opal basil

[mikeczyz]

what do you do with opal basil?

mike

[Liza]

Same things I do with regular basil - pesto, infused oils, rub it all over...DOH!

[mikeczyz]

Same things I do with regular basil - pesto, infused oils, rub it all over...DOH!

ummmmm....thanks!

mike

[Suzanne F]

And add the leaves to salad, for color contrast as well as flavor.

[fyfas]

My take is that it is used more for color accent/variation. Taste (to me) is too close to what passes for regular basil. (I DO note, fwiw, strong taste variation in Thai basil as an example; and there are so many varieties of basil.)

Bob Sherwood

[torakris]

ditto what everyone is saying.

I was paging through my Babbo cookbook last night and noticed mario Batali uses it A LOT!

Mostly for the color contrast I am sure.

[cottontop]

Supposedly, it will repel mosquitoes if planted around the yard.

[hedgehog]

Is opal basil the same as purple basil? If so, it is used dried rather than fresh in some parts of south-eastern Turkey. Kurds and some Armenians find that drying develops a unique flavor which they like in their lentil and wheat soups.