Basil - grace grits and gardening

End of Summer Pizza

October 18, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

I’m pretty excited that I just made this wonderfulness for lunch. I’m calling it End of Summer Pizza because my whole goal was to come up with a great way to use the last of my basil and that’s what I did. End of Summer Pizza is easy to make and healthier than ordering delivery pizza because a) it’s loaded with veggies, and b) I don’t have a bunch of leftovers calling to me and driving me crazy until I eat every last bite. Know what I mean?

The crust is Naan, an Indian flat-bread purchased from the grocery store. Yes, I could have made it, but I’m trying to keep it simple while still eating well. Plus, I don’t make crust.

End of Summer Pizza

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Ingredients

Naan
Olive oil
Parmesan Regianno
Green onions chopped
4-5 cherry tomatoes sliced thinly
2 Tablespoons chopped red pepper
Basil chopped
Shredded cheese I used 6-blend Italian
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brush Naan with olive oil.
Grate parmesan over Naan.
Layer chopped green onions, thinly sliced tomatoes, chopped red pepper, and basil (in that order).
Sprinkle with grated 6-cheese Italian blend, or cheese of choice.
Add more grated parmesan. Please, use the real thing not the stuff in the can.
Top with a slice of red bell pepper for additional flavor and crunch. Add salt and pepper.
Bake 5-7 minutes until cheese has melted.

A couple of things… I think goat cheese would have been a great addition, but I didn’t have any. Really, add whatever you like—shredded chicken, black olives, purple onions, etc. You could also add pesto sauce or tomato sauce instead of olive oil.

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]End of Summer pizza made with flatbread and the last of my basil. #vegetarian #Naan #simpledinner[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

This has nothing whatsoever to do with my pizza, other than I love this performance, Barrett Baber lives in Fayetteville, and I was walking in Memphis last week.

Barrett Baber & Dustin Christensen, Walking in Memphis

Grilled Basil Burger Recipe

August 19, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Looking for a special burger recipe for Labor Day (or any day)? This grilled basil burger recipe is it! John has whipped up these burgers several times this summer. I’ve been planning to share his recipe for weeks, but here we are nearing the end of August, and I’m just getting around to it. One bite and you’ll taste what you’ve been missing. I apologize in advance for waiting so long.

John at the helm of his Big Green Egg. Basil burgers and spicy sausage…

John uses a Big Green Egg, but I am confident this burger recipe will turn out great on any grill or smoker. Also, we highly recommend Ozark Oak Hardwood Lump Charcoal made in Yellville, Arkansas. John swears by this hardwood charcoal which adds a light, smoky aroma and doesn’t overpower the food. If you live in Arkansas, look for it at your local grocery store. In Dallas, try Jacksons Home and Garden or Elliot’s Hardware.

Okay, without further delay, let’s move on to the recipe.

This flavorful burger is Italian inspired with sun-dried tomatoes, Italian red wine and Fontina cheese. My homemade basil pesto (in lieu of traditional condiments) adds a fresh flavor. Of course, you can add your favorite fixings when it’s time to build your burger, but I recommend tomato, red onion and arugula. (I added pickled radishes because I had them in my fridge—that’s the odd looking reddish-orange thing in my first picture). We used grill sourdough which added a light touch. Sometimes regular hamburger buns add too much bread for my taste.

If you give this a try for Labor Day, let us know what you think!

Grilled Basil Burger

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Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds freshly ground sirloin
1/2 pound freshly ground pork
1/4 cup medium to full bodied red wine
1/4 cup lightly packed minced fresh basil
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup fresh Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
2 heaping Tablespoons minced garlic
sourdough bread slices
Italian Fontina cheese or other white cheese such as Gruyere, Provolone, or Gouda
Arugula leaves
Tomato slices
Red onion slices thinly sliced
Fresh Basil Pesto recipe HERE

Instructions

Mix first eight ingredients in a large bowl. Form into patties or sliders. Mix thoroughly but avoid over-handling / over-compacting meat.
Let patties rest thirty minutes at room temperature before grilling.
Prepare medium-hot fire charcoal grill. When grill is ready, brush rack with vegetable oil so that meat doesn't stick. Place patties on rack, cover, cook, turn only once until done to preference, approximately 5 minutes each side (depending on size). Immediately before removing from grill, top with cheese.
Let burgers rest for five minutes.
Brush sourdough with olive oil; grill lightly.
Spread basil pesto on bread. Add toppings of your choice such as tomatoes, red onion slices, arugula, etc.
Enjoy!

Grilled Basil Burgers!!! see the basil and sundried tomato? yum.

So juicy! See the bits of basil and sun-dried tomatoes in the meat? Yum.

Grilled Basil Burgers topped with Fontina Cheese

Fontina cheese is creamy and luscious. Melts evenly too.

Happy Grilling!

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Homemade Basil Pesto

May 28, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Since I have lots of basil growing in my garden, I decided to make homemade basil pesto last weekend. There is nothing like fresh pesto. And if you’ve never made it before, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is.

Homemade Basil Pesto

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Servings 1 /2 cup

Ingredients

1 cup tightly packed fresh basil
2 Tablespoons pine nuts
1 clove garlic
1 inch chopped garlic scapes optional
1/3 cup olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Italian Parmesan or Pecorino

Instructions

Mix first 5 ingredients using food processor or stick blender.
Add cheese and pulse again until blended.
Refrigerate.

Notes

I used chopped garlic scapes because I had a bunch. If you aren't familiar, scapes are the flower shoots or stems of the garlic plant. They have a mild garlicky flavor—sort of a garlic flavored scallion. Feel free to omit this from the recipe, if you prefer.

As you can see, I didn’t chop my garlic scapes. Easier to blend if you do…

While basil is in season and readily available, you may want to make a large batch and freeze for later, but freeze before adding the grated cheese.

Use as a spread on sandwiches. Mix with pasta. Be creative! Pesto is great to have on hand. HERE’s a 25 recipe roundup using pesto—all the dishes look fantastic.

On Memorial Day, we used it on John’s amazing smoked basil burgers instead of mayo or mustard. (Recipe coming to the blog soon!)