USVI-On-Line

Yesterday in my CSA box, I got purple basil. I am not sure what to do with it. I got either two or three bunches. I like to make regular basil into pesto, but I think I would be grossed out by purple pesto.

Anyone have any suggestions? I did get lots of tomatoes, too, so maybe I should try my hand at some homemade pasta sauce. Of course, I'm not sure how to do that...

Caprese salad....sliced tomatoes, chopped garlic, chopped basil and balsamic dressing...yummmmmmm

is this the same thing as Thai basil? Cause I bought some of that and I have no idea what to do with it either.

Purple Basil is somewhat more intensely flavored than sweet basil and also has that wonderful color. The flavor intensity asks that you use a bit less of the purple than the green for any dishes you currently include basil in. Steeping purple basil in distilled or white wine vinegar will color the vinegar a rich reddish-purple. A member of the mint family, native to India.

This site has a bunch of recipes for it.
http://www.freshherbs.com/recipes_and_t ... asil.shtml


Here is a link to 9 more recipes for purple basil.
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?foodid=15899

If you decide to make your own tomato sauce, one hint is to not put the basil in until the last ten minutes or so.

Thanks for all the tips. I have a pasta recipe for fresh tomatoes, and I'm thinking that I might do that because it also calls for fresh basil. I'm just glad I know to use less.