I have lot of fresh basil. What should I do with it? Creative and *new* ideas, please! :)?

Offer some to your neighbours.

Maybe they feel like pasta.

I know you said NO PESTO but try this for a change:

Feta Pesto

* 2 cups fresh basil leaves

* 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

* 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

* 1 artichoke heart, roughly chopped

* 2 tablespoons chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

* 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine the basil, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, artichoke heart, and sun-dried tomatoes. Cover, and pulse, adding oil as needed to facilitate blending until smooth. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.

OR

Pesto Vinagrette

1 clove garlic, peeled

kosher salt, to taste

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

2 cups fresh basil leaves, stems removed

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

cracked black pepper, to taste

1. In the bowl of a food processor, purée garlic and salt until a paste is formed. Add pine nuts and basil and process until a fine paste formed.

2. With motor running, add vinegar and then slowly add oil in a thin stream until the mixture is emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning.

OR

Herb-Infused Oil

The technique for making infused oil is much the same whether the ingredient is basil, rosemary, oregano, garlic, chiles, mushrooms or citrus fruit. For every cup of olive oil, use two tightly packed cups of basil or any other soft-leaved green herb--chervil, chives, cilantro, mint. (Tarragon does not work well except early in the spring when it is very sweet, he writes. Otherwise it tends to taste bitter when infused.) Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the herbs, making sure that the leaves are submerged, and blanch for five seconds. Drain into a strainer and immediately plunge the herbs into a bowl of ice water. Drain well and squeeze out all liquid. Puree in a blender with olive oil. Strain puree immediately through a fine-mesh strainer. Strain again through four layers of cheesecloth. Put in a sterilized glass bottle, cover tightly and refrigerate. For optimum flavor, use within a week.

Chiarello recommends using a blender, which makes a finer, smoother puree and extracts more flavor than a food processor. To filter the mixture, he uses cheesecloth, which he first rinses and squeezes dry. Coffee filters can also be used, although they, too, should be rinsed and squeezed dry first. Patience is required. Pour the oil slowly, and stir occasionally. You will probably need several filters.

You can use the infused oil in, among other things, the following recipe for a vinaigrette, which tastes as good on chicken or roasted eggplant as on a green salad.

In The Fine Art of Italian Cooking by Giuliano Bugialli

Rinse you basil and dry it with a paper towel.

Git you a Mason jar that closes tight.

put in a nice layer of kosher salt. Lay in a layer of basil, another layer of salt, ect. It does loose its nice color but preserves the flavor nicely. Wash the salt off just before you use it in your cooking.

He also has a recipe fore a frittata (Italian omelet) made with basil and parmigiana cheese. You mix the torn basil and Parmesan cheese with the egg and cook omelet. He uses olive oil in the pan. Sounds good.

Tear some of the leaves up in a tomato salad. Tomatoes and basil have an affinity for each other.

A tomato and basil sandwich is good. Spread butter on the bread and top with tomato and basil leaves.

Basil tea

1/2 cup Basil Leaves

2 1/4 cup Water

2 tsp Tea Leaves or 2 Tea Bags

Sugar, to taste

Milk, as prefered

In a small tea pan bring water and basil leaves to boil. Lower the heat and allow to brew for 3-4 minutes. Now add the tea leaves or tea bags and sugar as per taste. Bring to boil. Turn off the heat and strain it into cups and add milk as per your taste.

Sautee lighty in a pat of butter and add to chicken, pasta, casseroles, rice, turkey, nearly anything involving pastas and poultry - even omelettes. The stuff is great. :-D

There's an excellent recipe on epicurious.com for a basil buttermilk salad dressing. I've made it before and it's really good. I just can't keep buttermilk on hand or my husband will drink it. :)

Chop it, freeze it in a small zip-lock bag.

Thai chicken with basil

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1618,131182-248192...

http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaicurrydishes/r/red...