I've got herbs running out my ears, especially basil. In addition to what we planted, it volunteered again this year, one of them even in the actual basil pot. So pretty much everything gets a touch of basil right now, from the saison Dave is brewing to cocktails. It's not a bad problem to have in late summer.
Basil and lemon cocktail
From mollann-m.blogspot.com
Ingredients
Juice of ½ lemon
3-4 basil leaves, plus more for garnish
1 ½ ounces vodka
1 ounce St. Germain
Method
Muddle basil leaves with lemon juice in a cocktail shaker.
Fill with ice and add vodka and St. Germain. Shake well and strain into a
cocktail glass. Garnish with basil leaves. Makes one very ample cocktail.
Rating: Quite an acceptable cocktail. All the flavor notes come through, with none of them overwhelming. Just really nice, and very summery. And it's still in the upper 80s, so by golly it's still summer.
Play along: "Midnight on the Trail" by Hot Club of Cowtown. In keeping with the summery theme, this album comes from a group we caught while catching our breath at the state fair. Nothing like some laid-back Western swing (sort of jazz meets blue grass) while resting in the dappled noon shade at the Leinie Band Shell. A nice break between honey ice cream and duck bacon wontons.
This recipe falls under the heading of the third time's the charm. The first time I made this recipe, exactly as written, it was a very tasty failed attempt at a dip. The recipe didn't call for draining the lentils after cooking, which I found suspect, but went ahead and followed the recipe since it was supposed to be a puree. It made a very runny concoction that I happily repurposed as a pasta sauce, one which looked nothing like the magazine photo, being yellowy.
I usually bounce off if a recipe doesn't work, but this one had flavor merit, so I pressed on.
Second try: I drained the lentils and used green lentils instead of the yellow or red called for. Slightly better consistency, but still a little grainy-ish. I took this version into work, and people ate it, but it still wasn't quite there.
Third try: Green lentils again, drained, but this time I added an avocado. Much better consistency and and nice and tasty. I'll quit while I'm ahead.
Lentil avocado puree
Adapted from Bon Appetit Aug. 2017
Ingredients
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup French green lentils
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup cilantro leaves
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 ripe avocado
Method
Combine onion, lentils, cumin and water in a medium
saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook 25 to 30
minutes until tender. Let cool.
With a slotted spoon, transfer cooked lentils to a food
processor, reserving liquid in case it’s needed. Add cilantro leaves, olive oil
and lime juice. Puree until smooth. Add avocado and puree until smooth. Add
some reserved cooking liquid if needed to reach desired consistency. Adjust season with salt and pepper.
The recipe claimed it serves 4. What? They’re thinking main
course? It makes a lot, certainly enough to hold its own for a party if it’s
not the only dip.
Rating: If you didn't have to go through three tries, you'd think it was a nice recipe, worth repeating. And if you want a nice pasta sauce, just don't drain the lentils and skip the avocado.
Play along: "Midnight on the Trail" by Hot Club of Cowtown. In keeping with the summery theme, this album comes from a group we caught while catching our breath at the state fair. Nothing like some laid-back Western swing (sort of jazz meets blue grass) while resting in the dappled noon shade at the Leinie Band Shell. A nice break between honey ice cream and duck bacon wontons.
