Basil Food Cooking International Guide
Cooking With Basil
By Jane K Hawker
Basil is one of those herbs found in many recipes, especially
European and Asian recipes. Eating pasta without basil, is like
eating pasta without the pasta. You need to improve the taste
and can make the pasta meal much more delicious by adding basil.
You can buy sauces, like Pesto sauce to add to your pasta, but
I like to make my own sauce, with fresh basil from my garden.
As any cooking master will tell you, the secret to a successful
meal is the herbs and spices you add to the meal, to enhance the
flavour. Imagine eating roast chicken, without herbs and spices.
The meat would taste rather dull. This is why you need to enhance
the meat with herbs and spices.
I like to grow my own herbs so that I can use fresh ingredients,
whenever I need to create a more delicious meal. I believe a meal
should be enjoyed, rather than endured. One should always look
forward to meal times, especially when cooking with basil.
The Aromatic Versatile Herb
Basil is one of the most popular herbs used in cooking today.
It is a very versatile herb, and is used in Italian, Thai and
Vietnamese cuisines amongst many others.
It has a warm, aromatic but gentle flavor, with a hint of spicey
aniseed. It’s well known that it goes extremely well with tomatoes,
where it can be served raw in salads such as the classic Italian
Caprese, or cooked into a rich tomato sauce for pasta or other
hot dishes.
Basil In Pesto Sauce
Basil is also popular as the prime ingredient of pesto sauce
(known as pistou in France), which is made by pounding fresh basil
leaves with pine kernals, olive oil, parmesan cheese and garlic
to produce the distinctive thick green sauce so often used with
spaghetti or as a dipping condiment.
Like most herbs, basil is widely available in both fresh and
dried forms. Again like most herbs, the fresh version is generally
considered to be superior. If you come across a cheap and bountiful
supply of the fresh herb, you can dry it slowly in a very low
oven before crumbling it and storing in airtight jars.
Keeping The Flavour By Freezing Into Ice Cubes
This method of preserving it costs much in terms of flavour though,
and a better option is to puree the leaves and freeze into ice
cubes, which can then be dropped from frozen straight into the
recipe you’re cooking.
Basil can be quite expensive to buy in the fresh form, so if
you become a fan of the herb you might like to try growing it
yourself - it’s much cheaper that way, and you can also ensure
that the leaves you’re using will be as fresh as can be! It’s
also one of the easier herbs to grow and so is ideal for beginners.
Growing Basil Close To Your Kitchen For Easy Picking
Basil is a native of warm climates, and so needs to be planted
in a sunny and sheltered spot if it is to flourish. If you have
a patio or terrace with a south facing wall, then sowing it in
a pot there is ideal. It’s all the better too if you can grow
it close to your kitchen for easy picking whenever you need it!
Left to itself, basil will tend to grow into a tall, thin, ungenerous-looking
plant with little in the way of edible leaves. You can encourage
a more rewardingly bushy growth by ‘pinching out’ the plant as
it grows, removing the top young leaves to encourage more sideways
growth. Harvesting the herb regularly will also encourage more
vigorous growth.
Growing For A Year Round Supply
Basil is a tender annual, and will die off quickly in cold weather.
You may be able to prolong its life by bringing it indoors at
the first sign of a cold snap, or you could sow a succession of
new plants indoors for a year-round supply.
Although it is mainly a culinary herb, basil does have some minor
antiseptic properties, but is not widely used medicinally by herbalists.
It is however a member of the wider mint herb family, and in common
with its relatives it’s said to be a good digestive aid.
Genovese And Holy Basil
There are many varieties of basil available, but the most popular
are the Genovese type which gives the typical authentic italian
flavour and aroma, and the purple-leaved ‘holy’ basil which is
used more often in Asian cooking.
Whichever variety you choose, and whether you decide to buy it
or grow it, basil is a treat for your senses and a great addition
to your culinary toolbox.
Experimenting With Regular Recipes
While cooking a regular meal, you may think you want to stray
from your regular recipe and add something different, to make
the meal much more delicious. Your secret ingredient is basil.
You can grow basil in a window box garden on your window sill,
and grab a few leaves when you need to improve the taste of your
meal, while cooking.
These days, I like to add fresh herbs to almost all my recipes,
for added natural flavour. Makes the meal so much more delicious.
I add basil to almost any recipe, especially ones that includes
pasta, meat or fish. When I have relatives and friends over for
dinner, I like to give them a meal they will enjoy, especially
if I know their favourite food choices.
Entertaining Dinner Guests
One of my friends, comes over with his wife once or twice a month
and I know they come at a time when they can enjoy my cooking,
cause they always ask what I will be cooking. I know they like
pasta, that I make myself, with my own sauce that no one knows
all the ingredients.
I do admit, one of the ingredients is basil.
About the Author:
Jane K Hawker has written a number of articles on organic food
and cooking including Natural
Organic Food, Organic
Food, Organic
Food Bars, Organic
Food Natural, Organic
Food Stores, Organic
Food Health, Organic
Herbal Products, Natural
Herbal Products, Locating
Organic Food Store, Organic
Food Online, Organic
Food Delivery.
Keep a lookout for more articles on this website.
Did You Know?
It seems like society goes in trends. There are the new health
diets. The new type of exercise that can get rid of that unwanted
belly fat. Unfortunately most people concentrate so much on the
latest fads that they forget about the essential steps to having
a healthy lifestyle.
Herbal products abound on the marketplace and can be found in
pharmacies and even grocery stores. Nutritional supplements are
an incredibly easy way to help start on the road to a healthier
new you.
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