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Wash the salad greens well and spin
them dry. Tear the leaves into large pieces, if
necessary. Rinse the basil leaves and spin them
dry. Wash the tomatoes and halve them
lengthwise. Pour the vinegar into a small bowl,
add the salt, and stir well with a fork. Add the
oil, garlic and pepper and stir until blended.
Taste for seasoning; stir well before using.
Arrange the greens on a large serving platter.
Scatter the basil leaves over the greens. Scatter
the tomatoes over the salad. Dress the salad
just before serving, or serve the salad and pass
the vinaigrette. (Basil: An Herb Lover’s
Guide)
Spiced Potato and Basil Gratin
6 medium boiling potatoes
2 cups loosely packed fresh sweet basil leaves
2½ cups heavy cream
1 Tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp each salt, black pepper, mace and allspice
¼ pound fontina or domestic provolone
cheese, grated.
Preheat oven to 375F
Cook the potatoes in a pot of salted boiling
water for 10 minutes. Drain and cool to room
temperature. When cool enough to handle,
remove the skins and cut the potatoes into 1/ 4
inch slices. Arrange one-third of the potato
slices in a thin layer on the bottom of a round
10-inch baking dish rubbed lightly with olive
oil. Sprinkle one-third of the basil over the
potatoes. Cover with half of the remaining
potatoes and the remaining basil. Finally, top
with the remaining potatoes. Combine the
cream and spices in a small bowl. Slowly
drizzle the mixture over the potatoes. Bake for
1 1/ 2 hours or until the cream is thick and the
potatoes are very tender. Sprinkle the cheese
over the top; bake for 5 minutes longer or until
the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven
and let stand at room temperature for 10
minutes before serving (Basil)
Classic Basil Pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 large garlic cloves
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
¼ cup pine nuts or walnuts
½ cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine the basil, garlic cheeses and nuts in a
food processor or blender. With the machine
running, slowly add the olive oil. Season to
taste with salt and freshly ground pepper and
process to the desired consistency. Let stand 5
minutes before serving. (Pestos! Cooking with
Herb Pastes)
Basil-Lime Cookies
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp fresh cinnamon basil, chopped
1 Tbsp lime peel, finely chopped
1 cup pistachios, chopped
Sift first three ingredients together and
set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter at
medium speed until light Gradually beat in
sugar. Add egg, vanilla, basil, and lime peel,
beating until very light and fluffy. Mix in dry
ingredients 1/3 at a time, mixing well after each
addition. Stir in chopped pistachios. Turn out
dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in
halves. Shape each half into a 6-inch long roll.
Roll in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at
least 8 hours. Preheat oven to 375F. Cut
dough into 1/8-inch slices and place 2 inches
apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10
minutes or until lightly browned. Remove
immediately from baking sheet and place on a
wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Yield: 8 dozen cookies (An Herbal Collection)
Lavender-Basil Punch
2 cups water
one 3-inch cinnamon stick
½ tsp whole cloves
½ tsp whole allspice
½ cup fresh cinnamon basil leaves
¼ cu lavender flowers
2 cups purple grape juice