The 'king of herbs', as it has been referred to for centuries, basil is a native of Iran, India, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Africa but it is most commonly associated with the Mediterranean, especially when partnered with it's favorite mate, tomatoes.  But hey, let's not limit ourselves.

Sweet varieties, like Genovese, and opal can be found at the markets right now but keep your eyes open for varieties like lemon, lime, cinnamon, globe and Thai that work really nicely in Asia and Indian cooking, and when used in fruit and dessert dishes (can we say strawberry-basil ice cream or jam? yum) as well as beverages and cocktails (heck, I am sipping on some sparkling water right now, muddled with lemon and lime basil, and yes, it is very refreshing).  And don't limit yourself to buying pre-cut bundles of basil.  A number of farmers and plant vendors at the markets are selling basil plants.  Don't have any outdoor space?  A sunny windowsill will do just fine to keep you in basil indefinitely -- just keep pinching back your basil plant so that it keeps producing antioxidant-rich leaves and does not get too stalky.

Cut basil will store well in the fridge for a few days either in a plastic bag or a glass of water.  Not going to use it right away?  Basil can be stored in the freezer if you blanche it in boiling water, shock it in ice water, dry and then store in plastic bags.  But a favorite and popular way to preserve basil?  Pesto, which has endless possibilities: tossed on pasta or grilled vegetables, slathered on a cob of corn or a sandwich, topping a baked potato, crostini or pizza, and great with grilled polenta, chicken or fish.

2 cups of packed basil leaves

4 cloves of garlic (can I just say the garlic at the markets has been great this year!)

1 cup pine nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted

1 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup finely grated romano cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Place the basil, garlic and nuts in a food processor or blender* and process to an almost paste consistency.  With blender or processor on, slowly stream in the olive oil.  Then add the cheese and salt & pepper to taste.  Option: add some hot pepper flakes to give your pesto a bit of a kick.

Not using right away?  Store the pesto in the fridge, in a container with a thin layer of olive oil on top.  The olive oil will help preserve the bright color of the pesto.

Made a huge batch?  Pesto freezes great.  Just put into a freezer bag or freeze in an ice cube tray.  When the pesto has frozen remove the cubes from the tray and transfer to plastic freezer bags.

Do you have nut or dairy allergies?  You can make 'Liam's Pesto.'  Follow the recipe above but reduce the amount of olive oil to a 1/3 of a cup and eliminate the cheese and the nuts.  You could also replace the nuts with sunflower seeds as long as your nut allergies are not affected by the seeds.

*(okay, you want to be traditional instead of quick and convenient?  Make your pesto in a mortar and pestle.  So worth the extra effort)

For more recipes and uses for basil email me at moira@efete.net.