What Is Lemon Basil, and Does It Have a Place Here?
Published: 2020-07-23Tags: рецепти, песто то лимонов босилек, от лехата до устата, босилково песто, дневник на градската вещица
Translation
This is a translation of a Bulgarian-language post. It conveys the content faithfully but is not the author's original English writing.
I am not surprised that many people at the farmers' market hear of lemon basil for the first time, since, after all, its homeland is Indonesia. There they use it to flavour curries, soups and salads. It is added to the dish in full handfuls and last, so as to preserve its incredible lemon flavour as much as possible.
Otherwise, here, lemon basil feels wonderful in the garden, where I grow it alongside the tomatoes, and it is nothing particularly different from ordinary basil — except for its delicate and enchanting lemon aroma. My latest discovery is that, simply chopped finely and added to the most ordinary stewed vegetables (green beans, for example), it instantly turns them into a refined gourmet dish. The important thing is to add it once they have cooled a little; I wait until room temperature, so that your lemon experience is at its maximum.
Here I also offer you a classic basil recipe — everyone's favourite, pesto.
It is prepared in a matter of minutes, keeps for a long time in the fridge, and during the summer season it is a real hit at home — there is almost always some prepared, everyone adores it, the children spread it on slices of bread, we add it to soups and sauces, we spread it on boiled corn, and of course we flavour spaghetti and all kinds of pasta with it — and even boiled rice.
You will need:
- 2 bunches of lemon basil — (you will find it at the Grown with Love table at the Roman Wall farmers' market, as well as in the list of products for delivery from Hrankoop)
- Half a cup of olive oil or other liquid vegetable oil
- A quarter cup of Parmesan, or other hard aromatic cheese (dried-out yellow cheese works too) — or you can leave it out, in the vegan version
- A quarter cup of nuts or seeds toasted in a dry pan — most often I use shelled sunflower seeds, but it is also super tasty with pumpkin seeds, or walnuts, as well as hazelnuts; and the classic, of course, is with pine nuts
- A clove or two of garlic
Put everything in a blender, chopper or food processor, and pulse-pulse — a few pulses later, it is ready to eat.
You will lick your fingers, guaranteed!