Herbes
Faulkner, Naylor
Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com

La Belle Cuisine - More Side Dish Recipes

Fine Cuisine with Art Infusion

"To cook is to create. And to create well...is an act of ingenuity, and faith."

Basil Purée

“If I had to choose just one plant for the whole herb garden,
I should be content with basil.”
~ Elizabeth David

Recipe of the Day Categories:

   Recipe Home

   Appetizers

   Beef

   Beverage

   Bread

   Breakfast

   Cake

   Chocolate

   Cookies

   Fish

   Fruit

   Main Dish

   Pasta

   Pies

   Pork

   Poultry

   Salad

   Seafood

   Side Dish

   Soup

   Vegetable

   Surprise!

Your patronage of our affiliate partners supports this web site.  We thank you!

Basil Purée


Cooking with Herbs:
The Flavor of Provence
By Michel Biehn, English translation by Josephine Bacon © 2001 Flammarion Inc.

Peel 3 1/3 pounds (1.5 kg) of old potatoes. Cook them in boiling salted
water for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile wash and wipe dry a large bunch of flat-leafed parsley and a
large bunch of small-leafed basil. Remove the leaves from the stems and discard any stems that are too tough. Grind the leaves and soft stems in a
food processor.
In a saucepan, warm 3/4 cup (200 ml) milk with 3/4 cup (200 ml) olive oil. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and mash them in a food mill or potato-masher. Mix the milk and oil with the potatoes, stirring with a wooden spoon, and finally add the herbs. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
This puree makes a splendid accompaniment to fish.

Basil

“Provence owes much of its identity to India, including, of course, brightly colored cotton calico, printed with sprigs of exotic blooms, and indigo, the deep blue dye used for denim, originally ‘de Nîmes’(from Nîmes). One day, hidden among the bales of cotton cloth, the silks, sacks of spices, and other treasures imported from India, there arrived an herb that is considered sacred in its native country. A few centuries later, it has become the herb that is considered most typical of Provençal cooking – basil. In India, basil is dedicated to the god Vishnu who will not suffer the plant to be badly treated
in any way and who rejects the prayers of those who destroy it. Curiously, these sacred legends also made their way to Provence. At one time, the picking of basil in Provence was accompanied by an intricate ritual. The herbalist had to purify his right hand, the one he used to pick the plant, by taking an oak branch and dipping it in the water of three different streams before sprinkling it over the hand. He had to wear clean clothes and
distance himself from any impurity.
Today, basil is widely cultivated in various varieties. The commonest is ‘fine green basil; which the producers call ‘Marseillais.’ It grows in compact, round tufts which makes it particularly suited for growing in pots. But there are
many other varieties including ‘purple,’ ‘large green,’ and ‘bush’ basil. It is important to note that basil is best if eaten fresh. When dried it loses all its flavor and personality, and if preserved in oil its flavor is denatured. But you have the whole summer to enjoy the sight of a pretty pot of basil in the kitchen window.”

 
Featured Archive Recipes:
Chèvre-Rosemary-Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Goat Cheese Mashed Potato Gratin
Mashed Potatoes with Four Variations (Union Square Cafe)
Potato Skins Stuffed with Leeks and Three Cheeses
Joël Robuchon's Gratin Dauphinois
Daniel Boulud's Potato Gratin Forestier
 

Index - Side Dish Recipe Archives
Recipe Archives Index