Would one use holy basil to make pesto sauce? Are there other culinary uses?

Question

I got some holy basil seeds (via mail) from a guy on an internet forum. I planted them and they are growing nicely. They taste similar to thai basil. Would one use holy basil to make pesto sauce? Are there other culinary uses for holy basil?

Answer 1

Use it the same as you would thai basil, or even "normal" basil. It's a little more strongly on the licorice flavor side of things than lettuce leaf basil, but it still works nicely in conjunction with tomatoes, garlic, and other "italian" flavors.

Answer 2

There was an article on pesto in the recent Saveur magazine. Here is what they wrote about Thai basil:

There are many varieties of Thai basil, which has a light anise flavor that doesn't dissipate when heated. Often used in stir-fries and curries, it makes for a gorgeously perfumed pesto.

Here is a link to the Thai basil reference: http://www.saveur.com/gallery/Many-Shades-of-Green/4 Here is the article itself: http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Glorious-Pesto-1000088723