The Purloined Recipe

Shanti’s recipe adapted from the New Basics Cookbook

4 cloves garlic (or more if you like lots of garlic)
2 cups fresh basil leaves, rinsed and thoroughly dried
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
ground pine nuts (or walnuts) to taste (maybe 1/2 cup)
Parmesan cheese (to taste, maybe 1/4-1/2 cup)

Place the garlic, basil, salt and nuts in the bowl of a food processor. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil and process until basil is pureed. Transfer the pesto into a bowl and stir in the pepper and Parmesan. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. Great on pasta and crostini (toasted French bread)

Shanti’s notes: you can also use a blender, but add the oil before you turn it on.  Freezing pesto is a great way to save basil for the winter. Freeze pesto in whatever size container you use at a time (ice cube trays work for single servings or plastic pint containers or ziplock freezer bags for larger families).  If I am freezing it,  I don’t add the parmesan cheese until I serve the pesto.

basil, butters, garlic, Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes

from Cory Rade

2 cloves of garlic
½ bunch of dill
½ teaspoon of salt
1 cube of butter

1. In a mortar and pestle smash garlic, then add salt and dill. Then grind into a green mush.
2. Add cold butter and mix until an even green color. Serve with crackers or soft boiled eggs. Yum.

butters, dill, garlic, Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes

(recipe from the book Local Flavors used with permission of the author, Deborah Madison)

Makes ½ cup.

A good radish sandwich can be nothing more than sweet butter spread on bread and topped with sliced radishes and sea salt. But you might find that this is an easier way for getting the radishes and butter on quickly (and getting them to stay on), especially if you’re making radish sandwiches for a crowd.

6 radishes-French Breakfast radishes or a mixture of red, purple, and pink radishes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Sea salt

1. Wash and trim the radishes. If the leaves are tender and fresh, set a dozen or so aside, stems removed. Slice the radishes into thin rounds, then crosswise into narrow strips. Each should be tipped with color. Chop the leaves. You should have about ½ cup.
2. Mix the butter with the lemon zest until it’s soft, then stir in the chopped
   radishes, radish leaves, and a pinch of salt. Spread on slices of crusty baguette
   and serve.

butters, radishes