Purple Pesto !

this basil is a beautiful eggplant purple - with a few lime green speckles and is a Genovese type and is delicious! Seeds are from WestCoast seeds - the pesto is purple! I made about 10 small tubs and froze it - will be splendid in the wintertime when we need a reminder of summer!

whole grain rice salad with cherries, fresh basil and spinach

I was reading "Super Natural Every Day" by Heidi Swanson, ( who also has the great blog 101 Cookbooks: http://www.101cookbooks.com/ - and came across this recipe using fresh garden spinach and cherries ~ the earthy spinach, toasted walnuts, salty feta, and sweet juicy cherries go well together and make a beautifully coloured salad with the dark purple thai black rice: cook the rice to make 3 cups, and while still hot, pour over 3 cups torn spinach leaves and toss to wilt a little. Make a cherry vinaigrette in the blender: 1/2 cups of pitted cherries, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt. Pour about 1/2 of this over the rice and spinach mixture. Add another 1/2 cup of pitted cherries and 1/2 cup toasted walnut halves to the salad and stir in. Turn the salad out onto a platter and finish with some feta, fresh basil leaves and a few more walnuts. I've never cooked this beautiful black rice before - it is sticky, and normally used in sweet desserts such as pudding in Thailand, but it worked very well for this salad which has an element of complimentary sweetness with the cherries.

purple power pizza

I had a bunch of purple opal basil - which I made into pesto - then put on a pizza. First I made some beet juice to put in the dough to make it good and purple. Piled on red onions, plums (just a few), some blue cheese, and some chopped fresh purple basil. It has a very strong flavour, and is quite rich, so a little bit went a long way - which is good, so I can take some to friends for lunch tomorrow!

Basil Dressing

It's time to pinch back the basil so it grows nice and bushy - here is a recipe from the Rebar Modern Food cookbook for Basil vinaigrette - wonderfully pungent and tastes like early Summer:2 cloves garlic minced; 1 1/2 T Dijon mustard; 2 Tb. honey; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 1 Tb. balsamic vinegar; several sprigs of fresh basil; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 1/2 tsp black pepper; blend, then add in a slow stream 1 cup olive oil.

Dream come true

I dream about fresh tomato and basil bruschetta all winter long - chop sun-warmed tomatoes and basil, add lots of fresh garlic, olive oil, a bit of lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Brush some good bread with a bit of olive oil and toast it, then put your tomato mixture on top under the broiler for a few minutes. Yum! Bruschetta comes from 'bruscare' meaning to roast over coals. Traditionally in Italy, olives were taken to the local mill for pressing in November and December, where the growers would typically take some country bread with them to toast over a small fireplace in the corner of the pressing room. When the oil emerges from the press, the grower would toast bits of the bread on the fire to sample the oil with. The next step is rubbing the toasted bread with garlic. Then, it is finished off with small, diced onions, tomatoes, and herbs. Using the best olive oil you can find or afford is important, as it adds a lot of flavour and will compliment your tomatoes. And flavourful, crusty bread is essential, too - wood fired from Wildfire Bakery is very good ( located at 1517 Quadra St.) I had the privilege of working at a wonderful Italian bakery for a number of years, and learned how to really appreciate good food, eating, and love of life from the owners and their families. The warmth and love of family is present in the food, and it is this I remember when preparing my bruschetta. An Italian blessing for food:

Signore del mondo, il pane della terra ci sostiene, il vino rallegra il nostro cuore e l'olio illumina il nostro volto. Sii benedetto per queste creature, doni preziosi che vengono da te per la consolazione di noi uomini. -->

Translation: Lord of the World, Bread from the earth sustains us Wine gladdens our heart And oil makes our faces shine. May You be blessed for these creations -- Precious gifts that come from you For the comfort of us human beings

first tomatoes

Still warm from the sun, chopped up with fresh basil - 'nuff said