Every week we pull together some great Canadian recipes from Canadian food bloggers around the web featuring one main ingredient or dish. This week we're featuring basil. It's a fixture in pesto but we wanted to find other ways to cook with basil that aren't pesto!
If you're one of those who is lucky enough to grow lush green basil plants every summer that just keep producing and producing then you know that there comes a point where you're not sure if you can handle one more batch of pesto!
Basil is a summertime favourite (you can learn all about Basil here) that's often teamed up with fresh summer tomatoes or, turned into pesto. But we wanted to find some ways to cook with basil that aren't pesto - because you can only eat and freeze so much pesto.
So try some of these ideas from savoury to sweet to use up that fresh crop of basil or those leftover leaves from that big bundle you bought at the Farmers' Market.
1. Grandma's Creamed Fresh Peas with Basil
This recipe for Creamed Fresh Peas with Basil from Dish 'n' the Kitchen is a glorious update on Grandma's Sweet Summer Peas swim with a velvety rich cream sauce. Fresh basil accents the sweetness of the peas while cutting through the decadent sauce.
2. Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken
This Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken recipe from Salt and Lavender is perfect for using summer basil and tomatoes! Ready in about 30 minutes so it's quick and simple.
3. Thai Shrimp Stir Fry
An easy and delicious Thai Shrimp Stir Fry by Holistic Foodie made with Japanese eggplant and Thai basil. Ready in about 30 minutes!
4. Strawberry Basil Cobbler
Strawberry Basil Cobbler by Crumb Top Baking is a fun take on a classic cobbler dessert! It has a jammy layer of strawberries and fresh basil, all topped with golden brown homemade biscuits swirled with strawberry chia jam!
5. Homemade Basil Ranch Dressing
Homemade Basil Ranch Dressing by Jillian Rae Cooks is SO much better than store bought. Plus, this recipe incorporates the added freshness of basil for a summertime twist.
6. Cucumber Caprese Salad
Chopped Cucumber Caprese Salad from The Delicious Spoon is a popular Italian salad brimming with garden veggies, sweet basil and pearls of bocconcini cheese! An easy salad perfect for a weeknight meal or socially distanced picnic in the park.
7. Gunkan Makis de Tofu, Basilic et Zucchinis
These Zucchini Rolls from Michèle Rousseau are inspired by gunkan makis. They contain a tofu and basil mixture topped with peal couscous to replace fish eggs. (original post is in French - use google chrome for an excellent English translation if required)
8. Basil Honey Vinaigrette
With wonderfully fragrant, herbaceous basil from your garden or farm market and a touch of sweetness from local honey, this Basil Honey Vinaigrette by Urban Cottage Life will have your salads singing. Summer freshness never tasted this good.
9. Skillet Fried Fish
by In The Kitch
Fresh basil and white fish from In The Kitch come together beautifully in this easy 20 minute dinner! The steady heat of the electric skillet makes this dish all the more convenient
A big thank you to all our FBC Members who participated in this week's Basil recipe roundup. If you're an FBC Member and would like to submit to future weekend link roundups, make sure you're signed up to receive your members-only newsletter where we list all the weekly roundups for the current month (don't receive your monthly member newsletter? Log in to your account and check off the box to receive our member updates!)
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More Reading
- Our Favourite Herbs To Grow Indoors During a Canadian Winter
- The Spice Box: Get to Know Basil
- Dilly-icious: 15+ Recipes that Use Dill
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The most common use of basil is for cooking, such as in tomato sauce, pesto, or vinegars. But it also can be sprinkled over salads and sliced tomatoes, either whole or chopped. … To make oil for salads, pound the fresh leaves and mix with a good salad or vegetable oil.