Basil Bonanza!
Since I've lived on my own (i.e., not with my parents), I've never had a yard sufficient for a garden. Now I live in a house with a yard, but we rent, so I'm not too into the idea of planting a garden I might not be able to harvest, or forcing the next renters to deal with. So, I've never had a garden of my own. But I have something better: I know people with gardens! Right after I bought 25# of tomatoes at the farmer's market, I had several offers of free tomatoes, please take them before they rot! And just this week, a bounty of basil came my way from one of GC's colleagues. I just finished making multiple batches of pesto. I don't use pine nuts in my pesto because I'm not so fond of them and they're quite spendy. So I made half almond basil pesto and half walnut basil pesto. I still have two big bunches of basil left, but I ran out of olive oil. I froze the pesto, but will use the fresh basil in every single thing I make for the next few days. I'm not sure that you realize how exciting this is. I feel an odd sense of security, knowing I have pints of pesto tucked away in the freezer. Pesto is my favorite condiment. I used to wish I had a holster with a pesto dispenser on one side and chocolate milk on the other. I still think it's a sweet idea, though not so practical. I'll find something else to fill my holster, and keep the pesto in the freezer.
Dinner last night: Burgers (mine was a spinach-goat cheese burger); macaroni & cheese with peas
Comments
I am due to come into a bounty of basil next Monday. The friend supplying it says that she doesn't add the parmesan to her pesto before freezing it, instead adding it after it thaws. She says the parmesan doesn't freeze so well. Care to comment?
Posted by: Purple Fried Okra | September 21, 2006 07:34 AM
Hmmm... I hadn't heard that about parmesan. In fact, I've heard the opposite. Hard and semi-hard cheeses, like parmesan, cheddar, provolone, mozzarella and Swiss freeze the best, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and in a freezer storage bag. Several recipes recommend freezing pesto for long-term storage. I've never had a problem with the parmesan. What does your friend say happens to the pesto frozen with the parmesan?
Posted by: blue artichoke | September 21, 2006 11:48 AM
She just said she had better results when she didn't add the parm. Dunno why. I have functioned on the same info you have. I'll add the parm prior to freezing.
Posted by: Purple Fried Okra | September 22, 2006 08:05 AM