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Step 4Basil.
Basil can be found both fresh and dried. There are many varieties, as well, though sweet basil seems to be the most common. Sweet basil has a slightly sweet, bold flavor with a bit of a peppery bite. Sometimes it can be almost minty!
Fresh basil is very temperamental - once it's cut from the plant you need to be very careful in how you store it. The best way I've found of keeping it is to wrap the bottoms of the stems in a slightly damp paper towel and throwing the whole thing in a ziploc bag. Many other people freeze it, as seen in these ibles:
Frozen basil bullets
Basil and olive oil ice cubes
I tend to use dried basil more than fresh. Fresh basil can be expensive and I've had very little luck growing it! When using dried basil, I always use more than the recipe calls for.
Basil goes really well with tomatoes, mild cheeses, and pork. I really love it with pork. It is the primary ingredient in pesto, and used extensively in Mediterranean and Asian cooking. It's very good chopped and mixed into pasta with a little butter. Also compliment peppers and potatoes quite nicely, as seen by the recipe below, which I actually made up the day I was typing this ible. :)
Red pepper, potato and onion home fries with basil!
1 small red pepper
3-4 red potatoes, skins on
1/2 red onion
5-6 basil leaves cut by chiffonade
salt and pepper
small bit of olive oil
Cut the potato, red onion and pepper into a 1/2 dice.
Add olive oil to skillet and and heat over medium high heat until the oil shimmers. Add potatoes and cook for about five minutes, until you can smell them cooking and they're getting slightly brown. Stir occasionally. Then add the pepper, and lower the heat a bit. Cook for another ten minutes or so, until the onions are soft and the potatoes nice and soft. (Taste test the potatoes a lot during cooking, that's the only way you'll know they're at a good level of done-ness for you.) Then add the peppers and toss for a few minutes, until just beginning to soften. Turn off the heat and throw in the basil, salt and pepper to taste. Toss liberally and serve right away.
Fresh basil is very temperamental - once it's cut from the plant you need to be very careful in how you store it. The best way I've found of keeping it is to wrap the bottoms of the stems in a slightly damp paper towel and throwing the whole thing in a ziploc bag. Many other people freeze it, as seen in these ibles:
Frozen basil bullets
Basil and olive oil ice cubes
I tend to use dried basil more than fresh. Fresh basil can be expensive and I've had very little luck growing it! When using dried basil, I always use more than the recipe calls for.
Basil goes really well with tomatoes, mild cheeses, and pork. I really love it with pork. It is the primary ingredient in pesto, and used extensively in Mediterranean and Asian cooking. It's very good chopped and mixed into pasta with a little butter. Also compliment peppers and potatoes quite nicely, as seen by the recipe below, which I actually made up the day I was typing this ible. :)
Red pepper, potato and onion home fries with basil!
1 small red pepper
3-4 red potatoes, skins on
1/2 red onion
5-6 basil leaves cut by chiffonade
salt and pepper
small bit of olive oil
Cut the potato, red onion and pepper into a 1/2 dice.
Add olive oil to skillet and and heat over medium high heat until the oil shimmers. Add potatoes and cook for about five minutes, until you can smell them cooking and they're getting slightly brown. Stir occasionally. Then add the pepper, and lower the heat a bit. Cook for another ten minutes or so, until the onions are soft and the potatoes nice and soft. (Taste test the potatoes a lot during cooking, that's the only way you'll know they're at a good level of done-ness for you.) Then add the peppers and toss for a few minutes, until just beginning to soften. Turn off the heat and throw in the basil, salt and pepper to taste. Toss liberally and serve right away.
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