Part two Freezing - After having been thoroughly cleaned with a napkin, the leaves can be frozen on a tray after freezing, placed in a freezer and taken as needed. To keep the color and flavor of the Basil unaltered to the maximum, I personally tried a somewhat more laborious method which, for lack of patience, I abandoned, albeit with lower results, unfortunately. After having separated all the leaves, blanch them in boiling water for a few second and pass them immediately in ice water (I in addition to the ice water in the cooling bowl I also put a couple of Thermos Ice Pack or two small bottles of frozen water). They are then gently extracted from the water and left to dry well separated on a cloth; as soon as they are dry they are placed in a container and in the freezer (I also put some sheets of parchment paper between one layer and the other to take them with less risk of breaking. You can also freeze minced in ice cube trays. Wash and drain the leaves of the herbs you want to keep well. Place them in the glass of the blender with very little water and blend them. Place the resulting cream in the ice cube trays and freeze them in the freezer. Once frozen, remove them from the trays and transfer them to freezer bags, label with the name of the contents and place them back in the freezer. Use the aromatic cubes by combining them directly with the preparation that is cooking. You can make mono-aroma cubes or with a mix of flavors (basil / garlic, parsley / garlic, lemon peel / garlic / wild fennel excellent for fish). The herbs that are best preserved with freezing are: dill, basil, lemon balm, chervil, chives, coriander, tarragon, celery, marjoram, all mind, oregano, sorrel, parsley, rosemary, savory, sage). The cubes can also have an ornamental use combined with summer drinks and, in that case, borage flowers and lemon balm and mint leaves can also be used. http://www.gushmag.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/lamponi.jpg Infusion in oil (Flavored oil) - Choose the excellent mild-flavored extra virgin olive oil or seed oil that seems to enhance the aroma of the herbs and infuse the leaves of your favorite herbs (carefully cleaned with a napkin, perfectly dry and lightly pounded) holding them for about three weeks. Filter the infusion, then, by means of a strainer covered with a linen napkin (better than the strainer would be a chinois, a conical-shaped strainer in steel) and bottle in preferably dark, hermetically sealed glass bottles. If you want a more intense taste when tasting, after filtering the oil, you can repeat the infusion with other herbs. A variant involves the use of sunflower oil and the addition of two teaspoons of vinegar. Label indicating the content and the date of preparation and store in the dark. Using bottles of shape, relatives and friends can be honored. The herbs that are most suitable for this method of preservation are: basil, garlic, marjoram, mint, rosemary, tarragon, thyme and savory. https://staticfanpage.akamaized.net...ites/11/2015/05/olio-aromatizzato-638x425.jpg Vinegar infusion (flavored vinegar) - Choose an excellent vinegar, preferably white, heat it in a pyrex container (other materials could alter the flavor of the herbs) and infuse the leaves of your favorite herbs (clean carefully with a napkin, perfectly dry and lightly pounded) keeping them for about three weeks (to emphasize the aroma, once closed the containers can be exposed to the sun, shaking them from time to time). Seal and put somewhere sunny, stirring occasionally, for two weeks. Filter the infusion, then, by means of a strainer covered with a linen napkin (better than the strainer would be a chinois, a conical-shaped strainer made of steel) and bottle in glass bottles, preferably dark, hermetically sealed. If you want a more intense taste when tasting, after filtering the vinegar, you can repeat the infusion with other herbs. Label indicating the content and the date of preparation and store in the dark. Using bottles of shape, relatives and friends can be honored. In the same way, clover, lavender, nasturtium, carnation, rosemary, thyme and violet flowers can be preserved using the vinegar thus obtained for fruit salads. https://www.saporie.com/content/dam...levatesaperesullaceto2-173612.jpg.sprimg..jpg Under salt - Arrange the well-cleaned leaves with a layered napkin with coarse salt. Close tightly label as mentioned above and store in a dark and dry place. Instead, to obtain an aromatized salt, crush it in a mortar with your favorite herbs. ttps://images.lacucinaitaliana.it/gallery/82174/Big/8d918752-6cd6-4758-b244-22d10245b3h1e.jpg In butter - Butter should be left for 30 minutes at room temperature. When it is soft, work a little with a fork and incorporate your favorite aromatic. Absolutely by hand as any power tool would overheat the fatty substance. The butter thus prepared is placed on a piece of food foil and becomes a sort of sausage. To facilitate this operation if the temperature is high, allow the mixture to cool in the fridge for about ten minutes. Tighten the film well, label with the identification of the content and the date of preparation and freeze in the freezer. Once the herb butter is mixed, it can be placed in a glass jar for preserves and kept in the fridge to flavor canapés, season first courses, use for roasts ... in daily use. http://olioerosmarino.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/burro.alle_.erbe-ricetta.jpg
@Arlette, from the garden to the plate, a two part enjoyable thread Arlette. The photo is making me very hungry now!!!!
@Acerholic Even!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You need a super herb-flavored sandwich !!!!!!! I realized - and I have already corrected - that at some point I "ran away" a couple of sentences in the mother tongue !!! ( Obviously my brain is boiled !!! Here we have a maximum temperature of 37.3 ° C, and a minimum of 25.4 ° C, with a humidity of 33%. I am with the front door, shutter and window closed and if I go out it seems that a giant hairdryer "shoots" at me.
@Arlette, 37.3° C that is too hot for anybody. Take it easy and watch your garden from your window now Arlette and enjoy it under the stars later.
@Acerholic I'm thinking of booking an igloo at the North Pole for 15 days !!!! This is my dream today! https://www.focusjunior.it/content/uploads/site_stored/imgs/0001/048/igloo.jpg
Just preparing our mint for a sauce. Not dried, but vinegar base As we do not eat much, it is a small harvest.
@Acerholic I guess the perfume .... !!!! Which food will have the honor of being accompanied by this sauce? I think this time the mouth watering will come to me!!!!!!!!
