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buddie
04-04-2001, 12:10 PM
this probably wouldn't go with your dinner but it is SOOOOO good! great for BBQ or family get togethers because it makes a TON!

Roasted Tomato Pasta Salad
2lbs tomatoes (i used roma but get whatever has the best tomatos)
1 bunch italian parsley
10 garlic cloves
2/3 cup fresh grated parmesan plus some for garnishing
3/4 cup olive oil (NOTE! you may not use all of this oil)
10 oz fusilli pasta (you could use bow tie or spiral too)
1 bunch of fresh basil

1) core the tomatos and cut in half through the diameter (cut tips off too)

2) using a food processor chop the parsley and garlic. add the parmesan cheese, some oil (this is some of that 3/4 cup you just want enough to make a thick paste) and salt and pepper to form a loose paste

3) spread the paste over the cut side of the tomatoes. bake in a low oven 225 degrees for 2.5 hours

4) bring a large pot of water to boil. add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water until cool to the touch. shake off as much excess water as possible. lay out some paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and spread the pasta out on it to make sure it is really dry. (they make special towels also to do this that don't leave lint or fibers. i use paper towels)

5) slice the basil into a chiffanade (put many leaves together and roll up then thinly slice at an angle).

6) toss the pasta with the cooked tomatoes and basil (what i do is leave about 10 nice looking tomatoes and put the rest in with the pasta. then take yours hands and mix pasta and tomatos. this way you can lightly squish in the tomotoes. add some more parmensan and season with salt and pepper to taste. garnish with the left over tomatoas

this feeds 8 people! (main course)

beccathebaker
04-04-2001, 11:06 PM
I'm looking for a simple side dish to make tonight to go along with brown rice and I have a big bunch of fresh basil left over that i would love to use up. Any suggestions? Thanks -Becca

funnybone
04-04-2001, 11:15 PM
This won't help you today, but you can always make pesto sauce to use for another day.

Leanne
04-04-2001, 11:25 PM
If you have some good tomatoes around - one of my favorites is a sliced tomato, fresh mozarella, and fresh basil stacked salad. top with balsamic vinegar, maybe some olive oil, salt & pepper to taste. Very yummy - especially with summer tomatoes.

Also, I always throw it on homemade pizza & in pasta sauce. (Those don't really go with brown rice though.)

Gail
04-04-2001, 11:25 PM
...not that I know if there are many side dishes, per se, but have you run a search on this board yet? I know we've done several threads on recipes using basil in the past-- more than likely they will be in either the general archives or popular threads archives by now.

In addition, you might use just a portion of it now for something like Leanne's yummy suggestion and you could always freeze the rest! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 04-04-2001).]

Danielle
04-04-2001, 11:28 PM
This isn't considered a side dish, but have you tried the Chicken Bruschetta? It was a reader recipe in an issue a while back. It calls for fresh basil, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic, chicken, parmesan cheese, and balsamic vinegar. Maybe you could do without the chicken? It's such a yummy dish.

Terrytx
04-04-2001, 11:34 PM
How about the Strawberry-Kiwi Salad with Basil from this months issue, it was very good.