Basil balsamic reduction over tempeh with baby bok choy, garden squash and brown rice. Get in me!
Basil is my all time favorite herb. While some can sing all day long about cilantro, I’ve been a basil girl since childhood. Some say basil is good for female fertility and stimulates the sex drive, but I don’t know about any of that voodoo! I just know it tastes delicious.(And if it also keeps me juicy, well that can’t hurt.)
We all know that the basil/tomato combo is the unofficial flavor of summer, and for any of you who have garden basil coming in faster than you can eat it right now, try making this delicious reduction. It is sinfully easy, freezes beautifully, and also keeps for months in the fridge. I like to use it as salad dressing, dipping sauce, marinade—you name it.
You will need:
2 cups balsamic vinegar
3 large bunches of basil
Basil bouquet?! You shouldn’t have.
Step one:
Add vinegar and basil to food processor and pulse well blended.
Step two:
Place mixture in small saucepan over medium and bring to a boil.
Step three:
Turn the heat to low and reduce by 1/3. Reduction will thicken as it cools.
That’s it! So tell me, what do you do with your basil?
Yes.
have more basil than i know what to do with…except give it away to family members so they can come up with recipes to utilize it! thanks…i have a batch reducing right now on the farm kitchen stove…only thing i did different was that i processed it in the vita mix for a smoother result….gonna serve it over some of our grilled summer squashes and zucchini and a nice dollop of (close your ears Zoe!) shhhh…Goat Cheese! Aloha
I always make pesto with my basil. So we have about a ton of pesto in the freezer. . . This seems like a really nice alternative, especially as it seems like it must make a killer salad dressing.
Yes, an amazing salad dressing. I made two batches and didn’t freeze any because I finished it on my salads within a week. Or try tossing it with sliced cukes and tomatoes? Mmnnnn.
Y-U-M