Just scored some gorgeous basil at the Farmer’s Market this morning. We had a choice of the regular bright green basil, or a deep purple mottled variety. My daughter smelled both kinds, as we are ‘smellers’. How can you not go to a Farmer’s Market and not smell your food? Is that weird? She opted for the bright green sweeter variety. The dark purple was not as sweet smelling and gave off heavy herbal notes of spice and licorice. Sorry, kid. You lose on this one. Mommy wants the purple one today.
Once picked, herbs will start to wilt and droop so the clock is ticking for preparation. Given the vast quantity I now had, I decided to make a big batch of purple basil pesto.
The first and most important step is to wash my basil with warm water. I get the front and back sides of all the leaves as that sneaky farm dirt can cling to this slightly fuzzy basil, and no want wants dirt crunch in their pesto!
Once convinced that that the basil is squeaky clean, I add the ingredients (below) to a food processor. Slowly add the olive oil after you have pulse chopped all the other ingredients first. Keep processing until you have a consistency that you like.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup walnuts (unsalted) – * FUTURE CHANGE – As walnuts are slightly bitter, I realized after mixing the batch up that almonds would have been a better choice because they are creamy and milder and would off-set the spicy purple basil better.
- 4 cups packed purple basil leaves (No stalks! Just handpick all the leaves off so you only get the very best spicy flavors!)
- 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped. The more fresh garlic the better.
- 1/2 teaspoon chunky herb salt
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
What to use it on:
This version is thick, but that’s how I like it. I typically use it right away, but if I have some to store, I leave it chunky and will often reconstitute with more olive oil and a little water to thin it out as needed.
I like my pesto on pasta noodles with a squeeze of fresh lemon and cracked pepper. The tangy herbal purple pesto with garlic works well with lemon.
It’s also a great base for easy bruschetta and some pretty sliced heirloom tomatoes. The sugar from the tomatoes makes this a hit.
This pesto is super as a salad dressing on arugula or rocket salad. Thin it out with a little more oil and water and then mix with a little red wine or balsamic vinegar. Add in some feta and it’s a winner!
If you have leftovers, one handy trick is to pour it in an empty ice cube tray and freeze it. When frozen, seal the pesto cubes in a plastic bag or other food-safe storage. Now you have a great herbal add-on for a quick dinner or lunch! Although some people say you can store basil for 6 months, I wouldn’t keep it past 3. The whole point of buying and eating fresh is to taste all the complex flavors that are in raw food. Freezing does degrade the basil and garlic, so it won’t be as flavorful and the color will continue to darker as it ages.
The pesto was not purple for me, however my leaves were not solid purple as some of the varieties out there. The color came out a dark green versus the typical bright green most people are used to seeing. Cool.
