mtblujeans
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2004
Is there anything special I need to know about growing Basil? Indoors or outdoors....TIA
Hi, Patsy!
The recent recipe that I tried I got from the Rachael Ray Show. It looked so easy on the show and it really was easy to make. We had a little left over and it tasted even better the next day! I got some of the ingredients at Costco and spent under $21 getting most of the stuff for this meal....and it serves several with just one pound of chicken.
Chicken Parm Pasta Toss (serves 4 - 6)
1 pound whole wheat penne
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, chopped into pieces
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
Ground black pepper
2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
1 large red onion, chopped
2 pints grape tomatoes
2 cups basil, chopped
3 cups arugula or baby arugula, roughly chopped
1 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Fill a large pasta pot with water and place it over high heat. Once the water comes up to a boil, salt it and drop in the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. Before draining the pasta, reserve a mugful of starchy cooking water, then drain and reserve.
While the water is coming up to a boil, place a large skillet over high heat with 3 turns of the pan of EVOO (olive oil), about 3 tablespoons. Season the chicken pieces with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper then add it to the preheated skillet. Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side.
Once the chicken is brown, add the garlic and onions to the pan, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cover the pan with a lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes burst open and begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes (if they havent started to burst open by that time, mash them lightly with a potato masher or wooden spoon). Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
Add the drained pasta and reserved starchy cooking water (about 1 cup) to the skillet with the chicken and tomatoes, and toss over the heat until combined, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil, arugula, and cheese. Serve.
The one I have inside, I had put in a easterly window and it has grown and now has white flowers on it. I don't know what that means!
I bought a packet of seeds and DH planted some out in the garden. We have yet to see how they will do as they haven't come up yet.
It means that you have a healthy plant that is getting older. Not really sure, but the flowers may turn into seeds .
Go ahead and snip the stalks whenever you use the basil. When the flowers start coming, the basil will stop producing the leaves. You want a bushy plant, and the only way to get that is to prune the plant so 2 stalks grow where you snipped one. You can try to save the flowers and see if you are able to grow them next season. I'm assuming you are referring to sweet basil, but this is true for most types of basil that I know about.
When the little flowers began blossoming, the leaves all started curling up. I took it out of the window and the blossoms all died away. The plant looks pretty bad right now.Go ahead and snip the stalks whenever you use the basil. When the flowers start coming, the basil will stop producing the leaves. You want a bushy plant, and the only way to get that is to prune the plant so 2 stalks grow where you snipped one. You can try to save the flowers and see if you are able to grow them next season. I'm assuming you are referring to sweet basil, but this is true for most types of basil that I know about.
I buy a pot in the supermarkt and keep it on the windowsill til it dies I've grown it in pots but we'cve had some cold summers so its not quick enough. There is no comparison with dried, but it works best when not cooked too long, e.g. added to pasta with some chopped tomatoes, green (french) beans and brie and stirred gently over the heat til the Brie goes gooey