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Basil and olive oil dressing recipe
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- Cuisine: Greek
The word “basil” comes from the Greek βασιλεύς (basilius) meaning “king” or “royal”. Basil is the king of herbs and the crowning herb in Greek cuisine. Basil is one of the most sacred symbols of Christianity and is used in the Greek Orthodox Church to bless its patrons and people’s homes. This is the herb that grew above the holy cross when it was found. As with all ingredients, basil must be handled delicately and respectfully when cooking with it.
Greek basil is quite different to the sweet basil variety we find here in Australia.
This dressing can be used to dress salads or to marinate meat or poultry before you grill or barbecue it, simply by brushing it all over the poultry. I sometimes add a few kalamata olives to this dressing as well.
Ingredients
½ cup extra virgin olive oil1 clove of garlic, very finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves,
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend for a couple of minutes until all are combined.Pour the dressing over the salad or use it to baste meat or poultry before barbecuing.
This recipe comes courtesy of Maria Benardis, founder of Greekalicious and author of My Greek Family Table (Lantern).
©2012 Maria Benardis
If you enjoyed this Basil and olive oil dressing recipe then browse more Greek recipes, sauce and dressing recipes, greek radio recipes, quick recipes and our most popular hainanese chicken rice recipe.
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Hot Tips
Which oil for which type of cooking
Olive oil has well reported health benefits, however it does burn easily and has a strong flavour that can adversely affect your cooking. Oils with a high flash point (that can withstand high temperatures) include canola, sunflower and peanut. Of these canola carries the least flavour.
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