There are many varieties of basil. Sweet basil is the one I use the most for red sauce, pesto, caprese salad, etc.When I buy fresh at the market I put it in a tall glass or vase on the counter in the corner of the kitchen. First I rinse the basil, snip the ends of the stems at an angle, and pull any dead looking leaves off. Placing into something tall and narrow helps support the stems. I have a Pom glass that works great (which they no longer make!). Having a green plant in the kitchen looks great and basil has a nice fresh aroma. Don't put vase of basil in the sun, they will wilt immediately. After a week or so basil begins to get wilty and droopy looking. Keep an eye on it if you haven't used it up yet. When some of the leaves start looking black, they are on their way out and and need to be dried. Snip off and lay the leaves on a paper towel to dry out.
I like using small fresh leaves for dishes that are not cooked, like salads. Whole leaves offer better presentation. However, for things like red sauce I break the leaves up into pieces the size of my thumb nail. Big enough so you taste them but so big so that they overpower a spoonful/bite.
Dried basil purchased at the store is fine. However, I have discovered that if you are going to use dried basil, basil tastes best when you buy it fresh and dry it out yourself. I just bought a bunch to dry out and help last through the winter. You will never get full flavor when using dried basil, so keep this in mind when substituting dried for fresh. If you find yourself in dire need and without fresh basil, use 1/3 the amount of dried basil substituted for fresh. One tablespoon of fresh chopped basil equals 1 teaspoon dried.
If you have a pot of basil growing, pluck only the big leaves. When the flowers start to bud, nip it away quickly. Once the flowers start to grow and bloom, the leaves will lose their flavor. You must bring the pot indoors in winter and keep it near the window and warm.
There are many varieties of basil. The most common is sweet basil, which is what I have. Other types often used are cinnamon basil (used in some teas), lemon basil (used with fish) and anise basil (used in Thai curries, also called Thai basil). The leaves of sweet basil curve when they are ripe, while the other types are somewhat flat and differ in length, but maintain a similar shape. You might also have seen purple basil in more “exotic” dishes. The leaves look like the sweet basil’s but are dark purple in color.
One great side dish that uses fresh basil are stuffed tomatoes with ricotta cheese.
Stuffed Roma Tomatoes
8 Roma (plum) tomatoes, cut in half
1.5 cups (approx) of ricotta cheese
handful of fresh chopped basil
handful of fresh chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
breadcrumbs
kosher salt
olive oil
Cut your tomatoes in half, length wise, and scoop out the pulp and seeds with a melon baller or anything else that you can use to get the insides out. Turn the tomato halves upside down on paper towels to drain out the moisture. In a bowl, mix ricotta cheese with the garlic & herbs. You could add Parmesan or other herbs if you like. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the tomato halves and place the tomatoes onto an oiled baking sheet. Top with dried seasoned bread crumbs, or Ritz cracker crumbs (Panko crumbs work too). Drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt and bake in a 400F degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Let it rest a few minutes before serving.
There is a great recipe that involves cooking Roma tomatoes in olive oil and herbs all day. I found this idea on one of my favorite blogs (Orangette) that Sarah suggested to me. The finished product compliments many delicious repast. You can use any herb you like, but I think basil is great for this. Depending on what I am craving or the meals I plan on making, I will switch around the herbs (e.g. ground coriander, basil, oregano, dill, Italian seasoning, fresh ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, etc).
Pomodori al Forno
Ripe tomatoes, preferably Roma
Olive oil
Sea salt
Herbs
Wash the tomatoes, cut off the stem end, and halve them lengthwise. There are two ways these can be cooked.
1) Baking sheet: Preheat the oven to 200°F. Pour a bit of olive oil into a small bowl, dip a pastry brush into it, and brush the tomato halves lightly with oil. Place them, skin side down, on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle them with sea salt and ground coriander (or another herb you would like)—about a pinch of each for every four to six tomato halves.
Bake the tomatoes until they shrink to about 1/3 of their original size but are still soft and juicy, 4 to 6 hours. [I usually let mine go for the maximum time.] Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature. Place them in an airtight container, and store them in the refrigerator.
2) Baking Dish: Preheat oven to 250°F. Pour 1/2 cup oil into 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Arrange tomatoes in dish, cut side up. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup oil. Sprinkle with oregano (or a different herb you like, garlic cloves are nice submerged in the oil too), sugar, and salt. Bake 1 hour. Using tongs, turn tomatoes over. Bake 1 hour longer. Turn tomatoes over again. Bake until deep red and very tender, transferring tomatoes to plate when soft (time will vary, depending on ripeness of tomatoes), about 15 to 45 minutes longer.
I usually pour everything into a mason jar and refrigerate until I want to use it. It is good up to about 2 weeks. You can use it for a variety of things:
- use the tomatoes in a salad (e.g. caprese)
- use the oil for salad dressing or on top of a pasta dish
- drizzle oil and put tomatoes on top of steak with onions
- use the tomatoes on top of homemade pizza
Pesto is another great way to use basil. My mother taught me a great trick for storing pesto in the freezer. Spoon about 1/8 cup (or whatever would be the portion you need for a meal) onto a sheet of Press-n-Seal by spacing out the globs. Cover it with another layer of Press-n-Seal, making sure the edges are sealed to prevent freezer burn. Store in the freezer and you can cut away the portions with scissors whenever you want to use the pesto.Pesto
3 cups fresh basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
pinch of salt
fresh ground pepper
Put basil leaves, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor. While processing, add olive oil slowly. Use the pulse when adding the cheese, salt, and pepper.
To help preserve the bright green color of fresh basil, chill the olive oil before adding it to the food processor (the cold mitigates some of the heat generated in the food processor). Some people add vitamin C to preserve color.
You can use pesto in a variety of meals:
- sandwiches: use peso in place of mayonnaise or mix it in with mayonnaise
- Make a pesto sauce for a pasta dinner
