Titina says Time to Pinch Back your Basil

It's high summer and Chef Titina is taking a break from her popular cooking classes until the 15th of August.  But that doesn't mean she's not cooking.  Lots of classic Italian summer dishes  are on the menu in Titina's Kitchen and many of them call for basil.

When it comes to this wonderful herb, Capri Flavors Chef Titina is a true master.  Descended from a long line of famous Capri chefs, she has always known, grown and cooked with basil. 

An easy-to-grow annual, basil completes its life cycle in a single season, growing, flowering and producing new seed before being killed by autumn frosts. 

Titina says the herb's flavor is at it's peak just before the plant flowers, so to extend the season, she regularly pinches the blossoms off.

If you're growing basil, start pinching now.  You'll enjoy the best flavor longer that way. 

Here are a  few more tips from Chef Titina for dealing with this wonderful herb: 

•  Home grown is best.  Titina tends basil plants in pots and her small but productive garden at the Capri Flavors retail store. 
• Basil likes warm temperatures, full sun, and lots of water.  Given those, it's really easy to grow. 
• Wash and dry at room temperature.  Titina cuts and washes  branches several hours before she plans to use them, then wraps in kitchen towels, which are left on the counter to dry. 
• Never refrigerate basil. 
• Finally, basil makes wonderful pesto.  Here's a link to instructions in an earlier post http://fromtitinaskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/09/last-taste-of-summer-from-titinas.html. 
• Or grind basil in the food processor and mix with olive oil.  Freeze it jars to preserve the taste of summer all year long. 

Worth Growing your own--Titina Plants Her Basil Crop

The soil has been turned and the plants are on order from a local farmer. In a few days Chef Titina will plant her basil crop in the kitchen garden outside the Capri Flavors retail store.

A mainstay in Titina's cooking, this classic Italian herb gets a lot of space in her garden.

When plants mature, she will use them in her classes, cutting branches early in the day, then washing and wrapping the basil in a towel to drain and dry on the counter.

After students arrive at 6 pm, the basil is chopped into Titina's delicious bruschetta, ground into her classic pesto or layered on a fabulous Caprese Salad.

It is the flavor of Southern Italy--

Titina also makes basil pesto to freeze and sell in the store. And she sometimes grinds and freezes a simple fresh basil, olive oil combination to use in other dishes.

But the best basil is fresh from the garden. And it's an easy crop to grow. Just add sun, soil, and water. Even a large pot will do if you have no garden space. Transplants are readily available. Look for four-packs in the garden center.

Basil likes heat, so wait until days and nights warm up. Then in a few weeks, fresh basil for your kitchen, just like Titina's. For recipes, click on one of the blog links above.