Sweet Basil

Basil.  The aroma alone can make you swoon and when you realise what flavour it can add to your food you’ll be a convert if you aren’t already.

Basil is a flavourful, leafy green herb that originated in Asia and Africa.  It’s a member of the mint family, and many different varieties exist.  The most common is Sweet Basil, which is the widely grown, popular basil, renowned for its use in Italian dishes and is commonly sold dried in supermarkets.

Sweet Basil is best known for making Pesto — a creamy, green sauce used in Italian cooking, it’s typically made from crushed basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil and pine nuts.

Basil complements other herbs and spices such as garlic, marjoram, mustard, oregano, paprika, parsley, pepper, rosemary and sage.  Basil was made for Mediterranean cooking and can be used in pasta sauces, pizza, dips, chicken, vegetables and in salads to name just a few uses.

The other well known variety of Basil is Thai Basil– it has a purple stem and is popular in Thai, Vietnamese, Laos & Cambodian cuisines.  It is a popular ingredient for Thai Red Curry & Green Curry sauces.

For now, when I refer to Basil throughout, it will be the common sweet basil unless otherwise noted.

Basil isn’t known for it’s medicinal purposes, though I have used it in a tea for an upset stomach, but the flavour can be quite strong so you will want a weak tea.  But to be fair, there are plenty of other herbs with scores of medicinal uses, so save all your basil for cooking!

Basil grows well in our sunny garden, and will die when the temperatures start to fall and needs be re-sown again in the Spring.  It does attract some pests such as snails and slugs, so keep vigilant and check your plants every morning.  If you are using fresh basil, take only the leaves — not the stem. It’s generally best to add fresh basil at the final step of cooking because heat can diminish the flavour and bright green colour.

Fresh vs Dried?  There is definitely a place for both in the kitchen and fresh basil will certainly give your dish a punch, whilst sprinkling dried basil in almost anything will enhance just about any dish.