Ounce for ounce, herbs are the most useful plants to cultivate. You can put them in just about everything except cream gravy. Well, maybe you can put them in cream gravy too; I’ve just never tried.
Basil is getting ready to bust out in our hot south Louisiana summer. You can put it in almost any Italian dish. With a good tomato and fresh mozzarella, you can make cool Caprese salad variations for days. (Note: If you have mint, you can use that to make Caprese salad as well.)
And like most herbs, you can put basil straight into salads. Use your herbs in salads, people, not just in salad dressing!
Or put basil on pizza. Use it to garnish avocado toast. Try a leaf in ice water or tea, because it’s a close cousin to mint. And speaking of mint and salads, it’s my go-to in fruit salads.
The Sensation Salad here has an entire bunch of flat-leaf parsley in it, the secret ingredient that makes this salad special. It’s an adaptation of the Catholic Foodie’s recipe, which was in turn adapted from "Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune," by Marcelle Bienvenu and myself.
Sensation Salad is, of course, a classic dish in Baton Rouge and the surrounding area, which originated in the long-closed Bob and Jake’s restaurant. This is a great salad, simple yet distinctive. Tomatoes, fresh or sun-dried, would be a good addition. Top with shrimp or chicken to make it a meal.
One of the herb-laden things I love is chimichurri sauce, the Argentinian sauce for their famous beef. This is a great version. It’s both a sauce and a marinade. I used half to marinate cubed short ribs, made into kebabs with red bell pepper and onion, then cooked for 10 minutes in the air fryer at 400 degrees.
Over cauliflower rice with more chimichurri sauce ladled on top, it was a big hit. Try chimichurri for any beef you grill this summer.
Lemon Basil Chicken comes from wellplated.com and is an easy, healthy (and delicious) dish that can be prepped and on the table in half an hour or less. Spinach makes it a one-pot, or one-skillet, dish, or use other vegetables you might have on hand. But spinach goes especially well with basil.
Save this recipe for the middle of the summer, when your basil is 2 feet high and still growing. You’ll need 2 cups of leaves; no need to chop them.
Lemon Basil Chicken
Adapted from wellplated.com. Take care not to overcook the chicken breast. Makes 4-6 servings.
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ large onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in ¾-inch cubes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 cups (5 ounces) loosely packed baby spinach
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked brown rice for serving
1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. When hot, add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add chicken, increase heat to medium-high. Let cook 3 minutes, browning all sides. Stir in soy and pepper. Cook until chicken is completely cooked through, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in spinach a few handfuls at a time, letting the heat of the pan wilt it as you go. Stir in lemon zest and juice, and basil. Cook, stirring, just until basil is wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Taste and season as needed. Serve with rice.
Chimichurri Sauce for Grilled Beef
Adapted from Bon Appetit, this green marinade and sauce is good on any cut of grilled beef. I used half to marinate cubed short ribs, made into kebabs with red bell pepper and onion, then cooked for 10 minutes in the air fryer at 400 degrees. Makes a bit more than 1 cup.
1 shallot
½ large jalapeño (preferably red), seeds removed
3-4 garlic cloves
2-1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed
¾ bunch parsley, stems removed
2-3 tablespoons oregano leaves, mostly removed from stems
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Beef, if desired, for grilling
1. Turn on food processor and drop shallot through the tube in the lid, to mince. Drop in jalapeño pieces, then garlic. Turn off when minced. Add vinegar and salt.
2. Add cilantro, parsley and oregano. Pulse until leaves are mostly chopped. Then, with the blades running on low, add oil through the tube until mixture is emulsified.
3. To use as a marinade, divide mixture in half. Add to a refrigerator storage bag with beef and refrigerate at least a couple of hours before grilling. Serve remaining sauce with cooked beef.
Sensation Salad
Catholicfoodie.com (Jeff Young) changed the recipe for this Baton Rouge favorite a bit, and I changed it a bit more when I couldn’t find Romano cheese. I used Parmesan. The lemon juice in the dressing and the parsley in the salad give this a bright pop that’s made it a favorite for decades. Makes 6-8 servings.
Juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 head romaine lettuce, torn in bite-size bits
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, most stems removed, minced
½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together lemon juice and red wine vinegar. Whisking constantly, add oil. Whisk in garlic, salt and pepper.
2. In a large salad bowl, mix lettuce, parsley and cheese. Add just enough dressing to coat evenly. Toss.
3. Cover and chill 15 minutes before serving.
May 13, 2021 at 08:00AM
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Add zing to summer beef, chicken and salads with fresh herbs from your garden - NOLA.com
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