Pizza….and Life, Go Better With Basil

(Marcella Hazan’s pesto by mortar recipe and Nick Mautone’s eye-opening, fantastic basil martini recipe are included at the end of this post)

Basil…….in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, it grows on my friend’s nine inch wide faux balcony in eight inch pots barely small enough to fit between the outer railing and the sliding door. In my backyard, at a location which only receives between four and five hours of direct sunlight each day, it grows in five gallon paint buckets with small holes drilled into the bottom of the buckets for drainage. It supposedly grew around the tomb of Jesus Christ at the time of his resurrection. Some Greek Orthodox churches use it to help prepare holy water and it is also planted around Buddhist temples in Thailand. It was once thought to be a remedy for witches. It’s considered kingly to Hindus, is sacred to the gods Krishna and Vishnu and is the chosen herb upon which to swear oaths in some courts of law. Crushing its leaves and rubbing them on your skin is an effective flying insect repellent. In the 17th century, Culpeper mentioned “it either makes enemies or gains lovers, but there is no in between”. Sweet, cinnamon, lemon, green ruffles, bush, Greek, lettuce leafed, purple and sacred varieties exist. It goes wonderfully with eggs, tomatoes, salads, pastas, is delicious eaten by itself and, oh yeah, it’s one of the vital ingredients in the pizza which arguably catapulted the bubbling disk from being primarilly a peasant food to being a hit all over Italy and, eventually, the entire world.

Ghetto "Backyard Bucket" Basil

Ocumum basilicum, more commonly known as [sweet] basil, is used for many purposes all over the world. It is relatively easy to grow both indoors and outside and with a little care, basil is a nearly idiot proof herb to grow (and I need idiot proof!). So, the question is, if you have any outdoor spot which receives some sunlight, or an indoor window which does as well, and you are not growing at least one basil plant, WTF are you waiting for?!

L to R: One week old basil. 10 days after picture on left and much bushier.

As you can see from the pictures in this post, my “Ghetto Bucket Basil” is grown in five gallon paint buckets easily obtainable from Home Depot or Lowes. Get a drill and whack some holes in the bottom for drainage. My eight buckets provide me with a virtual green sea of basil by mid July. I even planted late this year, but you can see how fast basil will grow in the above photograph. Now, nearly four weeks from planting, my basil is full of large leaves (much bigger than any of the pictures above) and has already been used to help make whatever Mrs. Blogger and I whip up in the kitchen extra deelish.

I can’t think of a better way to start the day than walking out in my “backyard”, picking a tasty looking leaf of basil and eating it right then and there. And the smell of freshly picked basil……..it’s right up there with the smell of really good coffee beans the second after they are ground, that intense type of aroma where, for a moment, your mind can only focus on that smell. It’s almost the 4th of July, but it’s not too late to get some basil going. You’ll be eating it by late July and, if you plant enough, you can make a nice sized batch of pesto before the cold of fall takes its toll. Go out and get some today!

• Some tips:
• Use lighter soil if possible. No heavy clay soils should be used. Other than that, basil seems to do well in a variety of soils.
• Don’t over water the basil. Basil does not particularly like going to bed wet, so you should water during the earlier afternoon during dry spells. However, even with the near deluge of rain in Maryland this year, the basil is filling in nicely….a testament to its forgiving nature.
• Once your basil is established after planting, reach under the first couple of top leaves, grab the stem between thumb and forefinger and pinch off the growing centers. This promotes bushier growth, which means more basil to eat (see pic below)

L to R: Pinching week old growth to encourage bushy growth, pinched and ready to eat!

• Continue to pinch out the centers and, if needed, other leaves in order to keep the basil from flowering. This also helps to keep the stems from becoming woody, which makes the leaves turn more bitter when it happens. Keep a close eye as the basil may eventually begin to race towards flowering, requiring the need to potentially pinch out the centers much more often than usual. It can be amazing how savagely you may appear to be pinching out the basil, only to have it get bushier and provide more leaves just a short while later.
• If you wish to freeze your basil, brush both sides of each leaf with a small amount of olive oil before putting them in a zip lock bag.  This will help to keep the leaves from sticking together.

