COUNTRY ROADS

So, how is your refrigerator organizing coming along? At last
count, I’ve cleaned my food-keeping-to-a-fault-appliance twice
since I made my August resolution to defeat the “leftover trap
habit.” Things are definitely being thrown out faster.
Then there is basil. One of the grandest herbs and something
most Italians grew up with, it is also one of the most challenging
foods to keep fresh. It tends to, no, it definitely does take on a
soggy, blackened appearance within a short time when kept bagged in
the refrigerator.
Basil comes in a wide array of leaf sizes, with subtle taste
differences. Always, it is delightful to include in so many dishes.
From soup to salad, from Asian to Meditteranean, different basils
add richness and invoke memories.
The traditional Genovese would have to be considered the
authentic Italian variety. With its rather tall growth and wide
leaves on thick stems, it is the most popular of all basils.
Thai basil, on the other end of the spectrum, is spicy,
anise-clove flavored, with a sweetness that adds new dimensions to
Asian stir-fry.
The smaller Greek and Pistou basils are used for the same
purposes as in Italian cooking but are not saddled with thick stems
and large leaves that require cutting or excessive pounding. They
are great, just the way they are.
There are two purple varieties, Dark Opal and Purple Ruffled,
which I find not as easy to grow and fairly unnecessary if you have
the green kind already. However, if you are a fan of the color
purple, go for it!
This is by no means the total list of basils. To make life
confusing, seed catalogs can call similar varieties different names
and they do, just to keep farmers buying more and more, thinking
that they will be getting richer and richer when all we get is a
bigger compost pile.
Checking the internet (you could do that and you wouldn’t have
to read this column anymore today) I found that basil originated in
India. It has been around for thousands of years and was called St.
John’s Wort. (Sometime I’m going to look up “wort” but not today. I
cannot face “wort” at this moment. If you can, tell me about it
sometime.)
Moving on to the Greeks, the word, basil, means king. It is
deeply part of the tradition and folklore of Greek civilization and
religion. Greek Orthodox believe that basil grew in the same spot
that Helen and St. Constantine found the Holy Cross and therefore
basil is used in the preparation of the church’s holy water.
Both Greek and English royalty used basil for bathing and
medicinal purposes, while Italians, Mexicans, and Romanians
associated the herb with love, even placing a sprig of the herb
behind their ears to signal the desire to make pesto together.
There’s my segue, in case you missed it.
Pesto is one of the nicest means of preserving the flavor of
basil. It is a combination of basil (you can also make pesto from
parsley or arugula), garlic, romano or parmesan cheese, olive oil,
and pine nuts – all blended in a food processor or pounded by
hand.
Sunset magazine has the following standard recipe:
½ C. basil leaves
4 large or 6 medium garlic cloves
1/3 C. shredded romano or parmesan cheese
3 T. Pine nuts
2 T. minced parsley
½ tsp. salt
¼ C. plus 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
Put basil in a mortar with garlic, cheese, nuts, parsley and
salt. Pound until smooth, then add oil and mix until smooth. Or,
whirl all ingredients in a blender.
Freeze in zip-lock bags and break off chunks as you need them
for sauce, soup, ground meat dishes.
Dan Magnuson of West Soda Rock, shows his customers a wonderful
way to keep fresh basil fresh. He places it in a plastic bag and
holding the top corners, he gives the bag a few swings, like a
gymnast swinging over a parallel bar. Then, he returns the two
corners to meet each other and ties a knot, creating a vacuum
sealed interior for the basil. There is no need for refrigeration
so you will never find it at the bottom of the vegetable drawer,
neglected, full of worts.
Renee Kiff weeds and writes at her family farm in Alexander
Valley.