# Basil! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041 "2011-07-06T15:21:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041/21 "2011-07-06T19:47:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Basil! What? Yes, yes! I’m doing it now! Yes, I know. Yes, I know! I’m doing it now! ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041/22 "2011-07-06T21:00:45Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Your husband doesn’t like nuts at all? He likes nuts fine, but he’s of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” type, and he decided that since the store-bought pesto we use doesn’t have any nuts on the ingredients label, then pesto should not have nuts. Weirdo. I will try it with walnuts. Does [this recipe](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-basil-pesto/detail.aspx) look like it would work? I like the look of **Hello Again** ’s recipe, but I’m confused - am I supposed to cook the green stuff or just toss it all straight into the food processor? My spinach is baby spinach leaves I bought for salad a while back and tossed in the freezer when it was obvious I wasn’t going to get to them in time. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041/23 "2011-07-06T21:04:07Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Oh, and being a die hard southerner, has anybody ever deep fried basil leaves? Always thought that might be worth experimenting with but have never tried it (we never fry stuff at home). Never tried it with basil, but fry you up some sage leaves in butter/olive oil until they’re crisp. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041/24 "2011-07-06T21:09:40Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > He likes nuts fine, but he’s of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” type, and he decided that since the store-bought pesto we use doesn’t have any nuts on the ingredients label, then pesto should not have nuts. Weirdo. > > I will try it with walnuts. Does [this recipe](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-basil-pesto/detail.aspx) look like it would work? I like the look of **Hello Again** ’s recipe, but I’m confused - am I supposed to cook the green stuff or just toss it all straight into the food processor? My spinach is baby spinach leaves I bought for salad a while back and tossed in the freezer when it was obvious I wasn’t going to get to them in time. Most store bought pesto actually does have nuts. At the least, soybean meal. I cook it so it will be soft and wilted, giving it a smoother texture in the final result. It might not be strictly necessary, but it’s how mah daddy taught me 😃 it only takes a couple minutes and hardly dirties the pan, so there’s not much gain in skipping that step. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041/25 "2011-07-06T21:14:02Z")
I thought this was going to be a thread about _Fawlty Towers._ Sybil: _Basil!_ Basil: _Yes, my little piranha-fish?_ ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041/26 "2011-07-07T01:35:03Z")
One of the best ways to keep fresh basil in the kitchen is to put in in a vase of water, just like flowers. It will often sprout roots while in the vase and you can plant it to grow more basil, thus perpeptuating your problem! Go ahead and plant the parts with roots and you will soon have more than enough basil to share with everyone you know. Everyone wins! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041/27 "2011-07-07T01:43:49Z")
My pesto recipe is from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, and it’s pretty straightforward and traditional (given that there are a buttload of variations on traditional pesto): basil, pine nuts/walnuts, parmesan, garlic, olive oil, salt, and I think that’s it. No cooking of any ingredients: just throw them in the food processor in a logical order (dry and big first, wet last), and you have pure deliciousness. The only new suggestion I have is to do a semi-banh-mi-type thing. It’s a Vietnamese sub, and it needs five main things: -Bread (a baguette is traditional) -Meat (or tofu; southern-style pulled pork works great, but you can use cold cut in a pinch) -Mayonnaise -Heat (hot green chiles is traditional, but I’ve mixed Sriracha with the mayo before and it’s been tasty) -Veggies For the veggies, a mix of cilantro and basil is quite good, but I’ve used either alone to good effect. You can also add lots of others: cucumbers, shredded carrot, bell peppers, etc. Since the sandwich uses basil like other sandwiches use lettuce, you can use a lot up this way. ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041/28 "2011-07-07T04:23:37Z")
Since I have both basil and parsley bursting forth, I’m going to make a [basil chimichurri](http://www.food.com/recipe/basil-chimichurri-172555) sauce this weekend. If you’re a meat lover (as opposed to a pasta lover), it’s a fantastic accompaniment. Also, after I strip off the leaves from the bunch, I stick the stem back in a glass of water so it roots, then I plant it! I do this all the time with bunches of Thai basil I get with pho. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041/29 "2011-07-07T04:36:34Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yes. This is actually my favorite use for basil, particularly cinnamon basil or Thai basil. There’s a particular Thai stir fry which is basically just fish sauce, hot peppers, protein of some sort, garlic/shallots and gobs of basil leaves. One of my favorite summer dishes… Damn, thought this was going to be about Switzerland until I remembered how to spell Basel. The above sounds like _phat kraphao_ (my preferred spelling, but you’ll see many variations). With chicken or pork is best I think but seafood can be used. And with a fried egg on top. Mmmmm. Just had some yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041/30 "2011-07-07T05:07:44Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Damn, thought this was going to be about Switzerland until I remembered how to spell Basel. > > The above sounds like _phat kraphao_ (my preferred spelling, but you’ll see many variations). With chicken or pork is best I think but seafood can be used. And with a fried egg on top. Mmmmm. Just had some yesterday. It is indeed. One of my favorite dishes in the world. I didn’t want to attempt to spell it, as there’s probably at least a dozen different variations. (We’ve actually chatted before about this here. I think the most common transliteration I’ve seen in the US is pad grapow, but it’s all over the map.) [Here’s a reasonable version of the dish, for those interested](http://gimmesomeoven.com/thai-basil-chicken-gai-pad-krapow/). I don’t generally use soy sauce in mine, but sometimes I cut the fish sauce with oyster sauce, if I’m feeling like it. I also often skip the sugar, but if I do use sugar, it’s generally palm sugar. Technically, this is supposed to be made with Thai holy basil (the _kraphao_ part of the name refers to the herb), which actually is quite distinctive in flavor from other basils–it almost has a camphor-like quality to it; others also say cloves. I occasionally find it at the local Thai grocery, but it’s generally not widely available. The dish works well with other basils, too, although (as I said above), I like it with Thai sweet basil (_horapa_) as well as cinnamon basil. This dish will eat up your basil. Don’t be shy with it. For a pound of meat or so, I’ll use a good cup or more of loosely packed basil. ---
**Author:** ![phantom\_lamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@phantom\_lamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantom_lamb)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041/31 "2011-07-07T11:10:19Z")
Pesto seems like the best option in my opinion. I would make it combining basil, walnuts, pecorino (or parmesan cheese), garlic, olive oil and salt in the blender. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil/588041.md?page=1)