Marcella Hazan’s Pesto By the Mortar Method
from “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking”, page 177

a large marble mortar with a hardwood pestle
2 garlic cloves
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts
coarse sea salt to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated romano cheese (pecorino romano)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature

1. Lightly mash the garlic with a heavy knife handle, just enough to split and loosen the skin, which you will remove and discard
2. Briefly soak and wash the basil leaves in cold water, and pat them gently, but thoroughly dry, with paper towels
3. Put the basil, garlic, pine nuts and coarse salt into the mortar. Using the pestle with a rotary movement, grind all of the ingredients against the side of the mortar. When they have been ground into a paste, add both grated cheeses and grind them evenly into the mixture using the pestle
4. Add the olive oil, in a very thin stream, beating it into the mixture with a wooden spoon. When all the oil has been incorporated, beat in the butter with the spoon, distributing it evenly
5. When spooning the pesto over pasta, dilute it slightly with a tablespoon or two of the hot water in which the pasta was cooked.
6. Recipe will service 1 1/2 pounds of pasta

Pizzablogger notes: Use the best possible ingredients you can obtain or afford. Make sure to buy your cheese in blocks and grate them at home when you are making the pesto. Twenty-four month old parmigiano-reggiano, a good quality pecorino romano, good quality extra virgin olive oil (leave the Filippo Berio in the cabinet and get really good olive oil for this) and very important, some high quality butter like Plugra or a similar quality brand. All of this goodness will help to make a creamy, excellent pesto sure to delight all who eat it and honor the basil growing in your yard or house.

Basil Martini
from “Raising the Bar, better drinks better entertaining” by Nick Mautone, page 126

For the basil-infused vodka
1 full bunch fresh basil
2 ounces boiling water
2 ounces ice cold water
1 liter vodka
5 1/2 ounces dry vermouth

For each 3-ounce cocktail
1/2 ounce Bloody Mary mix or tomato juice
crushed ice for serving
3 ounces basil-infused vodka
1 oven-dried tomato chip (see below) for garnish or 1 sun-dried tomato (not packed in oil)

*The basil infused vodka requires 3 days in the refrigerator. Once the basil is removed, the infusion will keep
indefinitely in the refrigerator

1. Rinse the basil under cold running water and place it in a 2-quart canning jar or other container with a tight fitting lid
2. Add the boiling water, close the jar tightly and shake vigorously. Allow to steep until the basil is bright green (about 10 minutes)
3. Open the jar, add the ice water, vodka, and vermouth. Close the jar and shake vigorously. Allow to steep in the refrigerator for 3 days, until the liquid turns bright green (do not allow basil to steep until the liquid turns brown). Remove and discard the basil.

Serving
1. Pour 1/2 ounce Bloody Mary Mix or tomato juice into a cocktail glass and fill each glass 1/3 full with crushed ice
2. Fill shaker with ice, add 3 ounces basil infused vodka per serving and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is thoroughly beaded with sweat and is extremely cold to the touch
3. Strain the contents of the shaker into the glass and top with a tomato chip or a julienned sun dried tomato

Oven-Dried Tomato Chips (warning, these are like adult crack)
one large fresh tomato, sliced crosswise into 1/8 inch slices
Kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 200°F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange tomato slices on the parchment paper
3. Roast the tomato slices in the oven until the slices are dry to the touch and can be picked up between the thumb and forefinger without breaking, 1 to 2 hours, depending on the ripeness of the tomato
4. When done, remove tomato chips from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet until just above room temperature, about 15 minutes
5. Lift the chips off the parchment paper with a spatula and transfer to a plate covered with wax paper
6. Sprinkle with salt to taste just before serving
Can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored in a single layer on wax paper at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Growing fresh herbs, like gardening, is a very simple way to help slow down, relax and remember there are simple, pure things in life which do not require a USB port in order to provide enjoyment to our busy world.

L to R: Oregano growing; Thyme, rosemary, sage, lavender & chives in clawfoot tub