Basil is known both for its medicinal properties and as an ingredient to flavor recipes in the kitchen. It is an excellent source of nutrition, as well as being a perfect addition of flavor and aroma in many culinary recipes such as Caprese salad and chicken with Parmesan. Being an aromatic plant it should be used fresh, but, to have it available all year round, it can be frozen, and then used when needed. Let's see how to do it.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Freeze a Basil Puree
Step 1. Remove the basil leaves from the stems with your hands or by cutting them
Remove the stems, you won't need them. If you harvest it from your garden in the middle of the growing season, take only the apical part of each seedling (12-15 cm); in this way they continue to mature.
Step 2. Rinse the basil under cold running water
You can also dip it in a bowl and let it soak. Drain the leaves with a colander.
Gently dry the leaves by blotting them with absorbent paper. Basil is a delicate plant, so handle it carefully and let it dry between two sheets of paper
Step 3. Put 1-2 handfuls of basil in a food processor
Don't overfill the blender bowl, you need to leave some space.
Step 4. Use the pulse function to chop the basil
If you want to make a puree, consult the instruction manual of your appliance. You will probably only have to operate it for a few seconds. The finer you chop the basil, the longer it takes.
Step 5. Add extra virgin olive oil while you chop it
This prevents it from turning dark or black when freezing and at the same time improves its flavor. You should use about 2-3 tablespoons of oil for each handful of basil. The oil is optional, you can replace it with water if you want to freeze the puree in the molds for ice cubes. Add enough to make a mush.
Step 6. Pour chopped basil into freezer containers or ice cube molds
If you prefer this second option, you can later transfer the basil cubes to a larger jar, after at least 12 hours.
Step 7. Use frozen basil
You can leave it in the freezer for months and take only the amount you need for the recipe you need to prepare. The cubes will remain separated from each other in convenient "pre-measured" portions. You also don't have to wait for them to defrost, just throw the cube directly into the pot.
If you have a lot of frozen basil, you can give it to friends, they will love you for it
Method 2 of 3: Freeze Fresh Basil
Step 1. Remove all leaves from the stems
You can cut or tear them by hand.
Step 2. Rinse the basil thoroughly with cold water
Use a salad spinner to do a more thorough job. If you don't have one available, wash the leaves in a bowl of water and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
Step 3. Prepare a bowl of ice water
Step 4. Bring a pot of water to a boil
It should be large enough to accommodate all the basil.
Step 5. Add the leaves to the water and blanch for 5-10 seconds
Be very careful at this stage, you don't have to overdo it with cooking. Move the pot to an off stove to stop boiling.
Step 6. Transfer the leaves to ice water with the help of a skimmer
Try to be very quick because you have to stop cooking.
Step 7. Arrange them on the kitchen paper
It could be a tedious job, be patient. With your hands separate the leaves one by one and place them on the paper to dry them. You can also wait 5-10 minutes for them to air dry.
Step 8. Place them on baking sheets or in trays
You need to space them out so they don't touch each other. You can also use a couple of baking sheets lined with baking paper.
Step 9. Place the baking sheets in the freezer and wait for the leaves to be completely frozen
Then take them out of the freezer.
Step 10. Transfer the basil to containers such as resealable bags, tupperware, jars and so on, the important thing is that they are sealed
Store them in the freezer.
Method 3 of 3: Quick Freeze Technique
Step 1. Detach the leaves from the stem
Step 2. Rinse them thoroughly
Step 3. Spread them on a flat surface and let them air dry for 30 minutes
You can put them on the kitchen counter, on a baking sheet or on a tray. You can also blot them with kitchen paper to speed up the process.
Step 4. Put them in a freezer bag
Arrange the leaves however you like making sure they are dry and not too pressed so they won't freeze in a single block. You can use a resealable bag, tupperware-type container, or other airtight jar.
Advice
- You can freeze basil whole, or chopped by hand, by placing it in ice cube molds with water. In this way, the leaves will oxidize and become darker, but the flavor will remain intact.
- If you decide to use basil to make a pesto, blend it very finely before freezing it. When it has reached the desired consistency, place it in a resealable food bag and freeze it.
- Calculate to use about 45 ml of extra virgin olive oil for every handful of basil you go to blend.
- The ice cube mold is perfect for freezing it. Each cube is equivalent to about 15 g of basil (1 tablespoon). Using it frozen for your recipes will be very simple, for example if you need 3 tablespoons of basil (45 g), you will need to use 3 cubes of frozen basil.
