into fall.
When the weather cools, it’s time to dry as much basil as possible. Just like anything out of the garden, basil dried at the end of the season far surpasses what we purchase in the store.
The trick is to keep the leaves whole because that’s what preserves the flavor. I hang the plants in bundles for a week or so and then carefully pull the leaves off and store them in an airtight container in the pantry. It helps to preserve the color if the leaves are dried in a dark place or between sheets of paper towel.
Another way to store the herb is by freezing. The leaves can be frozen whole on cookie sheets, although they will blacken.
To help retain the color, chop the leaves and combine them with a bit of oil. Pour this combination into an ice cube tray, and add the frozen cubes directly to sauces or soups for a flavor boost.
Sweet basil is a good place to start, but if you’re like me, you’ll soon be hungry for something else. Lemon basil, an heirloom variety from the Southwest, has an intense lemon flavor and bright green leaves. It’s great with fish and chicken or in salads.
There is a wide variety of purple basils, the most popular being purple ruffles. This plant is shorter than sweet basil, but the leaves are large, ruffled and dark purple. Spicy globe basil can be used as an ornamental or culinary plant. It grows a little higher than a foot tall in a compact ball, so no pruning is necessary.
African blue basil is an emerging star in the basil family. Newer leaves are brushed with purple. These eventually fade to a deep green with purple veins. Because it’s sterile, it doesn’t produce seed, and the pink and purple flowers are a soft, tasty treat. It has the classic taste of the herb, but some say it’s more intense.
Sometimes called lettuce-leaf basil, mammoth basil produces leaves the size of a person’s hand. It can be used as a wrap for interesting fillings.
The Thai basil called Siam queen has spicy, licorice-flavored shoots and leaves that are good for salads and soups. It is often seen in Thai and Vietnamese dishes.
Plant growth is fairly bushy with purple stems and flowers.
When the summer is over and the long shadows of fall reach toward winter, the fragrance of one recently dried basil leaf crushed between the fingers can remind us why we love to garden.
Easy grilled chicken with tomatoes and basil
My latest culinary discovery comes from my son, a college sophomore. It’s Dave’s Gourmet Insanity Sauce (www.davesgourmet.com).
My son recently gave a speech to a class describing the effects of the sauce on his friends. After using the sauce, some screamed, some guzzled milk and some even wept. No one believes how hot this stuff is, so take it from me: one drop.
Yes, one drop is how you start using this stuff.
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar salad dressing
½ cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped and divided
Salt and pepper
4 to 10 cloves garlic, chopped (use only 4 if you’re not a garlic nut like I am)
5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
5 to 10 nice-size sauce tomatoes from the garden, coarsely chopped
1 drop of Dave’s Gourmet Insanity Sauce or other hot sauce
1 pound angel-hair pasta
Make a marinade by combining olive oil; salad dressing; half the basil; and salt, pepper and garlic to taste. Combine marinade with chicken and store in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Grill chicken over a hot fire until cooked through, being careful not to overcook and dry out.
Combine chopped tomatoes, remaining basil, and Dave’s Gourmet Insanity Sauce or other hot sauce. I just cut the whole tomatoes up and throw them in, but you might prefer to blanch them and remove the skins, then remove the seeds. I never bother. When the chicken is done, cut it into strips and add it to the room-temperature tomatoes. The hot chicken will heat the tomatoes and basil just a bit.
Bring a large pot of water to boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions. Place pasta on serving platter, and ladle tomatoes, basil and chicken over. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Old-fashioned pesto with penne
3 to 10 cloves garlic, depending on taste
3½ cups fresh basil
½ cup Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons Romano cheese
4 tablespoons pine nuts
3/4 cup olive oil
1 pound penne or favorite kind of pasta
Combine garlic to taste with basil, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and pine nuts in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Slowly pour in olive oil in a steady stream, and blend until smooth.
The traditional way to do this would be with a mortar and pestle, which yields the best-tasting pesto, but the blender or food processor can also be used. When the ingredients are combined, they form a paste. This will provide enough for 1 pound of pasta.
To serve, cook pasta according to package directions and drain, then put back into the cooking pot and add the pesto while the pasta is still hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Simple salmon with basil and mint
6 pieces of salmon fillet with skin (about 6 ounces eacqwh)
½ cup olive oil
Salt
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint, chopped
Prepare grill for cooking. Brush fish with some olive oil; sprinkle with salt to taste. Grill fish, skin side down, until skin is crisp, about five minutes. Flip fish over, and grill until cooked through, two or three minutes.
Heat basil and mint in remaining olive oil over moderate heat, stirring, until herbs are just wilted, about 1 minute. Brush herb-oil mixture over grilled fish.
If desired, serve any remaining sauce in a bowl on the side.
Makes 6 servings.
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