Other than pesto

Non-regional discussions Home Cooking
1

what can do I with an enormous amount of basil? I’m just one (small)
person, and there’s only so much panzanella and pasta pomodoro I can
eat. I have about thirty portions of pesto in the freezer already - I’m
probably not going to live long enough to finish it. Especially
appreciated would be non-Italian, non-garlicky ideas that keep a long
time.

And if anyone reading this lives on or near Manhattan’s
Lower East Side, and needs some basil, let me know. Because I have
enough to share. As you can see.

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(Apologies to those visitors to multiple food sites who have to read this more than once. Desperate times call for desperate measures.)

2

Blanch, and toss with a mixture of soy sauce, red wine vinegar, diced garlic, minced garlic and a squirt of toasted sesame oil as garnish right after plating.

And don’t forget dessert. Basil ice cream (or gelato) is a wonderful way to make summer linger into autumn.

It’s also great in baked goods, incl. muffins (either alone or in combination with zucchini) and bread.

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3

Is that first thing an accompaniment or a dish on its own? I like the sound of it.

4

More like an accompaniment.

Sort of like how you might consider cole slaw.

5

Blanched garlic and basil hummus

Basil, rosemary and thyme marinade for flank steak

  • grab a bunch of basil and thyme and a few sprigs of rosemary, clove of garlic and 2 TBSP of peppercorns
  • put in a sauce pan with some oil and heat on low so the herbs infuse the oil
  • cool the marinade
  • marinade flank steak (or other meat you like) over night
  • salt before grilling on a grill

And you could always make basil oil. Just throw a ton of it in some decent olive oil and let it sit.

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6

Aces. Will give it a try.

7

Thanks! How long does the basil oil keep?

8

In the refrigerator, about a month.

9

Ok! I’ll give it a go.

10

Or you can do the classic way and purée in blender with olive oil and strain. But I prefer mine with less basil flavor. Either way, you can use a bunch of basil!

11

How do you grow it so beautifully? It’s supposed to be one of the easiest herbs to grow. But mine died :unamused:.

12

I’ve had disastrous basil years and miraculous basil years. Thus far, I’ve been unable to establish any correlation between what I do and what the basil does. I plant, feed, water, expose to sunlight and hope for the best. The basil takes it from there, for better or for worse. This is a good year. Last year…not so much.

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13

For indoors, I’ve found that basil needs at least 6 hours of light (either natural or flourescent, or some combo of both). And nutrient rich soil is important. Organic fertilizer is key. Oh, and water. Like Goldilocks. Not too much, and certainly not too little. But really sunlight or artificial light, and enough of it, is pretty critical.

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14

Their in clay pots on the patio facing east. The rosemary and chives are good. But the parsley, basil, oregano, thyme not so good. The most embarrassing loss was my orange mint. Mint is like a weed and hard to kill. I’m not worried about the thyme, as I read it has a short life. And I discovered I like dried oregano better than fresh. But the others :disappointed:. I’ve started fertilizing (organic) more, so that should help. Except the nasturtiums, who don’t flower in nutrient rich soil.

Thanks!