Toss some basil seeds on the ground and sooner or later magic will occur. You will be rewarded with green gold. Basil plants need to be topped off to create bushier plants ‘Saveur’ magazine states; Italian basil plants are grown until four to six leaves and are harvested to use the youngest leaves. Well this is Rodeo and by topping and pruning we will have Basil for the next couple of months. We harvested a couple cups of basil leaves and are going to make pesto with pasta and a Caprese salad.
There are so many recipes for pesto but today we are using a Chilebrown twist. Basil, toasted pine nuts, heirloom garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and “Drum Roll Please” a couple of roasted “New Hatch Chiles”. This should make for some toasty roasty pesto goodness. The blender was put into action and pesto was created.
Growing basil is very easy and rewarding. We are growing ‘Genovese and Thai’ varieties Making extra pesto is no problem because it freezes very well. The Chilebrown twist was a peppery treat that could not be beat. The salad was refreshing and flavorful. The summer bounty of produce has only just begun.
I snagged a basil plant last week at the market and will take your advice about topping it. Lovely salad and the pesto sounds like it's right up your alley!
ReplyDeleteDinner at your house looks like an adventure. Hatch chilies are legendary.
ReplyDeleteBecause if it ain't hot, it ain't Chile. I approve.
ReplyDeleteZoomie, It was a strike.
ReplyDeleteGreg, We love the Hatch Chiles. There is something about them that makes them amazing.
cookiecrumb, It was not really hot. It was just a nuance of flavor. When I want it really hot I go to my arsenal of hot sauces.
Very nice looking dishes! I wish I would have thought to look for Thai seeds, since I can't find it in my local stores. Note to self for next year.
ReplyDeletechile pesto, I love that idea!
ReplyDelete