HELP! - Way too much basil - Need Suggestions

[DuckLady]

This will use up basil. My sister married an Italian man and she almost HAD to learn this.

They make it all the time.

I have used fresh tomatoes from the garden and canned it without the meatballs. Those I make and freeze raw and add to simmering sauce when I make pasta.

Pasta Sauce

- 2 lbs ground chuck (use 80-20. Any leaner
and meatballs will be too dry/hard)
- 6-8 Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1 can (28 oz) Tomato Puree (Tuttoroso)
- 1 can (28 oz) Crushed Tomatoes
- Garlic Powder (granulated garlic)
- Sugar
- Black Pepper
- Fresh Grated Romano Cheese
- Bread (for meatballs)- wheat rolls or a
wheat/Italian baguette works well
(don’t use white bread—too gummy—this
includes sourdough!)
- Red Wine
- 2 eggs
- Milk


PREPARE SAUCE
Pour sauce into a large pot. Heat until lukewarm. Add basil leaves (whole), about 1 tsp. of sugar; ½ tsp. black pepper; and about 3 TBS granulated garlic.
When sauce comes to a light boil, add about 1 cup Chianti. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

PREPARE MEATBALLS
Put bread into a bowl of warm water until soaked. Peel the crust off. Gently squeeze out any excess water. Pull the bread apart until you have about 1 cup of tiny gooey pieces.
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, bread goo, eggs, 4-6 TBS Romano cheese, ½ tsp pepper, and 2 TBS granulated garlic; and 6-8 oz milk (1%).

COOK ALL
Turn the sauce down as much as you can. Form meat into about golf-ball sized meatballs, and drop into the sauce. Simmer for about 2 hours.

 

[lakeshorenc]

This is very good with fish.

Basil Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup Basil
1/2 cup mayo
1 TBS lemon juice
1/2 tsp Garlic
1 TBS Sour Cream
Dash of hot sauce
Salt to taste

Mix in a blender

I have a mini blender that works great for this.

 

[shuizar209]

Chop it up and put it in an omelet with mushrooms, onions, and a little bit of cheese. Our basil plant produces so much. My husband cut it down to nubs literally and we fed it to our rabbit he ate a little and he even thought it was too much. Of course it got monstruos again.

 

[Soccer Mom]

I'm like llamagirl. I make basil icecubes for the winter months. You can only eat so much pesto.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Fresh summer spaghetti

2 cups loosely packed slivered basil leaves
6-8 chopped fresh tomatoes
6-8 crushed garlic cloves
1 diced white onion
1/2 cup sliced and diced pickled jalepenos
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup good virgin olive oil (NOT LIGHT)
Janes crazy mixed up salt

heat enough of the oil over medium heat to sautee the onion until translucent
then add the garlic, stir once then add the tomatoes, jalepenos and the rest of the oil.
Let it get hot and break down, then add the wine reduce heat and simmer. Let simmer for about an hour on low. Add more wine if it gets to thick.
5 minutes before serving salt to tast and stir in the basil.

Serve over oiled spaghetti noodles

this is absolutely to die for, if your afraid of jalepenos add less but don't leave them out all the way they are definately part of the flavor.
this is what I am making tonight with my over abundence of basil

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

heres another one . . .

crispy fried basil (thai dish)

1 lb breakfast sausage
2 cups loosely packed slivered basil leaves

egg roll wrappers

fry up the sausage, about half way through add the basil and fry it as well.
Use this as filling for the egg roll wrappers then freeze.

Fry them up as you need them

 

[BarkerChickens]

I use my extra basil in pasta sauces and am going to do to a pesto sauce this year hopefully. But, here is a recipe that I really like for excess summer squash and basil....

slice up zucchini and/or crook neck squash (or any other summer squash)
sautee up the squash in the skillet

when slightly browned, add in some cream cheese (just enough to coat the veggies) and a healthy serving of chopped basil. Mix and serve! YUM!!

 

[Jen4]

We picked alot of basil and sage today... right now its in the oven drying

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Quote:
I'm trying this one tonight!

 

[Aneesa's Muse]

My Chinchillas like a dry piece every now and then, so I indulge ..or I add some crushed, dry leaves to the "cookies" I make for them

If you have friends and family with pets.. gift them some!