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Anyone else loving their herb garden this summer?
I’ve been wowed by the garden chatter on Facebook and Twitter lately. I’ve said it before – my green thumb is growing. I’m a novice in every sense of the word. Joe and I have bought new plants to replace the ones we’ve accidentally killed.
Yet, our herbs seem to grow despite our mistakes. In fact, my basil is prolific. Jars of pesto are in my near future.
I’ve been using this bright, pungent, peppery herb in nearly everything. Quite often, it makes a star appearance as a simple chiffonade.
If you’ve never heard the term ‘chiffonade’ before, don’t worry. It’s another fancy culinary term for thinly sliced green leaves. You can cut any green leaf this way.
Stack the leaves. Roll them. Slice thinly. Sprinkle.
I seasoned my tomatoes with a freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, then drizzled them with a little balsamic vinegar and evoo. Topped with fresh basil chiffonade and I had the perfect 5 minute summer salad.
What are you doing with your fresh herbs?
Reminder…
Today I’m guest posting at Celiacs in the House – my best tips on permanent weight loss. It’s part of Wendy’s series called “30 Days to 50″ where she’s writing about her journey to improve her health as she approaches the big 5-0.
Stop by, read my post, and wish my friend an early Happy Birthday. Stay tuned into her series because she has lots of good info on the way.
This post is linked to Pennywise Platter.
Kim @ Cook IT Allergy Free
posted on July 21, 2010 at 11:23 pm
That looks like such a perfect dish for this heat. And just because I am a fresh mozarella addict (have to sneak it since we don’t do much dairy around here), a little bit of it would be delish!
PS I have so much basil right now, I have been making everything topped with different variations of pesto!! My poor kids are sick of any type of “green sauce”, as they call it!
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Kim
posted on July 22, 2010 at 6:59 am
I love basil! I have an Udi’s bagel with fresh tomatoes & basil chiffonade for lunch yesterday.
Kim
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Alta
posted on July 22, 2010 at 9:01 am
Looks lovely! I might just finish off the rest of my tomatoes this way before my trip to the farmers market Saturday.
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Maggie Savage
posted on July 22, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Thanks for teaching me a new tip Amy – and a new term! Here we are again, benefitting from your hard work in culinary school
We’ve been making LOADS of pesto too – just like Kim. Callum pretends he doesn’t like it and then eats all of ours when we’re not looking. Stubborn preschooler! Livvie as usual will eat just about anything we put in front of her – takes after her momma!
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Neveen
posted on July 22, 2010 at 12:26 pm
I plan on introducing my 8 1/2-month-old to the deliciousness of basil. Plan to mix it with his carrots. So far he’s had a little bit of cilantro, parsley and sorrel from the garden.
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Suzanne Collier
posted on July 22, 2010 at 12:27 pm
This is my favorite way to eat fresh summer tomatoes! I can’t get enough. Now I also know what “chiffonade” means. LOL!
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Iris
posted on July 22, 2010 at 12:36 pm
I just learned that term “chiffonade” from one of the Food Network shows. Basil is my favorite herb…it goes so well in just about everything.
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Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen
posted on July 22, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Looks beautiful! There is no better summertime dish!
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