A surprisingly fragrant plant called basil from the family of mint grasses was originally cultivated as a medicine. Essential oils contained in fragrant leaves have analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, which was widely used in practice by pharmacists and family doctors in the old days. In cooking, basil began to be used later, but the result of its use in food was so striking that the popularity of this herb increased every day, rapidly gaining momentum.
Lemon Basil - application
There are several varieties of basil, which are now widely used for flavoring culinary dishes and giving them a special taste. The most common vegetable green and purple basil. But sometimes it is also used basil greens with a lemon scent. Such leaves with a citrus note perfectly set off the taste of fish dishes and seafood dishes, and are also used for making sauces that are most suitable for supplementing seafood.
Dried Basil - Application
In cooking, both fresh basil leaves and dried ones are used equally, which fully retain all the aromatic and valuable properties. For their preparation, fresh foliage is dried in a dark, warm place away from direct sunlight.
Dried basil is added to a wide variety of dishes, salad dressings, marinades and sauces, as well as useful herbal teas. Any dish, seasoned with dried basil leaves, acquires a unique, original, incomparable taste that never gets bored, even with frequent use.
Dried basil perfectly complements pasta, pizza, dishes from fresh tomatoes and other vegetables, as well as various soups and even some desserts.
Basil - application in canning
Recently, basil is increasingly added to marinades when canning vegetables , and sometimes fruits. There are many recipes in which basil leaves dominate other aromatic and flavor additives or even replace them at all. The unique spicy spicy aroma of basil with astringent notes will give tomatoes or cucumbers a special taste that can not be achieved by using other spices.
An important value will also be when preserving and bactericidal properties of basil, which will play a role of a kind of preservative.
The use of basil as a seasoning for meat
Fresh basil leaves are not only an indispensable component of salads, but also the first and second dishes. Without them, especially in the Caucasus, they will not be given a shish kebab. In the same place, spicy grass is added to almost all meat dishes. In extreme cases, in a dried form, but basil must invariably be present in them, filling the taste of meat dish with piquant paints.
For the same purpose, in Italy, fresh Pesto sauce is prepared from fresh basil, complemented by most meat dishes. In French cuisine, there are also many variations of basil sauces to meat, without which the dishes lose their appeal and appetence.
To use fresh basil in food it is not recommended to grind with a knife. It is best to tear the leaves with your hands, so they will be even more fragrant, exuding a startling aroma. For the same purpose, you should add basil at the end of cooking, when it comes to heat treatment. When using the same dried basil, say for sauces or dressings, it must be added in advance, in advance, and allow time to stand, so that the fragrance can fully open.