How to preserve basil for the winter.
We’re already in autumn, but here in Sicily, basil is still holding up, even if just for a little while.
So how can we preserve it aside from the classic pesto in the freezer? Preserving it in oil is risky, so I thought of preserving it in salt, or even better, chopping it and turning it into a green powder with which we can season our dishes.
Imagine the surprise of tasting a simple pasta with tomato sauce with the scent of basil.
Or even better for the little ones who don’t want to see leaves on their plate.
I’ll show you the recipe with both a classic blender and the Bimby.

These recipes are thought for you:

Cost: Very economical
Rest time: 2 Hours
Preparation time: 5 Minutes
Portions: 1Piece
Cooking methods: No cooking
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Summer

0.12 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 0.12 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 0.01 (g) of which sugars 0.00 (g)
Proteins 0.02 (g)
Fat 0.00 (g) of which saturated 0.00 (g)of which unsaturated 0.00 (g)
Fibers 0.01 (g)
Sodium 193.81 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 1 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

Let’s go shopping

3.5 oz coarse salt
3.5 oz basil

Tools

What we need

1 Jar 250 ml
1 Blender Or the Bimby
Colander
2 Dish towel Terrycloth

Preparation: How to Preserve Basil for the Winter

The first thing to do is to pick or buy the basil; even if it’s a bit wilted, it doesn’t matter. You can leave the tops, but remove the thicker and woody stems.
Wash it multiple times, then drain using a colander.
After draining, place it on a dish towel, preferably terrycloth, for an hour, then..
Change the dish towel and use a dry one; at this point, pat it well and leave it to dry for another hour.
When it appears well-dried, transfer it to the jar of your blender, along with the coarse salt.
Blend until everything is pulverized.
If you have a Bimby, blend for 15 sec at speed 10.
Then gather with the spatula.
Transfer it into jars and seal. You can use it for many things, even for a simple salad.
Here’s how to preserve basil for the winter