When I think about the first season of basil in my new herb garden, the summer of 2010 has certainly been a saga.  With an unusually cool spring, my basil babies sat in silent defiance of their transplant to my garden.  Some refusing to grow, others passing on in the night.  As mid-June hit, along with a ninety degree heat wave, the shackles of spring were shaken off, and my basil was headed for the sun.  Hello sweet summer!

Being the aspiring gourmet that I am, I was not content to continue to buy pesto from my local farmers’ market.  While it was delicious and perfect, it was not my creation.  My first homegrown pesto attempts were not up to my usual standard.  Sigh.  They turned army brown as basil is one of the more particular herbs and does not fair well under the blade.   It was hard to even think about the flavors when  the appearance was just … unappetizing.  As summer marched on, my basil plants taunted me further with a plentiful bounty.  Faster than I could pluck it back to encourage the growth of new sweet leaves, it was shooting to flower.  Upon internet sleuthing, this “shooting” is what left later batches tasting bitter.  Another big sigh.

In late August, I threw the gauntlet down for a final episode in this basil drama.  I yanked up all the old plants and laid down just a few fresh ones.  Armed with a pesto recipe from one of my favorite celebrity chefs, Michael Chiarello, I was sure that this time I would not miss.  Now this recipe promised a fair bit of effort on my part to ensure the basil would keep its green complexion.  Blanching in boiling water and then shocking it in ice water.  Not one for extra dishes, I call this commitment to the sauce.  As a backup plan, there’s also an optional pinch of Vitamin C to seal the deal on color.  When I pulled the basil from its swim in the hot tub, I knew I had scored on the color so I left out the Vitamin C.  Next on to flavor.  I added a little extra olive oil to get the right consistency and taste, taste, tasted my way to a delicious sauce.  Mixed in with some homemade rigatoni pasta (which is a topic for another blog) and a little of the pasta water, FINALLY, I had a culinary home run!

So the net, net of this story is sweet, young basil leaves, blanched ever so swiftly, will put you on the path to a delicious sauce!  *If* you have any leftover sauce,  drizzle over eggs, chicken breast, white fish, or crostini … sky’s the limit!

And a few more basil tips to whet your palette …

Fresh basil, like other fresh herbs, are typically best added after cooking because their flavors are so delicate.  Gently julienne your basil and serve over:

• Fried or scrambled eggs (yum)
• Over a pizza (even frozen) right when it comes out of the oven
• On top of a pasta with tomato sauce
• In a green salad with vinaigrette
• Over chicken breast and fish (depending on the sauce)

Other basil uses …

Caprese salad (tomatoes, mozzarella, basil) is the best!  Mix halved cherry tomatoes, diced fresh mozzarella, chopped basil, drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Amazing.

Fresh Corn Salad (The best summer salad!)

Enjoy!

PS.  Here’s a picture of my pups, Gina and Simon, on standby to help with kitchen cleanup.  Simon is really hoping I’d drop a little rigatoni noodle smothered in pesto!