Ideas for using Basil please.

Mrs_Jojo

Basil tea sounds lovely, I will try that :-)

hornetgirl

I was recently lucky enough to be treated to a posh lunch out, and the dessert was lemon pannacotta served with a garnish of basil leaves. It struck me as an odd combination until I tasted it - delicious. So probably worth trying with anything else lemon-based too.

coolcait

Nargeblast's recommendation for basil tea, and its calming effect, strikes a chord with me.

Apart from all the fabulous recipes based on the basil/tomato love storty, there is one other thing I do with basil...

sometimes (and usually when I'm feeling stressed) I take a couple of leaves and gently roll them between my fingers to release that wonderful aroma. Then I eat them

I find it very calming.

I'm definitely going to try the basil tea now! Thanks, Nargleblast.

JoeyG

I regularly prune my plant and put the leaves in a packet in the freezer, you can crumble the frozen leaves into sauces before heating, or on home made pizzas before putting in the oven.

I tried drying the leaves once without success... the result smelled just like tea leaves
Apparently you are supposed to blanch the leaves before drying to get the full flavour, I decided it was too much hassle.

mardatha

yes. better just freeze them I think. ty all!

iris

For the first time ever I have managed to grow Basil and there is lots.

Besides making pesto, what else can I do/make with it?

Can I freeze it?

Any help would be appreciated.

ditsykitchen

From about.com:

If you simply stick a bunch of fresh basil into the freezer it will be discolored and mushy when it thaws. Yuck. The reason for this is that enzymes that decompose fresh plant material can survive freezing temperatures and work on the food even while it is in the freezer.

Fortunately, there is a way to freeze fresh basil so that it keeps its emerald green color and lovely flavor. You just have to blanch it first.

...

As soon as the basil has wilted, immediately transfer it to the ice water. This eliminates the residual heat that would otherwise continue cooking the basil.

Pat the blanched basil dry. Strip the leaves off the stems and transfer to freezer bags and freeze. Tip: spread the leaves thinly in the bags and store flat. This will enable you to break off just what you need when you want to use some - but not all - of a bag of frozen herbs.

You can also infuse olive oil with basil. Might make good xmas/birthday gifts? Or for you to use, obviously.

You can freeze pesto too I freeze it in ice cube trays.

[Deleted User]

You certainly can freeze it IRIS, I chop it and freeze it in ice cube trays then when I'm making pasta sauce in the tomato season I get out as many basil cubes as I need for the weight of tomatoes I'm using and away I go. Of course if you've got tomatoes you could always just make the pasta sauce and freeze that, hope that helps, Cheers Lyn x.

-taff

I chopped/mashed up some with olive oil and froze in small packets to put on cooked potatoes.

shandyclover

I picked up this tip via pinterest...

Works well, even for salads.

http://www.coffeelightandsweet.com/2012/07/what-to-do-with-leftover-herbs.html#.UgUSqm2oWqI