4 • MAY 2017 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC. & Prosper! Eat Well


The Fragrant Green Treasure! Weird Facts & Fun Trivia - 2 by Executive Chef Ron Skaar ~ ronskaar@comcast.net


Sonoma County CA. ~ Basil Provence. As a culinary comes from the Greek word herb, basil is a critical ingre- for king “basileus”. T ose ancient Greeks must have loved their ba- sil. It is a native of tropical Asia and Africa yet basil was fi rst domesticated in India. T e Romans and the Greeks be- fore them consid-


ered this herb a “fragrant green treasure”.


Endless varieties of basil


have been developed in- cluding lemon, lime, cin- namon and anise. T e fl a- vor depends not only on the variety but on growing conditions and the stage at which it is harvested. T e Mediterranean area is


a perfect spot for growing basil, especially the Liguria region of Italy and France’s


dient in everything from In- dian and South East Asian food to pesto. Back in old Rome,


Augustus, this months name sake, consumed a paste made by crushing cheese, garlic and herbs together. Fur-


ther north in Genoa they created the brilliant green sauce we know today has pesto. T ey pulver- ized basil, garlic, grated hard cheese and pine nuts with a bit of olive oil in the mortar and pestle. T e chefs of Provence used a similar method and ingredients to create sauce pistou, sans the nuts. In the 19th century, Geno- vese immigrants to Argen-


tina brought pesto recipes with them which evolved into a Peruvian recipe for “green noodles”. A German version uses the wild ramson leaves instead of basil. In Singa- pore, a fusion


ate a notable freshness and tang. Pesto was scarcely known


in the United States until the 1970’s. It is a condiment which “must be used raw, without undergoing any cooking, no matter how brief ”, accord-


ing to Marcella Hazan. Gen- erally, aro- ma


com- pounds


make up a larger portion of young sweet


basil leaves than the dish called “laksa pesto”


is very popular. For a lighter taste, Genovese cooks some- times thin the mixture by adding ricotta cheese. Add- ing goat cheese will also cre-


old. T e best leaves are from the younger stems which have not yet fl owered. T ey are richer in eucalyptus and fl ower notes (about 5 times more than older leaves) which is why you want them in your pesto. A mortal and pestle may


not be handy, or you might not like the 15 minutes that the job will take. T e choice of appliance and how it is used infl uences both the


... continued on page 16


Basil Pesto Ingredients:


¼ cup pine nuts


2 tablespoons packed fresh parsley leaves 3 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese


The ancients had many superstitions connected with Basil, one of which was that it had the power of propagat- ing scorpions. It was generally believed that a basil leaf left under a pot would in time turn into a scorpion. Superstition went so far as to affi rm that even smelling the plant might bring a scorpion in the brain. (weird!)


In Italy, basil has always been a token of love.


In Romania, when a boy accepts a sprig of basil from his girl, he is engaged.


In India the Basil plant is sacred to both Krishna and Vishnu, and is cherished in every Hindu house. Every good Hindu goes to his rest with a Basil leaf on his breast. This is his passport to Paradise.


DIRECTIONS:


Toast the nuts carefully in a small heavy skillet (they burn easily). Add the garlic to the empty skillet and toast over medium heat until fra- grant, about 7 minutes. Let cool, then peel and chop. Process the herbs, nuts, garlic, oil and fresh ground pepper, until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in the parme- san and serve. Makes ¾ cup, enough for 1 lb. of pasta.


4 • MAY 2017 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC. “What a curious power words have.” ~ Tadeusz Borowski


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