RENEE'S ROOTS

Finding cool ways to utilize garden's abundance of basil

By Renee Studebaker
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

I don't know about you, but I don't cook many hot meals between June and September. It's too, well, hot. So it's a good thing that most of my favorite summer garden goodies - tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers and peppers - taste so good cold. And even better? They all taste great with my favorite summer herb: sweet basil.

In fact, sweet basil can be the star of a cold summer meal - which makes it a natural for my first column about cooking with seasonal ingredients from my garden.

This monthly column in the Food & Life section will be a chance for me, an obsessive gardener and garden blogger who loves to go on (and sometimes on and on) about gardening, to write about the other thing I love to go on and on about - really fresh, really local food. The kind that's bursting with flavor because it was just picked this morning. The kind that makes me smile when I set it on the table - because I did more than prepare the meal; I grew it (or at least a large part of it).

I decided to set a table that would give my favorite summer herb a good workout. I invited friends Stella Weir and her husband, Chad Himmel, to share a cold supper with me so I could give a couple of my favorite basil-y recipes a final test before publishing them.

The menu? Cold green bean and tomato salad (with, of course, lots of basil); basil hummus with cucumber and sweet pepper dipping sticks; a plate of French olives from Central Market (OK, not local, but really worth the exception); and très stinky yummy blue cheese from Brazos Valley Cheese Co. in Waco. Stella and Chad brought a bottle of Picpoul De Pinet, a crisp, slightly acidic and fabulously fresh white wine from France (again, not local, but perfect in every other way with our meal).

I had planned to start the meal with Eastside Cafe's wonderful cold tomato basil cream soup, but my tomato crop has been a bit thin this season (stupid tomato-stealing squirrels!), and I didn't have enough ripe tomatoes on hand that night to make the soup AND the green bean salad. (Besides, there's no need to test an Eastside Cafe soup recipe; you know it's going to be good.)

Also on the menu: a basil-flavored cocktail. Muddled herb cocktails are so trendy that I couldn't resist coming up with my own version. So instead of a soup starter, we started with a tequila cocktail, made with fresh basil and two other citrusy herbs from my garden: lemon verbena and orange mint.

By now you might be thinking, "Ooh, that sounds like too much basil in one meal." That's what Stella thought when I told her what I would be serving, but she was too polite to say so. I, too, wondered if it would work, but I had recipes to test, so I put those thoughts aside and ran out to the garden to pick tomatoes and clip some basil. Lots of basil.

Turns out it did work, and beautifully. The bright flavors of citrus, tomato and basil alongside the creamy garbanzos and the fresh, tender-crisp green beans created satisfying contrasts of savory and acid, tart and sweet. And our before-dinner tequila cocktail (I'm calling it the Green Thumb) offered its own bright high note.

A sidenote: Perhaps you would agree that green beans don't stir the passions of cooks the way some vegetables do. Green beans are steady and stable. A side dish. But pair them with the zingy flavors of basil, citrus and onion, and the umami "pow!" of a "Cherokee Purple" heirloom tomato, and you've got something that starts to sing like a main dish. Stella, Chad and I all had seconds; I think Chad had thirds.

(By the way, you probably already know this, but just in case: Umami is a Japanese word that means "savory" or "meaty." This flavor is strong in meats, cheeses, soy sauce - and, no big surprise - homegrown tomatoes.)

A final note: So how did the basil hummus go over? "I think this is the best hummus I've ever eaten" were Stella's words. OK, so she was probably exaggerating because that's what nice dinner guests do. But still, I was pleased to hear it. And later, as I cleared the table, I was pleased again to find that every last bit of the hummus had been scraped from the serving bowl - a sure sign that it was loved.

rstudebaker@statesman.com; 445-3946

Sweet basil is the perfect ingredient for adding a cool, spicy note to a cold supper on a hot summer night with friends. If you don't have a vegetable garden, consider visiting your favorite farmers market to shop for ingredients. The full flavor of fresh homegrown produce makes a huge difference in these recipes. The quality of your olive oil does too; choose a hearty, fruity, not bitter oil. Give these dishes a try and let me know what you think.

