Summer Days & Bunches of Basil, What to Do? Recipes & All!

Personally, I think that fresh basil is one of the most wonderful things in the world. I love the way it looks, I love the way it tastes. I love what it does to food, but most of all, I love the way it smells. Seriously, if that’s what cats get from catnip, I totally understand the obsession. The scent of fresh basil is so wonderful it is beyond description. Yum. Fresh basil is like heaven on earth, one of the things that make life worth living.
 

Heaven. Really.

Yes, I am a little bit obsessed with fresh basil. It is probably a disorder of some type, but that’s ok, I can live with it.  I have a dependence on fresh herbs in general, with an emphasis on basil and I tend to buy it compulsively during the summer at local Farmer’s Markets. I don’t get enough sun at my house to grow it (trust me, I’ve tried. And tried, and tried and tried. And tried, over and over again.).  Yes, it kind of sucks. On the upside, I am a huge supporter of local farmers who grow basil during the summer!

By the way, if you are local to Brighton & surround,  you should check out a new local farmers market on Sundays. It’s at the Green Oak Village Place Mall, Green Oak Township, Mi. Here’s the link: http://www.localharvest.org/green-oak-farmers-and-community-market-M51949  It is small, but the produce vendors have great stuff and the prices are good. There are some craft vendors too, check out the wonderful home-made soaps by Nadaveme Soaps; http://www.facebook.com/Nadevamesoaps! 

Which gets me back on track. Last weekend (and the weekend before that!) I bought a bunch of basil from the Green Oak Farmers Market. I mean, I had a lot of basil. This is not new. I tend to go a bit overboard at Farmers Markets, I get so excited about all the gorgeous produce. Then I have to work really hard to get it all used before it goes bad. It’s all good.  

Fresh basil, for all its wonderful qualities, does not keep well. It has to be used quickly once it has been picked or you have to freeze it, fast. Some of my recipes involving basil are at the bottom of this post if you are interested.

Pesto, of course, is one of the most basic and yummiest things to do with fresh basil!

So, back on track, I had a bunch of basil. First thing to do when you have fresh basil is to make pesto, not exactly a stretch of imagination. Three batches of pesto later, I still had a lot of basil left, all washed and needing to be used. Some it has to be reserved for Caprese Salad, one of my most favororitist (yes, I know it’s not a word, I make up my own sometimes. Deal with it.) things in the whole world.

Caprese Salad. Fresh, ripe, never refrigerated tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and a balsamic reduction, salt & pepper. Heaven. Sometimes I put it on a big bowl of spinach. Sometimes I add avocado. It’s always amazing and one of the staples of summer. I could eat it every day, and often do during the summer. Yum. If you would like to know how to do a balsamic reduction, see recipes at the end of this post, it’s super easy. Caprese salad, well, it's pretty basic. Tomatoes, Basil, Mozzarella, Balsmic Reduction. There you go.

All right, I still had a ton of basil to use up quickly. My family happens to be partial to Basil Lemonade, so that was next on the list. Basil Lemonade is, well, it’s summer in a glass. It is refreshing and delicious. Basil lemonade needs nothing, it stands alone as a drink but also, it mixes really well with Vodka if you are looking for an adult variation on beverages.

 When you make Basil Lemonade, you end up with basil sprigs and lemon slices from the syrup that are strained out of the lemonade. Usually people just discard them, but the last time I made it I tasted a chunk of the left over lemon peel, just because.


It was great - the lemon peels end up candied along with the basil sprigs after being used to make the lemonade. There was no way I was tossing that out.

I immediately thought of scones, buttery, flaky pastry, scented with basil and lemon, scrumptious little bits of candied lemon peel bursting with flavor in every bite. Mmmm.

Since I didn’t have time to do anything when I finished the lemonade, I put it all in the fridge.  It sat there for a few days before I had time to make scones. Not to mention, when it’s super  hot and humid out, I just do not want to turn the oven on!

The weather finally cooled down a few days ago, and there was much rejoicing! (If you don't get the reference, you're obviously not a Monty Python fan and, well, I can't explain it, so . . .). This morning I finally made the  scones, and they turned out beautifully. Lemon Basil Scones, delicious!

I am out of basil for the moment and I didn’t even come close to all of the delicious things I could have done with it. I’m feeling tomato basil sauce over ricotta filled manicotti coming on soon, only I am out of basil.  Oh well, there’s another farmers market coming up in a few days!


Thanks for reading, please feel free to comment and share your own basil recipes!

Some of my Basil Recipes:

Basic Pesto

 2 cups densely packed fresh basil leaves (washed, of course)

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

2 good size garlic cloves

1/3 cup either pine nuts or pecans (you could use walnuts or almonds too if you'd like. I'm allergic to walnuts so I choose not to).

Olive oil (I honestly never measure this, I just add it until the consistency seems right, it's probably around 1/3 to 1/2 cup?)

Salt to taste if desired

I put the nuts in first, then the garlic & parmesan cheese. When they're sort of chopped up I add the basil, then add olive oil a bit at a time. Ta da - it's so easy and oh, so good!

Balsamic Reduction

On a Caprese salad, this is what makes the difference between great and absolutely fabulous. And it, too, is so easy. It will make your house smell like vinegar for a couple of hours though.

Take a bunch of balsamic vinegar. I usually do about four cups at a time. Bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat and let it simmer. Don't cover it. Let it simmer for an hour or so, until it's reduced to about half. It should be syrupy. Let it cool. Drizzle it over your Caprese salad. Put the rest in a jar, it will keep for ages. There you go!

Basil Lemonade

2 Cups of the Basil Lemonade Version of Simple Syrup (below)
1 1/2 Cups Fresh Lemon Juice
2  cups or so of cold water
Lots of Ice Cubes!

Simply Syrup - The Basil Lemonade Version
4 cups packed basil sprigs
4 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 lemons, sliced up

Bring it to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes.

Let it cool completely, strain all solids out and refrigerate if you're not ready to make the lemonade yet.

Lemon Basil Scones
 Ingredients

• 1 3/4 + 1 Tbsp cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• The lemons & basil  solids left over from the basil lemon syrup, chopped.
• 1/4 cup milk + 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest - fresh
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or rubbing between your fingers until it is in pea sized lumps. Stir in the lemon basil chunks. Mix together 1/2 cup milk and sour cream in a measuring cup. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients, and stir gently until well blended. Overworking the dough results in terrible scones!
3. With floured hands, pat scone dough into balls 2 to 3 inches across, depending on what size you want. Place onto a greased baking sheet, and flatten lightly. Let the scones barely touch each other. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Let them rest for about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can also make one, wide large "cake" and slice it.
4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are golden brown, not deep brown. Break each scone apart, or slice in half. Serve with butter or clotted cream and a selection of jams - or even plain.