I invented this recipe because I have lots of basil in my garden. I discovered meatloaf freezes well, so I made it today, and I will serve it to my guests this coming Shabbat.
Ingredients:
1 lb. chopped meat
1 handful or more of basil leaves, chopped
1 onion
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup matza meal
2 eggs (if the mixture looks dry, add a 3rd egg)
seasoning (use any or all of these): salt, pepper, cinnamon, dried ginger, cumin, coriander, allspice, nutmeg, crushed clove
How to Make the Meatloaf:
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Transfer to a baking dish – I used a covered casserole dish, but a loaf pan with aluminum foil covering is fine. Bake for 1 hour at 350°.
Leftovers: If you happen to have leftovers, warm up half a jar of tomato sauce and throw in the leftovers. You can add more fresh basil, if you have. I served this on spaghetti, and my daughter said it tasted like special restaurant food.
For more kosher recipes, be sure to visit KCC – the Kosher Cooking Carnival. Please thank Batya while you are there.
Another basil recipe: Basil Pesto on Noodles
My daughter asked, how come you haven’t made this since last year? Because I finally have enough basil to make a pesto! She had no idea that some dishes are seasonal.
Ingredients:
- 40 – 50 leaves of fresh basil
- 1/3 cup of olive oil, cold pressed extra virgin
- 1/3 cup of walnuts (or whatever nuts you choose)
- 1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
- 1 box of rotini noodles
(or substitute steamed cauliflower if you are on a low or no carb diet or gluten-free diet)
Boil water for the pasta. When the pasta is almost done, put the nuts, olive oil, basil leaves and salt in the food processor. Blend it all until you have a thick, green paste. You can taste it, if you want to be careful about the amount of salt (or just because it is absolutely yummy!). Drain the water from the pasta, put the pasta in serving bowl, and mix in the basil pesto paste. You can either eat this right away or refrigerate it and serve cold the next day.
Optional: the traditional way to make pesto is with parmesan cheese, so you can also had 1/3 cup grated parmesan to your pesto. In addition to experimenting with different nuts, pesto can also be made from sage or parsley. If you have any variations you want to share, please do so.
This is one of my favorite summer treats. It has two healthy fats, olive oil and walnuts. Contrary to popular belief, studies showed almond eaters lost weight instead of gaining.
