Tag Archives: basil recipes

Basil Zucchini Corn Bread

blog zuc bread
I can get so caught up shopping at the farm stand this time of year. This past weekend I did just that and found myself staring at a few too many zucchini on my kitchen counter.  As a result I grated the zucchini and added to my favorite cornbread recipe with some fresh basil and result was a moist and fresh tasting bread. Which tastes great the next day if you have any leftover.
This bread  is a big hit here by the bay!
From by the bay wishing you yummy zucchini food memories!
Maryann
blog zuc bread 2

Basil Zucchini Corn Bread 

Serves 8


Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg beaten

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 zucchini

8 fresh basil leaves


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter  1 medium loaf pan. Fill a small bowl with ice water. Bring a small pan of water to a boil, add the basil leaves into boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove leaves and plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking. Remove leaves from ice water, dry and chop. Set aside.  Take the zucchini, cut off each end. Cut three rounds 1/8 inch thick from one end of zucchini and set aside. Grate the zucchini coarsely, using a box grater, until you have 1 cup of grated zucchini. In a large bowl combine well the dry ingredients: flour, salt, cornmeal, sugar and baking powder. In a separate medium bowl combine and beat buttermilk, eggs and butter. Fold into this the chopped basil and grated zucchini. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir well.  Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Top batter with the 3 zucchini rounds. Place pan onto baking sheet and bake for about 55 minutes until the tester comes out clean. Cool on metal rack for 10 minutes. When cool remove bread from pan. Serve warm or room temperature.

Peach Basil Hand Pies

blog peach basil
Sometimes all you need is just a little bit of pie. Pie that can be held in the hand and eaten on the go, at a picnic or just taking a walk. We’ve reached that glorious time that arrives each summer when fruit is plentiful and your “big” decision is which fruit should you get for your dessert. Peaches definitely come to mind for me. I decided to make little hand pies over the weekend, filled with peaches and a touch of  sweet basil from the garden to add a slightly spicy undertone to the filling. It’s the perfect little summer treat!
From by the bay wishing you, tasty little peach pie food memories!
Maryann
blog peach hand pie 2
Peach Basil Hand Pies
Makes 6 pies

Ingredients
1 recipe flaky pie dough ( see recipe below)
2 cups fresh chopped peaches, stoned and skinned
2 teaspoons sweet basil, chopped
3 tablespoons fine granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 egg, slightly beaten
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. To make the filling add into a medium bowl the peaches, basil, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, pepper, salt, cinnamon and rice wine vinegar. Mix well and set aside. Dust your work surface with flour and roll out your pie crust into a 20 inch square. Cut the dough into eight 5 inch squares. Working with each square individually, place 2 tablespoons of filling in the center. Brush the two connecting edges with egg and fold in half making a triangle.  Press the ends together to seal. Place onto the parchment line tray. Use knife to trim uneven edges. Repeat with remaining squares. Brush the top of each pie with remaining egg wash and sprinkle the remaining sugar on top. Make a small slit on the top of each pie fro steam to escape. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes until filling is bubbling and crust is pies golden brown. Remove from oven.  Cool and serve.
blog peach hand pie

Recipe: Flaky pie dough for hand pies

October 20, 2012 from Los Angeles Times

2 1/4 cups (9.6 ounces) flour

Generous 1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup cold shortening

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

2 1/4 teaspoons cider vinegar

4 to 6 tablespoons ice water, more if needed

To make the dough using a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the shortening and pulse until incorporated (the dough will look like moist sand). Add the butter and pulse just until the butter is reduced to pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle the vinegar and 4 tablespoons water over the mixture, and pulse a few times to form the dough, then a few more times just until the dough begins to clump together to form a cohesive dough. If the dough is too crumbly and dry, pulse in additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough and mold it into a disk roughly 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Cover the disk tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Ratatouille

My friend Eva, make my day with a basket of  vegetables, the results of the summer harvest in her garden. The basket was filled with  beautiful eggplants, zucchini, squash and tomatoes. I remembered how my mom Ceil,  would love to make ratatouille every summer using these same ingredients. It was a staple barbecue side dish, when we were in the height of  summer. I’ve tried different variations and this by far is my favorite and reminds me the most of mom’s only with a few extra ingredients to kick up the volume on the taste. Tyler Florence really has the ultimate recipe, so no need for me to mess around. I’ve offered a few suggestions below for ingredient options. For example, instead of opening a tin of anchovies, I always keep a tube of anchovy paste handy in the fridge. I like how the paste just melts into the dish as an ingredient. I made this over the weekend and used the leftovers the next day for pasta.  Celebrate the summer harvest using this recipe!
From by the bay wishing you great summer harvest food memories!
Maryann
blog ratato pasta
Ratatouille 
Serves 4
Adapted from Tyler Florence – “Tyler’s Ultimate” published in 2006
Ingredients
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound small Italian eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound zucchini, cut crosswise into 1-inch sections
3 anchovy fillets, finely minced or 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 pints cherry tomatoes or 3 medium size Heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 dried chile or 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
Splash balsamic vinegar

Directions
Line a large platter with paper towels. Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the eggplant, season generously with salt and pepper, and let that cook down for 10 to 12 minutes, until the eggplant is soft and wilted. Remove the eggplant from the pan and onto a platter to drain. Next stop, zucchini: cook it the same way in 1/4 cup oil, then add it to the platter with the eggplant.

Add another 1/4 cup olive oil to the pan, then the anchovies or paste, onions, garlic and herbs. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions get nice and caramelized. Add the tomatoes and cook that down for 10 to 12 minutes, until pulpy. Return the eggplant and zucchini to the pan, crack open the chile, and add that too or season with red chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper and let the ratatouille cook slowly for about 20 minutes, until the mixture is soft, mushy and juicy; you want all the flavors to come together. Stir in the vinegar and let cool to room temperature.

Read more at: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/the-ultimate-ratatouille-recipe2/index.html?oc=linkback

Cook pasta according to directions. Once cooked set aside 1/2 cup cooking water. Place the penne in a bowl, top with room temperature ratatouille, grated cheese and cooking water. Mix well. Top with a little more grated cheese and basil. Serve immediately. 

Corn Soup with Basil Oil

blog corn field

 This is a very special time of year, when all the farm produce is bursting with flavor at the farm stands and local markets. My very favorite is corn. Growing up most of my summer corn eating was from the cob. Nothing wrong with that , it’s delicious . I thought I would a pick a few of the recipes I developed with either left over corn on the cob or using corn a little differently. There are so many great recipes for corn here are just a few. I plan to write a second blog later this month to cover a few more. Go out and buy some corn today and start cooking.

 

Wishing you the “corniest” of food memories!

Maryann

 

blog corn soup

Corn Soup with Basil Oil

Serves 4

6 medium size ears fresh corn

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups vegetable broth

½ cup white wine

½ cup half and half

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ cup fresh basil

1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt

¼ cup olive oil

Directions

In a large pot add both chicken and vegetable broth, along with white wine and corn. Cover pot and bring broth to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove corn from broth and let cool. Slice the kernels off the cob. Using a food processor puree kernels along with 4 cups of stock in two patches. Strain the puree into a bowl, squeezing out all the corn liquid. Throw the kernel mash away. To the soup add half and half, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Chill soup for at least 4 hours before serving. Right before serving, place basil leaves into a boiling pot of water for a few seconds, strain and place in ice water to cool. Puree the basil along with oil and ½ teaspoon sea salt. Drizzle on top of soup the green basil oil right before serving.