Herbs

Soupe au Pistou | Tofu w/ Basil Leaves | Pesto alla Genovese | Corn, Tomato & Basil Salad | Cilantro Pesto | Pico de Gallo

Herbs We Grow:

• 

  Genovese Basil
• Purple Basil
• Thai Basil
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Spearmint
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Tarragon
• Oregano
• Dill

Storage

Herbs store best in a plastic container in the refrigerator wrapped in a dry paper towel.

Freezing

Extra fresh herbs can be frozen for short periods of time in plastic containers. When defrosted, they have a wilted texture and appearance, but the flavor is very good. Note: fresh basil is best frozen as a puree with oil, such as in pesto. 

Drying

For best results, dry herbs in a dehydrator and keep them in an airtight container.

Washing Herbs

Fill a large bowl or dishpan with cold water.  Add herbs and swirl around vigorously.  Dirt can tend to cling to the textured leaves of rosemary and sage, so scrub with a gentle brush if necessary. All the dirt and sand will sink to the bottom.  Lift herbs out of basin and into a salad spinner or colander.  Spin herbs to dry or drain as best you can and dry on towels.

Basil Recipes

Soupe au Pistou

This recipe makes enough soup for 8, so feel free to reduce quantities to suit your needs. Or make a big batch and freeze half. The beauty of soup is you can use whatever you have on hand and omit what you don’t.

• 10 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered lengthwise
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium onions, diced
• 4 medium carrots, cubed
• 1 lb. potatoes, cubed
• 1 cup fresh shell beans
• bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, parsley)
• 1 cup zucchini, cubed
• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup green beans, chopped in ½ inch rounds
• salt and pepper
• 1 recipe pistou
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
•  
• Pistou
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 

In a stockpot, gently cook the onions and garlic in oil until soft. Add carrots, potatoes, shell beans and bouquet garni and cook gently, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini, tomatoes and green beans along with 8 cups of cold water and simmer gently uncovered until the shell beans are tender, about 20 minutes. Add additional water if the soup becomes too thick. Season with salt and pepper. While the soup is cooking prepare the pistou by placing all ingredients in a food processor and blending slowly while adding the oil. To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl, swirl in a generous teaspoon of pistou and sprinkle with cheese. 

Fried Tofu with Basil Leaves

The best Thai restaurant I ever ate at was a fluorescent-lit hole-in-the-wall in Amsterdam, and whenever fresh hot chilies and anise-scented Thai basil are in season I make sure to make this dish, which is an approximation of the tofu pad bai horapha I had there.

• 3 small blocks of fresh tofu (preferably from an Asian market) or 1 block regular firm tofu
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 medium sized fresh red or green chilies (or sweet bell pepper for the meek)
• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce or tamari
• 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce 
• 2 Tbsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar
• 1 bunch Thai basil
• Scallions & Cilantro (optional)

Slice each block of tofu in half so you get two thin slabs the same size as the original.  Cut these into eight triangles. Coat a large fry pan with about ¼ inch of oil and carefully fry the triangles, browning on at least two sides.  Concentrate!  It takes a while for them to brown, but it also takes a while to flip them all before they get too crispy.  Meanwhile, cut the garlic into slices and the chilies into diagonal rings.  When the tofu is ready, empty out all but about 2 Tbsp of the oil, add the garlic and half the chilies, and stir fry until the garlic is golden.  Add the soy and sugar, stir for about 30 seconds until the sugar starts to bubble, and then turn off the heat.  Tear basil leaves into the pan, stir and serve, garnished with the rest of the chilies (if you dare!) and the scallion and cilantro, if using. 

Pesto alla Genovese

• 2 bunches basil
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 Tbsp freshly grated Pecorino

Pick the leaves off the basil sprigs and discard.  Puree the leaves with the olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt in the food processor or blender, scraping the sides occasionally. Add the cheese and blend a few seconds more.  Transfer to a bowl when smooth and cover with olive oil if not serving immediately, to prevent browning caused by oxidation. (In my experience, this browning does not affect the flavor).  Pesto goes equally well with stubby pasta shapes that catch the sauce, like farfalle or fusilli, and long pastas like spaghetti.  Try adding pesto to rice or potatoes, or spreading on a sandwich.  How many times will you make this before the first frost in October?  Not enough. 

Corn, Tomato and Basil Salad

This works well with chopped tomatoes or cherry tomatoes!

• 3-6 ears sweet corn
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• few sprigs basil
• cider or red wine vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper

Cut the corn kernels off the cob into a bowl and mix with tomatoes. Tear the basil into the bowl and dress with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. This is the essence of summer!

Cilantro Recipes

Cilantro Pesto

This is so easy to make and jazzes up burritos, sandwiches, stir fries, you name it. It goes particularly well with grilled eggplant, chicken or fish, steamed potatoes, and beans.

• 2 cups cilantro, stemmed
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp ginger
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Throw all the ingredients except the oil in the blender and puree while drizzling in the oil.
 
This pesto will store in the fridge for a few weeks, and it also freezes well. It has a leg up on basil pesto in that it doesn’t oxidize and turn black when exposed to air.

Pico de Gallo

• 2 cups chopped tomatoes (or 2 slicing tomatoes)
• 1 sweet onion
• 1 clove garlic
• Hot chilies, to taste
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 Tbsp sugar, optional
• 1 Tbsp vinegar, optional

Chop everything to a fine dice and toss with the liquids. Allow to sit for 1/2 hour to meld the flavors. Eat with tortilla chips or quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, etc.