A note about dried basil

Despite the protestations of Mark Bittman, I use dried basil. But it's not just any dried basil, it's basil I dried myself. That makes it better. Ha.

First of all, I find it impossible to use a bunch of fresh basil before most of it goes bad. Oh sure I can make a big batch of pesto but then I just have a bunch of pesto to use up. I'm just feeding myself after all. And because of that, it gets expensive buying fresh basil, especially in the off season, when I only use a few leaves at a time. So, I've found a sort of compromise.


My favorite time and place to buy fresh basil is the Union Square greenmarket in the summer, where it's sold in huge, beautiful bunches for $1 or $2. Mm, I'm swooning over remembering the scent...

Ok, I'm back. So, despite what I've said about not buying fresh basil, I do buy it from the greenmarket because it's so cheap, it smells incredible and is so fresh. And, I have found that I can dry it very easily. I bought two huge bunches from the greenmarket a couple of summers ago and dried it (after giving them a rinse, tying them with twine and hanging them upside-down). By the time winter came around, I had very dry basil that was easy to break off and crumble into pasta dishes and tomato sauces. I probably have enough to last another winter. The dried basil retains the aroma of fresh basil especially when it is crumbled right before it's added to a dish. This definitely should not substitute for dishes that require fresh basil like bruschetta and pesto but is great for cooking in the winter.