You have certainly played around with fresh basil, particularly with pesto. Here the flavor is more subtle in its cooked form.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Reserve 5 or 6 bright-green basil leaves (about 2 tablespoons) and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Put the remainder of the basil in a small saucepan with all the other ingredients (including the remaining tablespoon of olive oil). Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2
Remove the cover and boil steadily another 20 minutes or longer, reducing the contents of the pot to 1 cup—about a quarter of the original volume. Lower the heat if necessary, as liquid evaporates, to avoid burning the sauce ingredients.
Step 3
When it is sufficiently concentrated, scrape everything from the pot into the bowl of a food processor and purée. Roughly chop the reserved basil leaves with a knife, then add the pieces to the food processor and purée until they’re incorporated. Finally, with the machine running, drizzle in the reserved 2 tablespoons of excellent olive oil, to form a light emulsion.
Step 4
Serve the sauce warm with cooked vegetables; reheat on the stove if it has cooled off. Store in the refrigerator.
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