Basil Vodka

I love basil. It is my favorite herb by a stretch. It is a party in my mouth just by itself.



I like to water my plants in the morning when the weather is mild and the air is still kind of crisp. Plants esp herbs let out a pocket of scent as you water them and the fresh air of the morning is the perfect backdrop. Basil followed by rosemary are the loveliest scents in my garden. I am a relatively new gardener and the first time this happened while I was watering my plants it made me smile for an hour.

But I digress. So I have two pots of sweet basil, one pot of Thai basil, a couple of assorted window boxes of lime basil and Genovese basil. So what do you do when you have tons of basil and a taste for languid, chatty evenings with the husband with a glass in hand.

Basil Vodka!!!



This bottle of vodka made the most lovely martini I have ever had.

Recipe for Basil Vodka

1 cup of packed sweet basil leaves ( Any other type of basil will also work and lend its specific flavour to the vodka. Its basil, you can't go wrong)
a small bottle of vodka

I used a glass container and placed the basil leaves at the bottom. Pour the vodka over it and cover. Keep this container in a place with cool spot with low light. After 24 hours filter and pour the vodka back into the bottle. Keep this bottle away for a week or more away from direct sunlight as the flavors develop.



Enjoy basil vodka. Drink responsibly and do not drink and drive. :) In fact this is a good reason to stay home cos a martini with this vodka will beat any martini at the local bar.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

I made this more than a couple of weeks ago and have only now found the time/inclination to put this up. These rolls taste like a warm summer day in an orchard - if that taste could be in a roll.

I saw a recipe for summer rolls in one of my favourite blogs and finally got around to making it.




Recipe

1 cup of fresh basil
1 cup of fresh mint
1 inch piece of ginger cut into thin juliennes
2 small carrots cut into juliennes
one small head of lettuce
2 oz of thin rice vermicelli ( soaked in hot water according to package instructions)
about 10 sprigs of cilantro/coriander leaves
rice paper wraps (available in any Asian store)


Prepare all the ingredients and put them out in a plate. Warm some water and pour it into a shallow pan where you can dip your rice paper wraps. Dip the wrap, make sure all of it is under water for a few seconds and place on a clean dry surface. Add a few lettuce leaves that have been roughly torn into large chunks. Add a few basil leaves, a few mint leaves, some carrot, a spring of coriander, some ginger. Place all of these in one end of the wrap. Add a little cooked vermicelli. Make a roll by tucking the sides under the vegetables and make a wrap. Veggie belly has lovely pictures illustrating how to do this.

And that's it. I am going to make them all the time. To store , make ahead,put on a plate, cover with a damp towelette, wrap with plastic and cool in fridge.



Serve with your choice of dipping sauces.