Basil is where it’s at

My husband grew up eating loads of fresh basil and pesto thanks to his family’s savvy gardening skills.  My grandmother had an awesome Chinese vegetable garden when I was little, but once she passed away anything that made an attempt at cultivation in my parents’ yard sadly suffered from lack of care.  I was so glad when we got married and Hubby brought his well-learned plant knowledge to our home.

In past years, it was all about the Italian basil.  It’s really the only kind of basil you get from your typical local Home Depot/Lowes/nursery.  I love it and I crave it – but what I’ve really wanted since last summer was some Thai basil.  The very smell makes my mouth water because I think about Thai noodles, basil beef, and all those other dishes evoking that distinctively sweet but slightly licorice flavor.

Along our decently long daily commute, Hubby and I pass a town that is literally a post office, butcher, general store, restaurant, and plant nursery.  But what a town!  Barbara, who with her husband both lives on top of and runs the nursery, sells the most sumptuous vegetation we have ever come across.  She sells mostly decorative plants – we’ve had many compliments on the unusual shade plants purchased from their little store, but also a variety of organic herbs.  When I asked her if she could get Thai basil, she was super excited and ended up purchasing 12 different kinds of basil from her grower!

We ended up coming home not only with the Thai basil, but also Christmas basil (cinnamon flavor), and lime basil (smells and tastes like lime juice poured on a basil leaf, incredible).  It is amazing how much these babies kick up your meals.

Here’s a recipe for some wonderful lettuce cups I made the other day.  Note that there are peas in the picture but that’s because we mixed it together with the meat for leftovers.

Bison Thai Lettuce Cups

Original Recipe

Makes 4 large servings

1 small onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms, small dice
1 lb. ground bison or lean beef
1/4 cup Thai basil, chopped (if you don’t have any, try adding some lemongrass and a bay leaf instead – pick them out before eating)
1 T cilantro, chopped
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
Juice from 2 limes, divided

1 T cornstarch
2 T water

Salt and pepper to taste

Serve with:
12 large lettuce leaves (we prefer romaine but you can wrap them with a softer lettuce)
Thai basil leaves
Lime wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Bean sprouts
White rice

Saute onions and garlic (also lemongrass/bay leaf if using instead of basil) in 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat until soft but not brown.  Stir in half the lime juice.  Add mushrooms and bison/beef, breaking up the meat into small chunks.  Once meat has browned, add in Thai basil, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and remaining lime juice.

Stir cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until starch is dissolved.  Stir mixture into the meat and cook until sauce thickens.  Add additional water if too thick.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove lemongrass and bay leaf if applicable.

Serve on top of lettuce leaves with extra lime, basil, bean sprouts, and a squirt of hot sauce.  White rice on the side is a great addition.