Hmmm, sounds like a vaudeville act: Tomatoes, the luscious
chanteuse who sets up the jokes, and the dryly witty basil who
delivers the punch line.
Hmmm, sounds like a vaudeville act: Tomatoes, the luscious chanteuse who sets up the jokes, and the dryly witty basil who delivers the punch line.
In real life, tomatoes and basil are one of nature’s most felicitous combinations, especially now that real tomatoes are finally here. Tomatoes require hot sunny days for their flavor and juiciness to develop, and in our part of California, we have to wait until August for this.
If you are lucky enough to have a friend or neighbor who grew too many, you have probably already tasted the sweet, smooth yet acidy flesh of a real tomato.
These are so different from the woody specimens usually found in the supermarket that it’s hard to believe they’re the same fruit. A fully ripe fresh tomato just off the vine is one of summer’s best miracles and doesn’t need any fussing.
While you’re at a farmer’s market, pick up a bunch or two of fresh basil. An herb related to mint, basil is thought to have originated in India and is used in many Asian cuisines as well as Italian. It is available in supermarkets as well as at the farmer’s markets, and can be fairly easy to grow at home, needing mainly water and lots of sunshine to provide plenty of leaves for summer enjoyment.
Use the first leaves with tomatoes in a classic “caprese salad,” one or two simple steps more complex than simple marinated tomatoes.
Caprese Salad
The amounts and proportions are purposely vague. One package of mozzarella will garnish one to three medium tomatoes.
1/2 to 1 pound fresh mozzarella (this is the pliable, milky looking kind, newly available in supermarkets. The firmer kind will also work but not quite as deliciously.)
Fresh tomatoes
1 cup fresh basil leaves
Good-tasting olive oil
Salt and pepper
Step 1: Slice the cheese into fairly regular slices. Fresh cheese is hard to slice so don’t worry if the pieces don’t all match.
Step 2: Slice the tomatoes.
Step 3: Alternate slices of tomato and cheese and basil leaves on a platter or on individual plates.
Step 4: Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.
While fresh basil doesn’t last long once picked, a great way to preserve the summery flavor is to make pesto. The name “pesto” refers to the mortar and pestle used to mash pesto ingredients before the advent of blenders and food processors. Pestos are now made with a lot of other things besides basil, but to me, pesto means basil.
Pesto alla Genovese
(from Time-Life Foods of the World, The Cooking of Italy)
Makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups
2 cups fresh basil leaves, stripped from their stems, coarsely chopped and tightly packed into the cup
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 Tbs. finely chopped pine nuts or walnuts
1 to 1 1/2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or romano cheese
Step 1: Combine the basil, salt, pepper, garlic, nuts and 1 cup of the olive oil in a blender jar.
Step 2: Blend at high speed until the ingredients are smooth, stopping every 5 or 6 seconds to push the ingredients down with a rubber spatula.
Step 3: If the sauce seems too thick (it should be somewhat liquid), blend in as much as 1/2 cup more olive oil.
Step 4: Transfer the sauce to a bowl and stir in the cheese.
Pesto keeps well in a plastic tub in the refrigerator for a week or two. For longer storage, pour the sauce into a plastic ice cube tray and freeze. When the cubes are frozen, pop them into plastic bags and keep frozen.
To use, remove as many cubes as you want and let thaw at room temperature, or microwave for 10 or 15 seconds at 50 percent power. (You only want to melt it, not heat it.)
Pesto is delicious on pasta, of course, but I also like it on scrambled eggs or spread on whole wheat toast. It’s also a great substitute for fresh basil leaves in caprese salad. Allow a couple of cubes of frozen pesto per person, and omit the olive oil.
Finally, here’s a festive and easy dish that puts all these summer flavors to use.
Summery Shrimp and Pasta
(adapted from savingdinner.com)
Serves 2
1 cup small pasta (like small shells), uncooked
1 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. or frozen cubes pesto
1 medium tomato, peeled, chopped and drained
3 Tbs. parmesan cheese, grated
Step 1: Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain into a serving bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet and add the chopped onion. When the onion begins to soften, add the garlic and red pepper flakes.
Step 3: Add the shrimp pieces to the skillet and cook until pink.
Step 4: Add tomatoes and cook until warm through.
Step 5: Toss the shrimp mixture onto the pasta and continue tossing with the pesto and cheese.
