Basil

Sweet basil.  Spicy, sweet, and essential in any Italian kitchen.  As much as I would like to claim that i have my own basil plant and pick it fresh for cooking, my tiny studio apartment doesn't have the best set up for plants.  If I can't get fresh basil from the farmers market, I can usually find it at the local grocery.  You may not realize, but refrigerating basil will actually make it black and rather slimy.  The best way to store basil is trimming the ends and putting it upright in a jar with water.  Change the water daily and keep out of direct sunlight and it can last for weeks!  

If you bought a large bunch like I did you can also freeze it for later use.  Surprised?  I was too.  But it actually works.  All you have to do is dip the sprigs in boiling water for 15 second and then in ice cold water.  What this does is toughen the skin to survive the freezing process.  Dry the leaves well and place them on tray in freezer.  Once they are frozen, take them out, wrap in paper towels and put in freezer bags.  You can take out as much as you want as you need it.

My favorite thing to make with basil is pesto.  Pesto comes from pestare, which is Italian for pound or bruise.  Thats because traditionally pesto was made with a pestle and mortar.  You literally crush the ingredients in the mortar.  I myself do not own one so I stick to a food processor which gets the job done just fine.  Pesto is amazing on pasta, with crackers (add sun dried tomato!), and on my favourite pizza!

Ingredients

adapted from 'skinny italian'

1 1/4 c. fresh basil leaves, washed

1/3 c. pinoles (pine nuts)

2-3 garlic cloves peeled and cut 

2/3 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c. grated parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

If using a mortar, start by adding some basil leaves and crushing with pestle in circular motion.  Continue to add the rest of the basil until all is crushed, then crush garlic, then pine nuts.  Start to add in some of the oil, then mix in the parmesan.  Add the rest of the oil, salt and pepper and mix.  

If using a food processor, add the ingredients one by one to the processor in the same order as above.  Add more oil to get the consistency you want.  You can play around with the ingredients but I find the above measurements make a great pesto.  

Store in a small container.  Add a small amount of olive oil to the top to seal.  Cover and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.