Basil recipes

Bacon-topped meatloaf made with a classic mix of ground beef, pork and veal, seasoned with marjoram, oregano and basil. Shaped into round loaves and crossed with bacon for a crisp, salty crust.

Fresh vegetable stuffing with zucchini, spinach, summer squash, and Parmesan bound with bread crumbs and white wine. Seasoned with thyme, sage, tarragon, and basil. Use inside poultry or bake as a side.

Spinach and mushroom Florentine lasagna with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan layered three times and baked under marinara or tomato-cream sauce. A vegetarian restaurant copycat.

Fresh tuna burgers with basil, mint, lemon zest, and red chili, grilled and stacked on whole-wheat ciabatta with wasabi mayonnaise. A lighter burger with a Thai-Japanese lean.

Oyster and plantation soup builds a Caribbean-Creole bisque from ripe plantains, onions, coconut milk, and cream spiked with cayenne, basil, and tarragon, then poaches fresh oysters in their own liquor. A briny-sweet seafood soup with island roots.

Cornish hens Provencal style braised with tomatoes, saffron, olives, leeks, white wine, and fresh herbs. A one-skillet French country dinner with golden-skinned game hens in 50 minutes.

Broiled chicken over fettuccine in a brandy cream sauce with fresh and sundried tomatoes, jalapenos, and basil. A spicy, restaurant-style dinner for two.

Italian meat sauce mix is a bulk-batch freezer sauce: hot Italian sausage and ground beef slow-simmered for 8 hours with tomato puree, basil, and hidden broccoli and cauliflower florets. Makes 8 pints to stash.

Louisiana red beans and rice with kidney beans, andouille sausage, tasso ham, and pickled pork, thickened with file powder. A chef-level Creole classic with layered smoke and spice.

Thai lobster and scallop curry with coconut milk, red curry paste, and fresh basil. Tender seafood in fragrant coconut broth with sweet pepper, mushrooms, and chili-garlic heat over rice.

Grilled swordfish plates over herbed couscous ringed with a quick vegetable minestrone broth of garlic, basil, and fresh herbs. Light Mediterranean dinner with three textures.

Try something new in the kitchen with this succulent dish that will have everyone asking for a second helping.

Bouillabaisse loaded with red snapper, shrimp, scallops, clams, and oysters in a saffron and orange-zest tomato broth. The Provencal seafood stew that defines Marseille kitchens, served with garlic bread and rouille.

Thick and hearty, great with a grilled cheese sandwich or on its own.

Herb-crusted rack of lamb seared and finished with compound herb butter, served over mesquite-grilled pepper ragout with socca and olive tapenade. Restaurant-level Provencal cooking.

Eggs Italiano tops toasted whole-wheat English muffins with a quick zucchini-tomato saute, a perfectly poached egg, and shaved Parmigiano. A brighter, lighter twist on Eggs Benedict for brunch.