You have certainly played around with fresh basil, particularly with pesto. Here the flavor is more subtle in its cooked form.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 cup

　　2/3 cup fresh, unblemished basil leaves, packed

　　3 tablespoons best-quality extra-virgin olive oil

　　1/2 pound onions, cut in 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups chunks)

　　1 cup leek chunks (1-inch pieces)

　　2 cups water

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　

Step 1

Reserve 5 or 6 bright-green basil leaves (about 2 tablespoons) and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Put the remainder of the basil in a small saucepan with all the other ingredients (including the remaining tablespoon of olive oil). Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Remove the cover and boil steadily another 20 minutes or longer, reducing the contents of the pot to 1 cup—about a quarter of the original volume. Lower the heat if necessary, as liquid evaporates, to avoid burning the sauce ingredients.

　　

Step 3

When it is sufficiently concentrated, scrape everything from the pot into the bowl of a food processor and purée. Roughly chop the reserved basil leaves with a knife, then add the pieces to the food processor and purée until they’re incorporated. Finally, with the machine running, drizzle in the reserved 2 tablespoons of excellent olive oil, to form a light emulsion.

　　

Step 4

Serve the sauce warm with cooked vegetables; reheat on the stove if it has cooled off. Store in the refrigerator.

　　

Good With . . .

Step 5

Brussels sprouts

　　

Step 6

Boiled eggs

　　

Step 7

Poached leeks

　　

Step 8

Fresh tomatoes with mozzarella

　　

Step 9

Poached zucchini

　　From Lidia's Family table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright (c) 2004 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York. Jay Jacob's journalism has appeared in many national magazines.From the Trade Paperback edition.