Basil!

We've finished the "organic" vegetables section at the supermarket, and are moving on to the next section, which is packaged fresh herbs. First up is basil. While it's not technically Thai holy basil, we decided to use it to make some Thai Basil Chicken. Inspiration recipes are here and here, but I'm not going back to the store, so we'll skip the green onion and use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs. If we like this, maybe I'll try it again with the actual suggested ingredients.

Thai Basil Chicken

• 3-4 tablespoons peanut oil
• 3 red chilies, finely sliced (with or without seeds)
• 3 shallots (or red onion), diced (or green onion)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound chicken (ground or diced thighs or breast meat)
• 2 teaspoons sugar or honey
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or oyster sauce)
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup basil leaves

Heat oil in a wok on high. Add chilies, shallots and garlic and stir for a minute. Add the chicken and cook quickly until done. Combine the sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce and chicken broth for a sauce. Add to pan and stir to deglaze. Stir in the basil leaves until wilted. Serve with rice.

Updated 3/25/25: Basil can also be found in a tube in the produce section. Did you know that? We also picked up some ravioli from Aisle 1 at Aldi, so combined the two ingredients (along with some of the garlic paste) in a delicious and quick recipe.

Creamy Basil Ravioli

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced basil
• 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 8-ounce package ravioli, cooked and drained
• 1-2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Heat oil and sauté the onions and garlic. Add tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste, then simmer for a few minutes. Lower heat and stir in the cream and pasta. Garnish with Parmesan and serve immediately.