Timeless Dishes
Ingredients
Bring about 4 to 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium or large pot. Prepare a medium bowl with ice and cold water.
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Once the water is boiling, stir in ½ teaspoon of salt until dissolved. Add the basil leaves and boil for about 10 seconds, just until they turn bright green. Immediately drain and transfer the basil to the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Once cool, remove the basil and gently squeeze out most of the water. Lay the leaves on paper towels and press to remove as much moisture as possible. If any stems are still attached, remove them. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Add the basil leaves to a blender, chopping them first if your blender isn’t very powerful. Add the chopped garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and olive oil.
Blend on medium speed until the basil starts to break down, then increase the speed and blend until the mixture is mostly smooth.