Every once in awhile I am introduced to a food pairing that makes a huge impression on me.

This simple basil butter is one of those pairings.

I like basil.  I like butter.

Why didn’t I put the two together before?

I was treated to this … basil butter … (you have to lower your voice and say it slowly) at an office function held at the house of one of the JAG’s I worked with.  (That’s Judge Advocate General — the lawyers in the military.)

Pete.  This guy knew his way around the kitchen.

He was also fluent in multiple languages.

Well,  he made sure to learn one sentence in the mother tongue of each country he had to travel to for work.

I guess that would make him multi-lingual-single-sentence-fluent?

Whether that sentence was relevant to the conversation he was having or not didn’t matter.  He learned it and he was going to use it at every opportunity.

As he learned Italian, I was lucky enough to witness his progress — one word at a time.

He learned “aiuto” (help) first.  He’d enter the office and state his first Italian word.   “Aiuto.”  It wasn’t a request for help.  It wasn’t a command to help.  It was just a statement.  Aiuto.

And then he’d leave.

Eventually, his Italian vocabulary was doubled when he learned “guarda” (look).

I was then entertained by “Guarda.  Aiuto.”  This occurred several times a day because the copy machine, fridge, legalmen and I all shared an office.

Like a talented comedian, it was his delivery that made those simple words so comical.

And this basil butter will deliver delicious right to your taste buds!

Guarda, Pete.  Grazie!

Enjoy!

Basil Butter – Use it on Everything!

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This basil butter has so many uses -- melt on top of beef, chicken, fish. Mix with pasta, potatoes or rice. Spread on bread. Make an extra batch and store in fridge or freezer so it's ready when you need it!

Ingredients

• 2 Sticks butter
• 3/4 cups chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Note

This basil butter is worth keeping in the fridge or freezer so it's ready when you need it.  So many uses.  It's delicious on top of beef, chicken or fish.  Mix it in with potatoes or pasta.  Spread on bread.  You name it.  So yummy.  Enjoy!

The Recipe Wench

Directions

Step 1

In a medium bowl, mix butter and basil together with a fork. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2

I use a small cookie scoop to divide into single-serving portions and freeze on waxed paper until solid. Then place in ziplock bag and store for use as needed.