A Basil Appraisal

One of my favorite fresh herbs is basil…I think I’m secretly part Italian somewhere along the line because I looove all types of Italian food. Something Italian is most often on the menu when Hub and I start cooking together…something requiring lots of garlic, tomatoes, cheese, and definitely pasta…and in the summertime, loads of fresh basil.

I don’t always have the best luck when it comes to growing my own basil. Last year was a dud. Most likely due to my lack of watering it. So this summer I made sure to give it the best possible care and the maximum amount of sunlight. Earlier in the summer, at around 2 in the afternoon, I would carry my big pot of basil to the front of the house to soak up the rest of the day’s sunlight. This doubled as my weight-lifting program too. I think basil prefers lots of sunshine and it sure seemed to make a difference this year. That and keeping it watered often, and to be honest, some Miracle Grow every now and then too.
Making fresh pesto from homegrown basil is one of my hallmarks of summer. There are heaps of basil recipes out there and many different twists...like changing the kind of nut used or adding other herbs. But I stick with the basic Basil Pesto recipe from my Cuisinart’s recipe booklet. It calls for:
1 ounce of Parmesan
¼ cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
1 clove garlic (I usually do 2)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup packed, fresh basil leaves (washed & dried)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
There are many different things you can do with your homemade pesto. There are obvious things like adding it to your favorite pasta dish (as shown in my very last photo) and not so obvious such as stuffing chicken breasts with pesto and kalamata olives and then baking.
We came up with this very simple, open-faced sandwich recipe for lunch one afternoon and it was so very tasty…

Turkey Pesto Sandwiches on Crusty Bread:
First, slice & toast bread (we recommend ciabatta or a baguette) on a baking sheet on its own for a few minutes at 400 degrees. (This helps to ensure the bread doesn’t get too soggy once its loaded up with the pesto and other ingredients.)
Next, cover each slice of bread with thinly sliced turkey (we love Boar’s Head deli turkey), then spread pesto on top of the turkey, followed by slices of tomatoes. At this point we add a bit of sea salt and a grind of fresh pepper. Top off the sandwich with a few shavings of a good Parmesan cheese (or better yet, some Parmigiano-Reggiano if you have on hand). Pop these goodies back into the oven for about 8-10 minutes, until the toast starts to turn golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Fresh pesto is SO much better than any canned pesto you can buy in the store. And its pretty easy to make too. I wanted to try canning my own a couple summers ago but learned that there is a high risk of botulism when canning pesto (due to the low acid levels of herbs) so its not recommended. According to my Cuisinart booklet, you can freeze pesto but I have yet to try that as it always gets eaten up too quickly.

Tonight we're going to try a new America's Test Kitchen recipe...Manicotti...which calls for fresh basil. Perfect! We have some! Wish us luck! :)