Basil Recipes
Rice with Basil and Tomatoes
Ingredients:
4 ripe plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped
A 4-inch stalk of celery, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely diced Swiss cheese (fontina or asiago will also work).
1/4 cup olive oil
20 (or more, to taste) fresh basil leaves, shredded
1 cup (200 g) rice (Not parboiled)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano, plus more at the table
Preparation:
Combine the chopped tomatoes, celery, Swiss cheese, shredded basil and olive oil in a serving dish; season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and chill well.
Boil the rice in lightly salted water until it's al dente. Drain it, give the colander a good shake to remove excess liquid, and stir the rice into the chilled tomato mixture (the heat of the rice will melt the cheese and scald the tomatoes). Stir in the grated Parmigiano, and serve. The combination of basil and celery is wonderfully refreshing.
Green Spaghetti
Ingredients:
3/4 pound (320 g) spaghetti or trenette
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 pound (100 g) tender white celery ribs, finely sliced crosswise
1/2 cup less 2 tablespoons pinoli (pine nuts)
A large bunch of fresh, highly aromatic basil
1-2 cloves garlic (to taste)
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Lightly salt the pasta water and set it to boil. In the meantime, prepare the pesto sauce:
If you have a marble mortar and wish to use it (purists say neither brass nor wood mortars will work), put the salt, garlic, nutmeats and basil in it and grind the mixture, firmly crushing the ingredients against the sides of the mortar, rather than striking sharp blows with the pestle.
When the mixture is ground, add the cheese, a bit at a time, continuing to grind, and when it is all worked in, add the oil in a slow stream, stirring with a wooden spatula. The resulting pesto should be smooth and creamy.
If you are using a food processor instead, chop the garlic, basil, nutmeats, and salt, being careful not to let the mixture liquefy, then transfer it to a bowl and stir in the grated cheese and the oil.
In either case stir the finely sliced celery into the sauce at the end. Cook the pasta until it is al dente, drain it, stir the sauce into it and serve.
A wine? White, for example a Pigato or a Soave.
Serves 4.
Turkey Basil
Ingredients:
2 turkey drumsticks, or 2 chicken legs (drumstick and thigh)
Sage, Rosemary, bay leaf, and parsley, minced (you'll want 1/3 cup of the mixture)
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
30 basil leaves
1 1/4 pounds fresh unsalted butter
The juice of a lemon
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Hot broth (it can be canned, if need be)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 385 F (200 C). Combine the minced herbs and bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Rub the mixture into the turkey drumsticks and put them in a lightly oiled oven pan. Roast them for 20 minutes, then sprinkle them with a ladle of broth and continue roasting for another 50.
In the meantime, wash and pat dry the basil leaves. Grind them in a mortar (you can use a food processor, but be careful not to liquefy them), and work them into the butter, together with the lemon juice, and salt & pepper to taste. Set the creamed butter to chill in the refrigerator.
Once the turkey is done carve the meat from the bones and arrange it on a platter, drizzling it with some of the drippings. Serve with the flavored butter, which the diners will add to taste.
Note: The recipe will also work well with chicken legs (the hip and drumstick). Figure roughly the same roasting time and temperature, and a chicken leg per person. I'd serve this with a zesty red wine, for example a Dolcetto or an unoaked Barbera.
Chianti d'annata or Valpolicella Classico would also be nice.
Tomatoes with Basil
Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 large basil leaves, chopped or rolled and sliced thinly
vinaigrette or salad dressing
Preparation:
Slice tomatoes; arrange on a serving plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then the chopped basil. Let stand for 30 minutes. Serve with vinaigrette, salad dressing, grated cheese, or serve as is.
Tomatoes with basil serves 4.
Al Verde Sauce
Ingredients:
3 cups packed basil leaves
3 cups packed Italian flat leaf parsley
1 bunch (1 1/2 bunches, if small) scallions, cut into pieces
5 cloves garlic
Juice and zest of 1 lemon (or juice and zest of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 orange)
An 11-oz bottle salad olives, drained
A 3-oz bottle capers, drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Hefty dash of red pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation:
With the motor running in the food processor, drop in the garlic, green onion, & lemon peel. Process until well minced. Stop and scrape down the sides. Add as much basil and parsley as will fit. Process until creamy. Scrape down the sides. Process the rest.
Add the olives, capers, lemon juice, hot pepper flakes, and cheese. Process likewise. With motor running, add enough olive oil to make a liquid consistency. You should get about 3 cups.
1 cup coats 1 pound of pasta. Serve at room temperature or hot.
Notes: Refrigerate leftovers, but don't serve cold. Unfrozen sauce keeps a month in the refrigerator. The original recipe called for anchovies, but it may a bit too salty.
Basil Vinegar
Ingredients:
1 quart (1 liter) red wine vinegar
A handful of basil leaves
A dozen salted capers
Preparation:
Rinse the basil leaves, pat them dry, remove their stems, and shred them. Rinse the excess salt from the capers. Bring the vinegar to a boil and simmer the capers for a couple of minutes.
Remove the pot from the fire and add the basil; as soon as the mixture has cooled transfer it to a wide-mouthed glass jar, seal it, and let everything steep for a couple of weeks, giving the jar a good shake every couple of days. Strain it, squeezing the moisture from the capers and the basil leaves, and bottle it.
Buon appetito!
