I worked in my herb garden yesterday. I love working in the herb garden. It is like aromatherapy. The smells of the thyme and rosemary and basil are heavenly. I am always happy to run across recipes that use these herbs in simple ways. One of my new favorites is those lemon and thyme cookies that I posted a couple of weeks ago.
Basil
Here is recipe using basil that I really like from Giada De Laurentiis. A crispy parmesan wafer with lemon and basil.
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons shredded basil leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Transfer a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan mixture onto a silicone or parchment-lined baking sheet and lightly pat down. A silicone baking sheet is highly recommended for this recipe. Repeat with the remaining cheese mixture, spacing the spoonfuls about 1/2-inch apart. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool and use a flat spatula to transfer from lined baking sheet.
The name basil means “be fragrant” and it certainly lives up to its name. In herbal medicine it is used to colds, indigestion, depression and exhaustion.
What a lovely thing to grow in the garden!
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Today’s Lagniappe: Tomato and Basil Dip
Another way to use this fragrant and lovely herb
4 beefsteak tomatoes
1 small onion
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
freshly ground black pepper
Slice the top of each tomato, and scoop out the flesh and seeds. Reserve the flesh and discard the seeds. Place the tomatoes upside down on a plate to drain.
Finely chop the tomato flesh and place in a non-metallic sieve. Press out any excess juice with a wooden spoon. Discard the juice. Place half of the chopped tomato and all of the chopped onion in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Stir in the remaining chopped tomato and chopped basil, and season well. Divide the dip mixture evenly among the four hollowed-out tomatoes. Cover and grill.
Garnish with basil leaves and serve with breadsticks and strips of cucumber and celery.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I haven’t cooked much with Basil though my basil plants are growing very well. I will try next time.
What a lovely image–aromatherapy in the garden. My mother brought me basil sprigs from her herb “patch,” and I put it beside my desk. We had a small, circular herb garden at the old house, and I miss it so much. Thank you for this wonderful post.
XX 00
I wish I had an herb garden! I hope you had a happy Foodie Friday and are having a great weekend ~ Susan
I love the smell of basil, in fact we put it on the Grilled White Pizza I put on for foodie Friday but our basil was dried. Fresh is much better.
ummm, sounds delicious..I haven’t cooked much with Basil and I need to try these recipes..
thanks..
I am so glad to have a few more recipes for basil. I have a great supply in the herb garden right now. Thanks.
Be still my heart. Basil is my favorite herb!!!
I love it, too!
I used to live in the Santa Monica mountains in California with a tri-level yard. The slope of one level was covered with Creeping Rosemary and it was wonderful to walk out in the morning when the sun was drying the dew from the plants, especially when the lemon trees were covered with blossoms.
I’m going to make the Parmesan wafers with basil from my garden, thanks for sharing!
Giada’s wafer recipe is one that I have made in the past and I can say hands down that it is delicious. For such a simple recipe I had so many people go nuts over these. I probably should not tell anyone how easy a recipe they are:) I could eat these all day myself:)
Joyce
Hi Christi, I am so happy to see these recipes cause I have basil growing in our veg. garden. Thanks…Christine
Both of your recipes will find their way to my table. Thank you for sharing. Have a wonderful day.
Oh I love herb gardens as well. Nothing smells better or tastes better than fresh herbs.
Thsnks Christi, I LOVE basil and was glad to see these two recipes, I hope to make both of them over the weekend!