Fresh Herbed Oil Paste Recipes

FRESH BASIL PASTE

Steps:

• Rinse the basil well and pat dry. In a food processor, puree basil with garlic until coarsely chopped. While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in the oil and process until finely pureed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• USES: Grill or broil some sword fish and each portion with a tablespoonful or so of basil puree. Spoon a tablespoonful or so into each portion of canned vegetable soup.

FRESH HERB SAUCE FOR PASTA

Steps:

• Set a 6-quart pot of water (fill 3/4 full, adding 1 tablespoon salt) to boil, covered.
• Add pasta. Cook according to pkg. directions(usually about 10 mins.).
• Put all the herbs, zest,garlic and onion together on a cutting board.
• Chop all together until garlic is about 1/4 inch. Heat 2 tbls. extra-virgin olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. Add herb/garlic/onion mixture to pan, lower heat to medium, and sauté with salt and freshly ground black pepper, taking care not to burn garlic-it should go about 5 minutes and be light blonde.
• Set sauce aside while cooking pasta. Just before draining, stir 2/3 cup pasta water into pan. Drain pasta, bring herb sauce to boil, and then add pasta to pan. Toss over medium low heat about 2 minutes. Season to taste and then toss with cheese. Turn into a bowl and serve. Enjoy!

LINGUINE WITH FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Combine olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan, and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook gently, just until the garlic begins to color, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile, wash and mince the herbs. Place them in a bowl large enough to hold the pasta. Cut the butter into bits, if you're using it, and add it to the bowl.
• Salt water, and cook pasta until tender but not mushy. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain pasta and toss with herbs and reserved olive oil-garlic mixture. Add a little more olive oil or some of the pasta water if the mixture seems dry. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

HERB PASTE

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth, scraping down the sides and adding more oil as necessary.

ALMOST AS SIMPLE PASTA WITH PARMESAN, HERBS, AND FRESH GARLIC

Steps:

• Saute garlic in butter or olive oil with herbs until garlic is soft but not browned.
• Toss with hot pasta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
• Herb suggestions: Italian seasoning. Fresh or dried basil. Fresh or dried Rosemary. Herbs de Provence. Fresh or dried basil and oregano in combination. Fresh or dried parsley. Fresh or dried parsley, oregano, and basil. Italian seasoning with a pinch of crushed, red pepper. Fresh chives. Fresh parsley and fresh chives.
• Tip -- Dried herbs, especially rosemary, may benefit from being re-hydrated in a tablespoon of water or white wine.

DOUBLE-TOMATO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Holding back the sun-dried tomatoes with your fingers, drain the oil from the jar into a large pot. Coarsely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and add them to the pot, along with the nuts and olive oil. Set over medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the nuts are toasted, 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl (reserve the pot), then stir in the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
• Fill the reserved pot with water (no need to wash) and bring to a boil. Season water with salt, add the pasta and cook until just past al dente. (The pasta will not cook further in the sauce.) Drain the pasta.
• While the water is coming to a boil, coarsely chop the ripe tomatoes. Add to the sun-dried tomato mixture, season with 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. (Tomato mixture can be made up to 2 hours ahead.)
• Add the drained pasta to the tomato mixture and stir to combine. Let sit until room temperature, about 15 minutes or up to 2 hours. Pasta salad will keep up to 3 days if refrigerated.
• When ready to eat, taste the pasta salad. If flavors are muted, add salt and lemon juice or red wine vinegar. If it's too sweet, add black pepper and lemon juice or red wine vinegar. Stir in the greens and eat.