BASIL!

The weather in Atlanta has been weird this summer. Hot humid is to be expected for Summer in the South,  but there has been an enormous amount of rain almost every afternoon. As a result, my herb garden is going bonkers. Like Little Shop of Horrors bonkers. I cannot prune the basil fast enough. And I certainly don’t want to waste it. So it you are looking for ideas of what to do with the basil bumper crop from your own garden, then here as a few easy suggestions: Basil Salt, Basil Butter, Lemon Basil Vinaigrette, and the option of freezing some basil for later use.

I also have a great post with the best Basil Pesto Recipe ever from the NYT. Be sure to check that one out, too.

I hope this helps, and enjoy!

Basil Salt:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 2/3 cup fresh basil (cleaned and dry)

PREPARATION:
Step 1:
Pulse the salt and basil together in a blender or a food processor.

Step 2:
Spread it evenly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Step 3:
Bake at 220 degrees F  for 25 minutes or until completely dry

​Step 4:
Pulse again in the food processor to break up any chunks, or break up with the back of a wooden spoon. Store in an airtight container.

​I like to use small mason jars and share it with friends!

Basil Butter
Basil Butter is a great way to add the taste of summer to everything you’re cooking. It is great for melting over grilled veggies, steaks, chicken or fish. And I especially love it on bread when making a tomato sandwich.

The best part is that it is so easy to make of lot of this, and you can freeze the extra so you can add the flavor of summer to your cooking all year long.

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ pound unsalted butter, divided (2 sticks)
• 1 cup basil, thinly sliced (scissors work great!)
• 1 garlic clove, minced OR 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• A dash of lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

PREPARATION:
Step 1:
Fully soften the butter by leaving it at room temperature for 30-60 minutes (or overnight) before proceeding.

Step 2:
Beat the butter until it's fully malleable. Is you use a silicone spatula it is easier to keep the butter from clumping together. Alternatively, you can use a hand-held electric beater on one of the slower speed.

Step 3:
Add the basil, garlic, zest, and salt to the butter. Continue to beat the butter with the spatula to mix and make sure that the basil is well distributed throughout the butter.

Step 4 - Storage:
I like to shape mine into a log using parchment paper, and that way it is easy to portion off for cooking, or to cut pretty rounds of butter for serving. But the classic method of placing it in a small serving bowl works great, too.

If you choose to freeze it, I suggest using a silicone ice cube mold to create smaller pieces that once formed, can be removed from the mold and stored in an airtight container so you can have a taste of summer all year long!

Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Lemon Basil  vinaigrette is a light, fresh, and herby dressing that is great to use on your summer salads (I love it on arugula), or drizzled on garden veggies (It's amazing on heirloom tomatoes), or even as a marinade for chicken. This literally takes 5 minutes and is a great way to use more of the bumper crop of basil from the garden.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/3 Cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and Pepper to taste (really just a pinch)

PREPARATION:
There are two ways to make this dressing :
Method #1:
Finely mince the basil, add all ingredients to a mason jar, and shake well!
OR
Method #2:
Add all of the ingredients  except the olive oil to a blender or mini food processor.
Pulse a few times to make sure the basil is well chopped.
Slowly add in the olive oil while mixing at a slow speed.
In BOTH cases:
Taste after mixing, and add more salt, pepper, and/or honey as needed.

STORAGE:
This dressing can least in the fridge for 3-4 days. Remember that the olive oil will solidify when cold, so remember to remove it from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature before you need it (approximately 30 minutes before).

ANOTHER OPTION:
If you like a more savory dressing, you can add 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese to the blender as well.

Enjoy!

Frozen Basil
Another great way to preserve your basil from the summer garden is to freeze whole basil leaves to use all year when cooking pastas, sauces, and other dishes. By freezing them in this way, they will not take up a lot of room in the freezer, and the oil prevents freezer burn while also making it easy to simply break off what you need, and then replace the bag in the freezer. This is a great way to enjoy more of summer all year-long.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Cups of fresh basil leaves
• 1 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• 1 sandwich-sized ziplock bag

PREPARATION:
Step 1:
Wash and dry the basil. It must be completely dry for this method to work.

Step 2:
Add all of the basil to a bowl, and toss with the olive oil. Make sure that each leaf is well covered in the oil.

Step 3:
Add all of the basil the the ziplock bag, spreading them into a flat-ish layer.

Step 4:
Place the bag flat on the counter, and squeeze out as much of the air as possible. The easiest way to do this it to zip the bag 90% of the way closed, and gently force out all of the air until it looks vacuum sealed, then quickly zip the rest of the bag closed.

Place the bag flat in the freezer.

TO USE:
When you need basil, simply open the bag and break off what you need, then place the bag back in the freezer. Don’t take it out of the freezer until you need it because it will defrost very quickly.