The Venues Collection Grow Club – Basil
At The Venues Collection we love using fresh herbs to flavour and finish our dishes.
Once you’ve grown your basil plants, why not use the herb in some of these delicious recipes, including a Courgette and Basil Salad with Confit Tomatoes, Whipped Ricotta & Spiced Seed Granola; that you can find on our seasonal menu.
Basil Pesto
Whizz those basil leaves up with pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and oil (or use a pestle and mortar for a coarser texture). Stir it through pasta for a quick and easy meal.
Basil Oil
Blend basil leaves with olive or rapeseed oil to make a vibrant green herb oil that’s great for drizzling over dishes.
Ingredients:
- Large bunch of Basil
- Red Pimiento Peppers 2
- Courgette 1kg
- Ricotta 550g
- Mixed salad leaves 250g
- Jumbo Oats 100g
- Pumpkin Seeds 50g
- Sunflower Seeds 50g
- Madras Curry Powder 6g
- Basil infused Rapeseed Oil 200ml
- Pomace Oil 35ml
- Poppy Seeds 35g
Courgette and Basil Salad with Confit Tomatoes, Whipped Ricotta & Spiced Seed Granola
This recipe is delicious as a light lunch or a starter, you’ll find this on a seasonal menu.
Method:
STEP 1.
Combine pomace oil, oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, madras curry powder together and mix until spice and oil is combined.
STEP 2.
Place this mix in oven, 175°c for 20 minutes until golden. Cool and reserve in airtight container.
STEP 3.
Mix ricotta with salt to season and add to piping bag and reserve for service.
STEP 4.
Drain peppers and cut into 1-inch dice. Season and fry in a very hot pan to colour quickly remove and cool for garnish later.
STEP 5.
Using a mandolin or speed peeled take ribbons or courgette until the seeds are showing save this part for soups or vegetable mix do not discard.
STEP 6.
30mins before serving marinate courgette ribbons in lemon zest and juice and season lightly with salt. These will soften and marinate.
STEP 7.
Dress salad and picked basil lightly with basil oil.
Basil Sorbet
Infuse the herb into a syrup to make this refreshing and aromatic orange and basil sorbet.
Method:
STEP 1
Gently heat the sugar with 250ml water until dissolved, then simmer for 2 minutes.
STEP 2
Tear the basil leaves, add to the syrup and infuse until cool.
STEP 3
Strain, mix with the orange juice and zest then churn in an ice cream maker until frozen, or freeze in a container, stirring once or twice.
Ingredients:
- Oranges 4, 2 zested
- Caster sugar 250g
- Basil a large bunch
Ingredients:
- pink or yellow grapefruit 6
- vodka 300ml
- basil a small bunch
- caster sugar 200g
Basil-infused Cocktail
Get that fresh, herby flavour by using your basil leaves in a cocktail. Basil pair’s perfectly with grapefruit in this refreshing basil cooler, which uses the stalks as well as the leaves.
Method:
STEP 1
Using a vegetable peeler remove the zest from 3 of the grapefruit and put the zest in a jar. Pour over the vodka and leave to infuse for at least 24 hours.
STEP 2
Cut all the grapefruit in half and juice – if making ahead of time, freeze the juice until it’s needed.
STEP 3
Pick the leaves from the basil and add the stalks to a small saucepan with the sugar and 200ml of water. Gently heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then cool, strain and chill until needed.
STEP 4
Put half the basil leaves in a jug, pour over the vodka, 300ml of basil stock syrup and the pink grapefruit juice and stir.
STEP 5
Fill 6 glasses with ice, the remaining basil and a little pink grapefruit zest (use the stuff from the vodka), and fill with cocktail mix.