Italian Meat Loaf/Greek-style scampi

[cjm]

I have two questions - hopefully they aren't too silly:

What is the measurement difference for fresh herbs/spices vs: store bought herbs/spices - Italian Meat Loaf calls for 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil??? Unfortunately, I don't have fresh spices.

and

I've read the Greek-style scampi recipe and it calls for "2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes..." does this mean 2 cans of tomatoes, 28-ounces each or, 2 cans whole tomatoes, a total of 28-ounces?

[Grace]

Hi CJM

For the meatloaf, I wouldn't use dried basil. 3/4 cup of fresh basil is a lot, and dried basil doesn't taste the same at all. You can buy small packages of fresh herbs at the grocery store - they are located near the salads and lettuces, or you can get them at the Farmer's Markets now inexpensively. I would suggest trying that before I would suggest trying to substitute the dried. Dried basil is usually only for recipes that call for a few teaspoons or tablespoons of the herbs - not large quantities like this meatloaf, or pestos, etc.

As far as the cans of tomatoes go, yes, it means 2 cans, 28 oz. each. Not total. Hope that helps! And good luck!

Grace

[Ralph]

I agree w/Grace about using fresh basil for the meatloaf.
And for future reference, when you CAN substitute dried for fresh herbs, the measurement is usually about 1/3 dry to fresh (i.e. 2 tbsp fresh = 2/3 tbsp dried).

[MrsReber]

I too agree with using only fresh basil for the meatloaf. Dried basil will just not do the job here. Don't worry about your questions being silly! We all have to learn somehow- better to ask the question than to risk ruining your dinner!