How to Dry Basil

 

 

Basil, the word comes from the Greek, basileus, meaning king and is said to have first grown on the original cross of Christ.

Even though it represented hatred to the ancient Greeks, they placed it in the hands of the dead to ensure them a safe passage into the afterlife

and to make sure the gates of heaven opened for them, another practice was to hang basil on a door, or by an entrance, to bring good luck and wealth.

Only in the last century has basil, King of all herbs, both fresh and dried, become popular in Greek cuisine.

Since I can’t remember when, I’ve always had one or two, no, make that four or five basil plants on the go every summer.

Pots of basil make fabulous centre pieces for outdoor tables, how wonderful it is, on warm summer evenings, to ruffle the bright green leaves, releaseing its intense aroma and just… breathe.

 

 

They do say, that a pot of fresh basil will keep mosquitoes away, well, my mosquitoes must have become immune to it, or, they hate me with a vengeance!

Anyway, summer is not summer without my pots of basil.

 

 

 

 Through the summer months, I cut sweet, aromatic, tender basil leaves to toss on a salad, to throw into a pot of tomato sauce or to garnish my favourite summer dish; Caprese salad and last but not least, to make Pesto Genovese, once you’ve made your own, you will never use store bought again!

 

 

Tip: If you don’t happen to have any fresh basil to hand, never ever try a Caprese salad with dried basil, from experience, I know it just won’t work but Pesto Genovese, on the other hand, works fine.

I might add here, don’t try to make pesto with dried basil either, trust me on this!

 

 

Once summer is drawing to a close and my basil is on its last legs, I will dry it and store it for use during the winter months.

Before you can dry basil though, you first have to grow it!

 

Growing Basil

 

There are many types of basil; Thai, lemon, globe, and cinnamon but the most popular is sweet basil or Genovese basil.

Unlike many other herbs, which are perennials, basil is an annual; a one season wonder and is sensitive to cold temperatures, so April or May is the best time to grow basil if you are growing from seeds (I have never tried this, I buy mine from the local garden centre and repot).

 

 

Basil is best planted in pots that are kept in a warm sheltered spot, out of strong sunlight; keep the soil moist, if you live in a hot climate, it may need watering every day.

If you notice the leaves becoming limp, that means it’s thirsty, so give it a drink.

Tip: when flowers begin to form on your basil, pinch them off; this will create a bushier, much larger plant.

 

 

 

How to dry basil

 

There a few different ways to dry basil; either using a dehydrator, in a microwave (probably the easiest way to dry basil), in the oven and in the good old-fashioned, traditional way; air drying, the way I like to dry my basil.

As summer comes to an end, or when my basil has become too large for its pot and not looking its best and before it starts to flower, whichever occurs first, I will lop off great mounds of it with my scissors, give it a quick swill under the tap and carefully dry with kitchen paper (you could use a salad spinner, easier I suppose but I don’t own one), blotting up as much moisture as I can.

Basil bruises easily, which causes oxidation, meaning, it turns black and lose its flavor, so, be gentle with it.

I have air dried basil by removing the leaves from the stems, putting in an oven tray, use anything suitable but the larger the better, so the leaves are not piled up too much, the thinner the layer the better, for quicker drying.

 

 

I covered the tray with a piece of thin netting material, to keep out insects and left it, out of direct sunlight, to dry, frequently turning the leaves around, in order for them to dry uniformly.

This year, I tied small amounts of basil into small bunches, tied them on a string and hung them between the shade of two trees.

 

 

I kept my eye on them and in a couple of days they were ready, dry and brittle, perfect.

If you are air-drying basil in a colder climate, it will take longer and I recommend drying it indoors, somewhere warm and dry with a good air flow.

You will know that your basil is completely dry when it crumbles easily and there’s no sign of moisture. It shouldn’t bend, it should break.

 

 

 

Tip: Fresh basil has high water content, hang it in small bunches. Basil has a tendency to mold.

If you hang bunches of basil up against a wall, they will need turning a couple of times a day, so that the basil dries evenly which lessens the risk of mold.