- Renee Studebaker

Green Thumb

1 Tbsp. fresh sweet basil leaves

3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice

Juice of half a valencia or other sweet orange

1 hefty pinch of sea salt

2 tsp. of agave nectar

1/4 tsp. fresh orange mint leaves

1/4 tsp. fresh lemon verbena leaves

11/2 oz. silver tequila

11/2 Paula's Texas Orange liqueur

6 to 8 oz. carbonated mineral water (Topo Chico tastes just right in this drink)

Sprigs of basil and verbena for garnish

Pour basil, juices, salt and agave into a tall mixing glass. Using a hand-held immersion blender, mix ingredients well, until juice mixture is green and basil is in small bits. Gently press whole mint leaves (no stems) into a 1/4-teaspoon measuring spoon, then add to juice mixture. Do the same with verbena leaves. Stir gently to disperse herbal oils. Pour mixture through a strainer into another tall mixing glass. Add tequila, orange liqueur and mineral water, stir and serve on the rocks, with herb garnish. Makes two cocktails.

- Renee Studebaker

Tomato Basil Cream Soup

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 cup onions, minced

1 tsp. fresh garlic, minced

1 cup water

9 cups ripe tomatoes, diced

3 Tbsp. fresh basil, minced

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat butter. Sauté onions and garlic for 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. When mixture is cool, transfer to a food processor or blender. Add water, 6 cups of the diced tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of the basil and pureé until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in remaining 3 cups of diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons basil and heavy cream. Add salt and pepper. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.

- Eastside Cafe

(A note from co-owner Elaine Martin of Eastside Cafe: "This soup was originally created by Ruth Carter and is in our first soup cookbook, `Soup Yourself.' I have made some changes over the years and I think this is just about perfect. It is wonderful hot or cold. Garnish with fresh basil buds or flowers.")

Basil Hummus

About 3 cups cooked, rinsed and drained garbanzo beans (In the winter I buy beans in bulk and cook them myself; in summer I use 19 oz. can of Progresso .)

4 Tbsp. extra fruity, extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp. sesame tahini

4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup coarsely chopped sweet onion

1 large clove garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

Large handful of fresh sweet basil leaves

Generous pinch of sea salt

Sprig of basil and Basil-y Olive Oil (recipe below) for garnish

Spears of peeled cucumber and slices of sweet red pepper to use as dipping sticks

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until creamy smooth (with no little chunky bits of bean). Scoop into serving bowl; serve at room temperature or chill for 1 hour. Garnish with basil sprig and drizzle with basil-y oil. Serve with platter of vegetable dipping sticks.

Basil-y Olive Oil

This is so simple, but so wonderful. Pour a quarter cup of good, fruity, extra virgin olive oil into a mixing bowl or processor. (I like to use a hand-held immersion blender.) Add a handful of fresh sweet basil leaves and one or two generous pinches of sea salt. Blend until it is smooth and the basil is reduced to specks of dark green. Pour (and press gently) through a strainer. It can keep in the fridge for at least a week. Allow the oil to warm to room temperature before using. Great drizzled on sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, goat cheese or use as a vegan spread on sandwiches instead of butter or mayo.

Cold Green Bean and Tomato Salad with Basil

I've made a version of this salad for years, and it turns out a little different every time because I just throw in a little of this and that without measuring anything. So play with these amounts until you get something you really like.

About a pound of fresh snap beans (a sweet, tender, skinny variety is best for this salad)

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet onions

1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh sweet basil leaves

2 or 3 medium strongly flavored homegrown tomatoes, cored and sliced into wedges

1/4 cup good quality extra fruity extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 generous pinches sea salt

Bring water to boil in a medium sauce pan. Add 1 pinch salt and washed, whole beans. Cook until just tender, but still crisp. Rinse cooked beans immediately in cold water, and then drain and chill for a bit in the fridge. When ready to prepare salad, snip off ends of beans and slice in 2- to 3-inch lengths. Place in a serving bowl, and top with all other ingredients. Toss gently and let sit at room temperature for at least an hour so flavors can meld. Garnish with sprig of basil, and if desired, a thin shaving or two of Parmesan Reggiano.

- Renee's Roots