Cooking With Basil (video coming soon)

Summer and I chose to combine our cilantro and basil to make three dishes together. We chose to cook mango salsa, angel hair with basil cream sauce and basil mashed potatoes.

Wonder- We are growing an herb garden because growing your own food is one of the first steps of sustainability and depending on ourselves for food. If you look at the Dervaes family (http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2008/01/06/100-foot-diet-challenge-launch/) they have managed to grow all their food within 100 feet of their house, and are totally self dependent. This turns back the "lock away the food" way of life that we have, which saves money and manual labor. We cooked a meal with our herbs because it proves that we can make our food out of our backyard, especially since a lot of meals containing herbs are mainly made up of fruits/vegetables you can grow in your own backyard, or meat (like chickens) that can be kept at your home. Throughout the LULS project our essential questions we have been trying to answer are: Why don't people live more sustainably? How can I convince them to do so? Growing and cooking with our own herbs will help convince people to live sustainably because it will show them how easy it is to just take small steps like growing and herb garden, and making your own food. If you already cook at home, herbs will give food a great flavor, and all you have to do is throw them in! I believe some people don't live sustainably because they assume it will be to hard. Growing herbs is an easy alternative and requires almost no extra work. All you need to do is plant them, water them once a day and keep them in the sun (specific care depends on the herb).

Step 1: Harvesting and Planting: My group chose to plant sweet basil and thyme. With our classmates, we filled a pot with loose soil, and inserted the herbs into the soil, each with enough space for their roots to seperatley grow. Once we did this, the herbs were set on a windowsill, where they would good get plenty of sunlight (which is crucial for herbs growth). Everyday we inserted our finger into the soil to see if it was wet, and if it was dry it had to be watered. Once it was time to cook with our herbs, all I needed to do was pluck off a few leaves from the basil plant. If I had chosen to harvest the thyme, all I would have to do is cut the leaves off, or entire branches.

Step 2: Cooking with the basil- The first dish Summer and I made was mango salsa. We used a recipe out of Sam the Cooking Guy's cookbook. The recipe was called "Super Simple Mango Salsa". If you would like to learn more about Sam the Cooking Guy click here!
Super Simple Mango Salsa
2 ripe mangos, peeled, pitted, and diced small

1/2 cup red onion, diced small

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

"Combine the mango, onion, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, ginger, and cayenne pepper in a bowl (not a metal one), mix well, and you're done. Okay, fine. Season well with the salt and pepper, mix well, and now your'e done, but let stand for at least 20 minutes before serving."

Step #3: Making Garlic and Basil Mashed Potatoes: To view recipe source click here

"Ingredients: 4 unpeeled garlic cloves

3 medium baking potatoes, pared and quartered

6 to 8 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

1/2 cup skim milk

Dash of cracked pepper

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 to 4 tablespoons butter or margarine (optional)
Directions:
Roast garlic in oven or toaster oven at 375F for about 20 minutes. Cool garlic, peel, and dice. Put potatoes in a microwave-safe dish, cover and microwave on high for 11 to 13 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Mash potatoes and add roasted garlic, basil, milk, pepper, salt, and butter. Whip until smooth.
Makes 3 to 4 servings. "

Step #4: Making Angel Hair with Basil Cream Sauce: To view recipe source click here

Ingredients:
12 ounces angel hair pasta (fresh)

1 cup frozen baby peas

1 12 oz. can evaporated skim milk

1 tablespoon flour

1 clove garlic - minced

4 tablespoons fresh basil -

snipped 2 ounces prosciutto -

chopped1/4 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup tomato - chopped
Directions:
Cook pasta according to pkg. directions. Meanwhile, stir together milk and flour. Saute prosciutto
and garlic in a non-stick pan. Add milk mixture and snipped basil. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture is bubbly and thickened. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Add peas (thawed) proscuitto and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Stir till cheese is melted. Add tomatoes. Cook 1 minute more. Top pasta with sauce and sprinkle each serving with remaining Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper. Makes 4 servings.

Reflection:

I am a HUGE fan of mango salsa but if I made this recipe again I would add more mango and less ginger. If you read the recipe it mentions to wait 20 minutes before serving. I believe this is so the ginger seeps in, because if you try it right away it's a really shocking flavor. If I made the mashed potatoes and pasta again I would add more herbs and seasoning, so they wouldn't turn out so bland. I also would add more prosciutto to the pasta sauce because I love the flavor and it's a really light meat that cooks quickly. Overall the food was really good, but just needed a few finishing touches. Cooking with my own herbs has really shown me why people eat out of their own backyard. Some vegetables and seasonings can be expensive, and growing them is so easy! Also herbs can be kept in the sunlight in your kitchen so you don't even have to move to cook with them. It really proves how easy it can be to depend on yourself for food, and turn away from Mother Culture.