So Long, Basil, and Thanks for all the Dishes.

I’m back!  This was a trying week, but everything is starting to get back on track and I wanted to make sure that I shared this recipe before it got so cold that no one would have a basil plant in all the world.

Basil season–at least in my neck of the woods–is over. So, before all of my leftover plants kicked it for good, I cut them down, washed them, and stripped them bare.  This left me with six cups of mediocre, loosing-its-flavor basil.  This was certainly not the kind of basil you’d want to throw in a salad; this was supplementary basil, not peak-of-the-season, star-of-the-plate kind of stuff. Sure, you could make pesto, but I’ve got plenty of great pesto waiting to be defrosted.  So I made pasta.  Lots and lots of basil pasta.

The basil flavor is delicate, but definitely present.  I’d serve this with anything but red sauce.  Got that?  No red sauce.  If you really are on a basil kick, go ahead and defrost that pesto, but I dressed this up with just a touch of butter, garlic, and toasted pine nuts.

As much as I’d like to, I can’t take credit for this recipe.  I found it years ago on allrecipes.com; she doesn’t seem to have a blog, so here’s the link to her recipe hosted there in case you’re interested in the original.

Farewell to Basil Fettuccine

• 6 cups basil, packed
• 5 cups all purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 8 tbsp water
• 4 tsp olive oil

1. In a large food processor (or in a small food processor, in two batches), add basil and chop until fine.  Add flour; process until well mixed.  Add eggs; process until mixed.  Mix oil and water together; add slowly until dough forms into a ball; discard the rest.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.
2. Remove dough from refrigerator and cut in half.  Roll out dough on a flour-dusted surface to about 1/8″ thickness and cut into long strips.  Allow pasta to dry for about 1 hour before cooking (if you’re really in a rush, you can throw them in a warm oven–your oven’s lowest setting–and dry them out this way).
3. Cook in a large pot of salted, boiling water.  Noodles are done when they begin to float.
4. Serve with your favorite pasta sauce and enjoy!