Articles & Essays

The Tasteful Garden By Carol Stein and Debbie Moose

Carol Stein cooks it

Debbie and I are looking forward to the flavors of summer, and no herb says summer better than basil. Basil plants won't be available in garden centers until late spring, but check the seed racks or mail-order catalogs for unusual varieties to start indoors.

Use peat pots, or any clean containers, and fresh potting soil. Sow only a few seeds in each one to make untangling the roots easier when it's time to transplant. Water the seeds in carefully. Place the containers in a shady spot indoors until sprouts appear, then move them to your sunniest, warmest window or place under grow lights.

When seedlings are 3 inches high, snip off the upper leaves and use them in cooking. Snipping makes basil plants stronger and bushier, so continue to snip and shape seedlings until night temperatures outdoors are consistently at 60 degrees. Then transplant to larger pots outdoors or into the garden.

Outdoors, basil requires full sun and well-drained soil. Water only when the soil is dry, and add organic fertilizer once a month during the growing season.

If you don't pinch off the flowers, the plants will quickly go to seed. If that happens, prune about 6 inches off each stem. Pinch off any flowers, and strip foliage from the lower 3 inches of the cut stems. Place the cuttings in a clear glass of water on a sunny windowsill, like a bouquet. Roots will sprout in one to two weeks, and you can plant the rooted cuttings.

Plant the classic large-leaf Genovese basil in large containers and ample garden spaces. For tabletop or patio plants, compact bush varieties Marseilles or Pistou are nice choices. Change up the color with purple varieties like Dark Opal, Purple Ruffles or Rubin for the bonus of pink flowers.

Debbie Moose cooks it

Thinking about basil on these freezing days gives me hope that summer will come. It's the ultimate summer flavor, and a fresh, homegrown tomato is Italian basil's soul mate.

But there are other kinds of basil besides the traditional Genovese. Thai basil has a strong anise flavor that is perfect in Thai or other Asian dishes (don't substitute it for Genovese; the anise taste is too pronounced). Lime basil has a citrus hint that makes it an interesting stand-in for mint in a mojito - don't laugh, try it. There are also basils with lemon and cinnamon flavors.

All types of fresh basil are as tender as cut flowers, and their flavor shines when cooked lightly or not at all. Shred it into salads or sprinkle it into pasta sauce at the very end of the cooking time to make the flavor pop.

Trim the leaves you need just before you're ready to use them, no sooner. If necessary, you can trim stalks of basil (think bouquet again) and place them in a glass of water on the counter for a day or two. Basil will go black very quickly in the refrigerator.

While you watch your little basil plants sprout, try this recipe, which uses fresh basil from the supermarket. I purchased hydroponic basil, with the roots still attached, and had excellent results.

Making ravioli is a snap with the dumpling wrappers traditionally used for Chinese potstickers. Look for them in the refrigerated section of Asian markets. I used round ones, but square ones should work just as well. Keep the wrappers covered while working to prevent drying out. The filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.

You could serve the ravioli with your favorite tomato sauce, but this mixture of olive oil, capers and lemon juice gives a different flavor. It could serve as an appetizer or main dish, and the recipe can be halved.

Basil Ravioli With Olive Oil

Ingredients:

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup Parmesan cheese

½ cup chopped fresh basil

¼ cup chopped onion

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1 egg, beaten

56 to 60 round dumpling wrappers

1 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

5 cloves garlic, chopped

10 green onions, chopped, including the green tops

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup drained capers

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Directions: In a large bowl, stir together the lemon zest, cheeses, basil and onion. Taste, then add salt and pepper. Stir in the egg.

Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of a dumpling wrapper. Dip your finger in water and rub it around the edge of the wrapper to moisten it, then press a second wrapper on top. Press the filling gently as you seal the ravioli to press out excess air. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and lightly salt it. Gently place the ravioli (don't crowd them) in the pot and simmer gently until the ravioli rise to the top of the water and float – that means they're done. Lift the ravioli out with a slotted spoon and keep them warm.

Place a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil, butter, garlic and green onions. Stir and cook gently for 5 minutes or so; do not brown the onions and garlic. Stir in the lemon juice. Add the capers, pepper and salt, cook another minute or so. Pour the warm sauce over the warm ravioli.

Per ravioli: calories, 163; fats, 12 grams (63% of calories); cholesterol, 20 milligrams, carbohydrate, 11 grams; fiber, 1 gram; protein, 4 grams; sodium, 354 milligrams

Makes about 28 ravioli