So I ended up with very nice basil plants this year (from seed) and this leaves me with a TON of basil leaves. Now i know theres pesto but what else can i do with large amounts of basil, culinary or otherwise?

sell them

pesto is it really. you could try adding some to sandwiches.

or smoke it

Use it in whenever you make a stir fry or curry, it's so delicious.

Better get cracking with your Italian cooking. Basil is found in many of them, and Italian cookery can be a hellacious amount of fun, even if it doesn't always come out quite as you like it.

Just remember, with Italian food, most times, simpler is better. Let the flavors (in this case, basil, probably paired with garlic) speak for themselves and don't bury them under a lot of other stuff. You're already doing pesto (which for me, is basil, garlic, and a fruity olive oil with little else added), so you've got the idea already.

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"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time, and it annoys the pig." --Robert Heinlein

Basil is great both in soups and on fried chicken. Add the basil in the last moments though. Cooking tends to destroy the flavor relatively quickly.

I suppose you're familiar with a chiffonade cut? If not, take a look here. It's my preferred method for prepping fresh basil. As SomeLowLife said, add it at the end of the cooking, and cut it right before you add it to get the best flavor.

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"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time, and it annoys the pig." --Robert Heinlein

Getcho damn self some good mozza and tomatoes and you have a world of wonder at your fingertips.

You could make a simple salad by mixing up some nice fresh tomatoes, some chopped basil and some balsamic and olive oil.

From there you could basically take that salad, throw in on some nice bread with the parma and throw that into a panini press. (George Formans Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine works just fine).

Or make some pizza dough, throw on some fresh homemade tomato sauce, some of that mozza and some basil leaves and you have a nice simple pizza. Thin crust.

Or throw all of the above items into a pasta.

Really, there's a shitload of things you can do if you work in tomatoes.

Pesto(!!!)

Basil
Pine Nuts
Olive oil
Parmesan Cheese
Garlic

I think thats all you need.....

http://www.abc.net.au/wa/stories/s1479606.htm

You should just drizzle the olive oil in, until a nice paste is made.

Then cook some fettuccine or spaghetti and stir some pesto through


Or get some tomatoes, blanch them(remove the skins), stick in a food processor with some basil and blend til smooth, or however you want. Get a lebanese bread/make some pizza dough, and spread sauce over base. Grate some mozzarella and sprinkle on top. Maybe add some bacon, salami, olives, then cook under a grill until he cheese is nicely melted.

Basil is usually paired with garlic, so just use your imagination.