Once the basil is completely dry, you can either crush it between your fingers or finely chop in a blender or food processor and store in an air tight jar.

 

 

It is said though, the best way to store dried basil, is to leave the dried leaves on the stem and store in an airtight jar, out of direct sunlight, taking out a little at a time and crushing the leaves with your fingers, only as you need it, this way, the basil retains much more of its flavor.

 

 

 

Drying basil in a hydrator

 

Lay the leaves in a single layer on the dehydrator tray lined with parchment paper.

Set temperature to no higher than 115F (45 C) and put the trays in the dehydrator. It should take about 4-6 hours for the basil to dry, depending on amount of basil in the hydrator.

Crush dried leaves and store in an air tight jar out of direct sunlight.

 

Drying basil in the oven

 

Lay the leaves on a lined baking sheet and put it in the oven. Turn the oven on at its lowest setting, after about fifteen minutes, turn off oven, keeping door closed, leave the basil in oven for around two hours.

When the basil is dry and cool, store in an airtight jar.

 

 

 

Drying basil in a microwave

 

Heat in microwave, on high, in three bursts: place the basil leaves on a plate between two towels. Cook for 45 seconds on high, then 30 seconds, then 30 seconds again. The basil leaves should look shriveled and be mostly dry.

Microwaves do differ, so do a few more 10 second bursts, as necessary, to dry it out.

The basil will crisp even more as it cools, when at room temperature; crumble the leaves with your fingers and store in airtight jars.

 

Where to use basil; dried versus fresh

 

Fresh basil, flavor-wise, wins hands down over dried basil every time but as it’s an annual, summer plant, it may be hard to track down in winter and so we have to go with the dried variety.

Fresh basil, full of vitamins and an antioxidant, has a rich, spicy flavour and is always added at the last minute in cooking, to preserve its intense taste.

Rather than chop the leaves with scissors or a knife, to free as much of that heady aroma as possible; tear it with your fingers.

Top uses for fresh basil are anywhere fresh, raw ingredients are used, such as salads, desserts and cocktails but it’s just as delicious added to soups and sauces.

Definitely use basil when it comes to tomatoes, in fact, it is said; “Basil and tomatoes are best friends”!

Dried basil is particularly good added to quick tomato sauce for pasta and pizzas, soups and sauces or used as a seasoning, sprinkled over chicken or pork, before roasting.

 

 

 

Recipe for Pesto Genovese

 

 

 

Traditional Italian Pesto Genovese is made with basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and olive oil and is super easy to make in the blink of an eye.

 

Ingredients for Pesto Genovese

 

 

2 large bunches of basil

50 gr raw pine nuts

25 gr Parmesan cheese

1 – 2 cloves garlic (Depending on how much you love garlic)

½ teaspoon sea salt

125 ml olive oil

 

Method

 

I use a multi chopper, much easier than any super duper, top of the range food processor with a million pieces to wash.

 

 

Wash and dry the basil and remove the leaves from the stems, the quickest and easiest way to do this is to hold the top of the basil stem between your fingers and with your other hand, grasp the top leaves in your fingers and pull downwards in the opposite direction of growth.

 

 

Coarsely chop the Parmesan cheese and garlic cloves, put into blender along with basil leaves, pine nuts, salt and olive oil.

Give the whole lot a few whizzes, until everything is finely blended together.

And that’s it, hey presto; you just made authentic Italian Pesto Genovese!

 

 

Tip: This recipe gives a rather thick pesto sauce, which I prefer as it can easily be spread on sandwiches, if using for spaghetti, or to dress a salad, I thin it down a little with a glug of olive oil, you don’t even have to put it in a bowl to mix it, just add the amount of pesto you need, straight onto your spaghetti or salad, drizzle required amount of olive oil on top and mix!

 

 

Store pesto in a screw top jar, it will keep well in the fridge for about a week.

 

 

Tip: You can freeze pesto in an ice cube tray, use when needed; another trick is freezing fresh basil in the same way, fill tray compartments with basil leaves, cover with water and freeze.

 

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