i use a lot of fresh basil. i think it adds great flavor to a lot of dishes, whether it is pasta or an asian stir fry. it can be expensive to buy packaged basil every time you need it for a recipe, not to mention wasteful if you don’t use the whole pack. so about a month and a half ago, i was at trader joe’s and saw that they sold basil plants for $2.99 each. i immediately bought one and have been using it ever since. everytime i need it, i just break off a few sprigs and shred the leaves into whatever i’m cooking that night.
Posts Tagged basil
shrimp and corn with basil
this is the simplest recipe ever but it was actually quite tasty. we used frozen shrimp and frozen corn from trader joe’s (which is really sweet, by the way). i also didn’t have scallions, so i just seasoned it with some garlic salt. we ate this over rice, but i think it would be good tossed with some pasta too.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kernels from 2 ears corn
1/2 lb. shelled large shrimp
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
Directions
Melt butter with olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, then sauté corn and shrimp, stirring, until shrimp are cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in scallions and basil and season with salt and pepper.
Source: Epicurious
lemon/basil pasta
one of my favorites. it’s so easy and it tastes very light and fresh.
ingredients
1/2 tsp salt
pasta (I usually just cook enough so that about half the dish is pasta)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium zucchini, sliced
4 or 5 sprigs basil, leaves shredded
3 chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
directions
Bring 4 quarts water to a full boil. Add 1/4 tsp salt and stir in pasta. Cook 1 minute less than what the directions show. While pasta cooks, warm oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic, swirl for a moment and reduce heat to low. Do not let garlic brown. Add chicken and saute. After the outside of the chicken has cooked, add zucchini and yellow squash and sauté gently until zucchini softens slightly and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season mixture with 1/4 tsp salt and remove pan from heat. When pasta is finished cooking, drain noodles. Using tongs or 2 kitchen spoons, combine noodles thoroughly with zucchini mixture over low heat. Add basil and tomatoes and season with remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Sprinkle with lemon zest and juice and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
The original recipe is here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/232658
