Make the most of basil season
It’s summer and that means basil is available in abundance. This is definitely one of Heleen Meyer’s favourite herbs as she just loves the refreshing aroma.
DID YOU KNOW this about BASIL
- Basil is very easy to grow – both in a pot or in the garden. It just needs good soil and regular watering during the warm summer days.
- Basil has bright green, delicate leaves that are best cut with kitchen scissors or a sharp knife or torn gently, to prevent bruising. Remember, bruised leaves discolour easily.
- Add basil at the end of the cooking time to preserve as much of the flavour as possible.
- Basil is delicious with fresh summer fruit, like strawberries, grapes, mango and peaches. Combine the fruit and basil in a salad with a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Fresh basil is such a versatile herb, and it can be added to salads, sandwiches, roasted vegetables and almost any recipe using tomatoes. It’s delicious with eggs, in pastas, on pizza, in a mince mixture and even with chicken.
Have you tried the combination of fresh tomatoes, basil, a cheese of your choice like feta, mozzarella or pecorino and a good drizzle of olive oil before? How about basil, watermelon and feta? Delicious!
One of Heleen’s best ways to preserve basil, is to make a jar or two of pesto. To find her pesto recipe on our website click here. https://saarp.net/blogs/food/hey-pesto-basil
This condiment made with basil, garlic, cheese and nuts can be used as a sauce, spread or accompaniment with almost any meat or veggies. It’s a winner on any sandwich, delicious stirred into cottage cheese for a quick dip and do try it drizzled onto pasta or dolloped onto a pizza. Keep the pesto in the fridge and remember that it freezes very successfully – an easy way to have pesto all-year round.
Another recipe Heleen loves is her basil butter. This recipe combines typical pesto flavours blended into soft butter. It’s easy to prepare and freezes well, so you can keep enjoying basil for many weeks to come. The butter is ideal to use for sautéing and pan-frying and many more ways. Add a dollop of butter to warm roasted veggies, like butternut, brinjal and peppers. Stir some into warm pasta, couscous, blanched green veggies like beans or broccoli or even use it for a stir-fry or any egg dish. Serve dollops on baked sweet potatoes or steamed corn on the cob. It’s perfect with any tomato sandwich or spread onto freshly toasted bread. The butter is also great for frying fish, beef, chicken fillets or seafood. Or use on a perfectly grilled steak as the sauce and let it melt over the meat … mmmm!
Basil butter
Recipe by Heleen Meyer
Serves 6 – 8
125 ml (½ cup) soft butter
75 ml (5 tbsp) olive oil
60 ml (¼ cup) chopped fresh basil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
50 ml finely grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
15 ml (1 tbsp) finely grated lemon rind
black pepper to taste
1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend well together. Season with a good grind of pepper. Or whisk everything together in a bowl and season.
2. Spoon butter into a jar or another suitable container to refrigerate. Or spoon onto a piece of cling wrap and shape into a sausage. Cover with more cling wrap and refrigerate or freeze until needed – this makes slicing so much easier.
3. Use in any of the suggested ways above.
Read all about the different types of herbs on Heleen’s website, here: https://heleenmeyer.co.za/tips-tools/herbs/
Image: Adel Ferreira