Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Basil Ice Cubes: RIP Basil Plant #2

AFTERNOON ALL :(. I woke up this morning to a brightly shinning sun, the sound of birds chirping (actually, it was probably the sound of sirens since it's Baltimore =_=) and A DYING BASIL PLANT.

While I love the taste of fresh basil, I am at my wits ends with dying plants. It's really difficult to grow fresh basil, or oregano/rosemary for that matter, in an apartment when your unit doesn't face the sun. This idea has been done to death on multiple food blogs, but I figured that you lovely people wouldn't mind if I show you how I made my own basil ice cubes :) Also, mine are in the shape of stars so that makes them special, right?


You can freeze your basil in either olive oil or water. I've decided not to use olive oil for this particular batch because I want to be able to use these cubes in desserts and smoothies. A mouth full of olive oil in my strawberry smoothie? No thanks. On to the ice cubes!


STEP #1: WASH IT


Self explanatory. Thoroughly wash/rinse your basil to get rid of any remaining dirt. Also make sure to pull off any dried out/wilted portions before blending.


STEP #2: BLEND IT


I used about 1 cup of basil and 1/2 cup of water. You can either use a blender or food processor to blend your basil-water mixture. Alternatively, you can chop the basil into fine pieces by hand. Blend your mixture for about 4-6 seconds until the pieces are evenly chopped and are about the size of rice grains. Don't worry about using too much water, it will evaporate when you cook the basil :) 


STEP #3: POUR IT

My particularly awesome ice cube tray holds about 1 tablespoon of liquid in each section. Make sure to keep track of how much each basil-water cube holds when you finally cook it. Personally, I don't think that there can ever be enough basil in a dish - it's delicious!


STEP #4: FREEZE IT

Allow your basil-water mixture to set in your freezer for about 2-3 hours. DO NOT leave it sitting in the ice cube tray for too long or it won't stay fresh. Pop out the cubes and prepare to bag them.

STEP #5: BAG IT!

Place your cubes in a freezer bag and label it with the date that you created the mixture. The cubes should stay fresh for up to 6 months. You can use this process for oregano, rosemary, and other herbs. Try experimenting with freezing your herbs in olive oil too!

**If you're a 1L student living in on or off campus housing near one of the law schools in Baltimore, the chances of you having a car are slim. I know that I didn't and neither did the vast majority of my friends last year. Freezing your basil or other herbs can be a wonderful idea if you seldom find chances to get to a grocery store.


Thanks for reading and I'll see you all next week!



**UPDATE** This post was featured in People Magazine's online article 12 Flavored Ice Cube Recipes That Make A Splash!








1 comment:

  1. Now I have an idea for all the Lemon Balm in my yard!

    ReplyDelete