Basil, pizza, and Ahi tuna????

If you come from a family like mine, waste is a 4-letter word.  I get it, it's 5 letters, but you understand what I am saying.......

Earlier this spring, Mark and I planted 3 basil plants.  Mark's theory is that we love making Caprese salad - the traditional with tomatoes and an alternative with peaches - and we are always buying basil, so why not grow it.  Seemed logical enough.  That is until the basil started resembling small trees, shading the house, and providing nesting areas for the birds.  But I digress.

Inundated with copious amounts of basil, and not wanting it to go to waste, I've been on the hunt for new ways to use basil.  Trust me, there are only so many Caprese salads one can eat.

Weekends are great times to Google and merge recipes, and this weekend, I merged some winners. Try them for yourself, and share them with your neighbors.  I certainly will be.   There is nothing like cooking to bring neighbors together and create community (and not waste basil).

Basil Pesto Caprese Pizza:

This is a merge of 5 different recipes - none of which had basil (yep, that's how I roll).  Rather than a traditional tomato base I made pesto with basil, garlic, and pine nuts.  Spread on a store bought crust and topped with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, canadian bacon, capicola ham, and black olives.  Twelve minutes in the oven at 400 degrees and topped with fresh basil kept it light and full of summer with a hint of heat from the capicola.

Seared Ahi Tuna with Soy Dandelion Greens and Spinach: 

My Grandfather would tell me all the time how his Grandmother would dig up all the dandelions and eat the greens at their home in Detroit.  It was why they couldn't have a dog (seems like a good health measure).

Well, I have a dog.  So when I ran into dandelion greens at a local market here I jumped at the chance to try them.  Combined with a wonderful fresh piece of Ahi Tuna from Costco and dinner was born. Originally the salad was supposed to be cold, but the greens tasted a little too bitter.  I wilted them with spinach, basil, and sliced mushrooms with a dash of soy sauce and topped with seared tuna crusted with sesame seeds.  A word of caution, it doesn't take many dashes of soy sauce to become overwhelming and salty.  I would cut back one dash next time, but I am not a big salt person.

Seared Ahi Tuna topped with Capers, Tomatoes, and Basil:

Costco's portions are a little big, but the fish is fresh enough to eat on day 2 without smelling like fish.  It was Sunday and a garden bed that was just supposed to be 'cleaned' up ended up being a weekend project with new edging, dug out tree roots, and new soil.  Simple was the name of the game.

The tuna was again seared but it was only seasoned with a little salt and pepper.  I made a sauce by sauteing garlic and adding tomatoes, capers, and basil.  Placed on top of brussel sprouts I found in the freezer (one of those pop in the microwave, ready in minutes kind of deals) it was a hit.  I even have a request to make the sauce again.  Good thing because the basil tree needs another pruning.

Let me know if these inspire you to throw a neighborhood basil-eating block party and how you put your personal spin on these ideas.