Sacred Basil
My totem plant is Sacred Basil. It all started with loving Tulsi tea, which is a tea from India and highly honored for its healing properties. So, I bought some seeds to grow, planted it, and now want it everywhere: in my garden, in my house, at the studio, anywhere I can be close to it. The aroma that comes from brushing my hand over it sends me to a different dimension, one that opens my heart and stimulates an olfactory memory that is inexplicable. I can never have enough of it. Then one year, I found a recipe for pesto that uses it. It can not come into maturity in the garden fast enough, for I am longing for its flavor, now and always. This special plant has so many uses and will always have a place, or places, in any gardens that I create. You must want the recipe by now!
SACRED BASIL PESTO
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sacred basil
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2-3 Tblsps toasted sesame oil
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
- 2 Tblsps fish sauce
- 2-4 Tblsps lime juice (reserve lime zest)
- Crushed red pepper (to taste, optional)
- S & P (to taste)
Blend to desired consistency in a blender or food processor. Serve (without heating) over 1 lb. of rice noodles & garnish with fresh chopped basil, toasted sesame seeds, & lime zest.
