Basil ideas?

[uujudy]

I bought a beautiful basil plant, and now I have so much basil I don't know what to do with it. I usually make a caprese salad, and it's delicious, but that's all I know to do with basil. I'm sure all the excellent cooks here at TOTV will have some wonderful ideas! :mmmm:
Thanks for any advice.

[Ecuadog]

Pesto

[wendyquat]

Pesto keeps for awhile but since I don't cook that much I freeze it in an ice cube tray and plop the cubes into a Baggie and keep in the freezer until needed. There's dozens of recipes and very easy to make!

[jackz]

Add to tomato sauce, pizza, eggplant parm and most tomato based Italian food.

[kbace6]

I bought a beautiful basil plant, and now I have so much basil I don't know what to do with it. I usually make a caprese salad, and it's delicious, but that's all I know to do with basil. I'm sure all the excellent cooks here at TOTV will have some wonderful ideas! :mmmm:
Thanks for any advice.

We put it on pizza. We put it on right before we broil for 3 minutes. The smell fills the kitchen....... Mmmmmmmm......... Yummy.

[jojo]

We use it almost daily. Marinate most cuts of meat with it - pork chops, chicken thighs etc. before cooking. Lots and lots in spaghetti sauce. Meat loaf, roasts. Basil is a staple in our house.

[asianthree]

i chop it and put tbs in ice cube tray fill with little water and freeze then throw them in a bag fresh is nice but this works i also take whole leaves freeze them and put them in a baggy

[kgentile1010]

I also make Pesto and freeze it. It'll keep in the freezer for a couple months. You could also make Pesto and give it to your neighbors. In food processor, put basil leaves, olive oil and garlic. Blend it up and freeze it. My favorite is Pesto on Ravioli's. Yum!!!

[cathyw]

I bought a beautiful basil plant, and now I have so much basil I don't know what to do with it. I usually make a caprese salad, and it's delicious, but that's all I know to do with basil. I'm sure all the excellent cooks here at TOTV will have some wonderful ideas! :mmmm:
Thanks for any advice.

Definitely make some pesto...lots of recipes on the internet.
I use basil in soups and on sandwiches and on EVERYTHING Italian.
I also use the pesto on sandwiches (in place of mustard or mayo)
Turkey with pesto sandwich....yum
I also make pesto crusted chicken.


Here's a link to how to dry your basil leaves in the oven.
It takes less than 10 minutes and then you can use the basil throughout the year. I bake it, crumble it and store it in a glass jar in the pantry.

Drying Fresh Basil | Home & Garden Ideas (http://www.homeandgardenideas.com/gardening/herbs/care/drying-fresh-basil)

[Rbgold]

One of our favorite recipes is "Grilled chicken on White Bean Salad". It seems like a lot of work, but the prep is actually quick painless and I've modified it many ways. Recipe is great hot or cold.

4 whole chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1/4 cup olive oil, mixed with pinch of salt, pepper, garlic & dried oregano

In a bowl, place chicken breasts and marinate in oil mixture for at least one hour. Grill chicken on barbecue or sauté I skillet until cooked. Cool to room temperature.

Next step:
2 - 15 oz. cans white northern beans, drained (I use Cannellini beans or mix with other beans)
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
Pinch salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles (or Feta, goat or Parmesan)

Meanwhile in mixing bowl, combine the beans, onion, red pepper, tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt & pepper. Toss gently. Add oil & vinegar. Toss gently again. Place salad on servin platter.

Slice chicken into 1/2" strips. Place on top of bean salad, sprinkle with parsley & blue cheese. Enjoy! Serves 4-6.

[dkrhardy]

Try a simple chop, then over tomatoes, add olive oil, and season to taste with whatever you feel like.
Don

[batman911]

Bruschetta!!!

[uujudy]

Wow! I know I shouldn't be surprised at all the great recipes, but once again I'm surprised at how helpful you Villagers are! There are some great ideas here. I especially like the ones about freezing the basil. I wouldn't have thought of that.
Thank you all for your delicious suggestions! :clap2:

[ncarvalho]

I bought a beautiful basil plant, and now I have so much basil I don't know what to do with it. I usually make a caprese salad, and it's delicious, but that's all I know to do with basil. I'm sure all the excellent cooks here at TOTV will have some wonderful ideas! :mmmm:
Thanks for any advice.

Hi uujudy! You came to the perfect inbox! I not only have a lot of basil, I also have them in different sizes, from the small to the large ones. Here are a few, perhaps unusual, but very easy and I hope you will enjoy.
1. You can dry them, in just about a few seconds, in the microwave. It actually will preserve them better than in the oven and will be faster than just letting them air dry in a dark place. Make sure to wash and dry the leaves well. For the medium size, try one minute and increment by 20 seconds. Then, you can crumble them with your fingers and place them in a jar. If some are not dry , just put them back in the microwave. I use several dried herbs when I roast potatoes and other stuff.
2. I also enjoy stir frying the big leaves (as if they were spinach!) And if you try to roast butternut squash cubes, add at the end some basil (torn or cut thin and in a bit of olive oil) and add a few raisins or dried cranberries. THey enhance the flavor and we love them.

Enjoy!

[Ohiogirl]

just made a wonderful corn salad I clipped from the paper (the recipe, not the salad, for all you literalists :).

8 ears grilled (charred) corn, sliced off the cob
1 cup torn or chopped basil
2 T fresh thyme (could also use dried)
4 chopped tomatoes
6 T olive oil
fresh ground pepper
Kosher salt to taste
1 c. thin sliced red onion (I chopped it), rinsed in colander to lighten taste
juice from 1 fresh lime

I made about 1/2 to 2/3 recipe, doesn't exactly matter if you are exact in the ingredient amounts. Think I used 6 small leftover grilled ears of corn, 2 tomatoes, reduced amounts of everything else. It was wonderful.

[uujudy]

These recipes sound Yummy! :icon_hungry:

[renielarson]

We, too, grow basil and every so often I prune the plant and harvest the leaves (It tends to get "leggy" after a while.). I put the leaves in a Ziplok bag and freeze them. When I need basil for cooking I pull out what I need. Granted, you can't use the frozen leaves like you would fresh but for cooking it works.

We also make pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays. Works great!

[gomoho]

To those growing this delicious herb - do they overwinter or do you start with new plants every year?

[Ohiogirl]

I got tired of buying plants, bought a packet of seeds, which lasts a couple of years - I planted some in a pot in Ohio in late May this year, was getting some to harvest by late June.

Got back to Florida in early July, and a pot I had left here in Florida was still producing and had reseeded nearby. Even with weedmat underneath, have 2 producing plants. Planting some more seeds this week, will just hope still alive when I get back 1st of October.

I'll plant again in Oct. and again in Feb. or March, depending on the weather

[octchik27]

Make Pesto. Absolutely delicious and freezes well.