Veggie IDs: Italian Basil

Basil is one of the stars of the summer growing season. And not just because it pairs so well with so many of the other things that are ripe at the same time: summer squash, tomatoes, etc. Basil is related to mint and retains a bit of the mint/anise flavor profile while being sweet, mild, and classically “basil-esque”.

Basil originated in India about 4000 years ago and then wound its way to the Mediterranean through the Oriental Trade Routes where it found its footing in ancient Greek and Roman cuisines and remains a star of Mediterranean cooking.

Basil is best kept: dry and in plastic bags in the veg crisper. You want to use it fresh within a week.

To save for later: If you aren’t going to use your basil within the week, then ideally you would store it frozen, bBasil looses a lot of its flavor when it is dried. Chop it up and mix it with water or oil and freeze in ice cube trays. Then, to use it later, toss the frozen cube of basil into what ever you are cooking.

Another great way to preserve basil is to make it into pesto and then freeze the pesto. I prefer freezing in muffin tins. Once the pesto is frozen, you can remove the pesto from the tin and keep frozen in a resealable bag. One muffin tin of pesto is great for about a 1/2 box of pasta. Or you can toss the pesto over potatoes, spread on cream cheese in your morning bagel, toss with sautéed veggies, or whatever else your heart desires. If freezing, you will want to almost double the amount of garlic you put in your recipe. Garlic looses a bunch of its umph when frozen.