This green paste

Hello! How is spring treating you? We got a bit of sunshine a bit of wind and a bit of time to enjoy the swings. What is more, I am so excited that we were able to plant our first flowers, first herbs and even tomatoes in our garden. My two-year-old daughter enjoyed watering the soil and putting the seeds. I am looking forward to see what comes out of it. I am sure the girls would love to pick some salad leaves, maybe strawberries or even carrots?

Talking about the garden, guess what we have planted there – a lot of basil seeds. My family absolutely loves basil. It is one of the most common shopping lists’ item when I do my groceries. I often buy a big bunch of picked basil because I make this amazing paste – this green paste.

Some interesting facts about basil!

According to the scientific studies basil is very beneficial to our bodies:

Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Cancer-fighter, Pain-reducer, Fever-reducer, Diabetes-preventer, Liver-protector, Blood vessel-protector, Anti-stress solution, Immune-booster

These are just few amazing qualities that basil is proud of. Basil was first found in India, Asia and Africa. To my own surprise I thought that basil comes from Italy however, it started further away. To add, there are more than 60 varieties of basil (fascinating (!)). They differ in appearance and taste.

Final tip, since the oils in basil are highly elusive you should add basil near the end of your cooking so it holds the ultimate essence and flavour.

Isn’t basil a wonderful herb? Time to share one of my basil recipes. It is the basil paste that I have to make it every week. Why so often? Because it is soooo good that we finish it very quickly. And if you introduce it to your guests it disappears even faster.

So, my green paste consists of:

Basil leaves – 500 gr (I do not measure exactly; the more the better)

Garlic – at least 4-6 big cloves

Lemon juice (I usually use half of lemon or even less, you do not want to have too much liquid in your paste)

Olive oil – 2-4 table spoons (you might want to add more depending on how much basil you got)

Salt – to the taste

As you can see – very simple ingredients but the right proportions makes it taste amazing and it is so easy to store it. You can keep it in a jar in a fridge or if you really made a lot of the paste you can even freeze it and use it when you need it. For freezer – you can put the paste in an ice cube trays.

How do we make it? Pluck the basil leaves and wash them. Take an effort to dry them properly otherwise it will bring some water into the paste that we do not want to. Once the leaves are dry put them in your blender or food processor, add salt, garlic and olive oil. Blend and slowly add the lemon juice.  You have to watch that it does not become too liquidly. Keep blending until the smooth paste is formed.

How do we use it? Our favourite is with pasta, barley, rice or even a great spread on bread or base for pizza.

Enjoy this green paste.