Basil

One of my favorite summer ingredients is Basil! If you've never worked with basil, here's some tips to introduce you to something great!

1. If you're growing your own basil, pinch the top leaves off the basil plant. This way, it won't flower (flowering stops the plant from producing leaves).
2. Too much basil, or basil going bad? Puree 2 cups of basil w/ 1/2 cup of olive oil & freeze it in an ice cube tray. Afterwards, bag it & store in the freezer.
3. Make basil butter. Mash minced basil & lemon zest to softened butter. Spread over toasted ciabatta bread or Italian bread to pair with a meal.
4. Make pesto! Drizzle some over pasta or swirl it into soup.
5. Basil turns black quickly when chopped with a dull knife so make sure yours are sharpe!
6. Don't like the taste of basil? Put some in a vase next to your bed to help ward off mosquitoes.